Kids tablets: Five touch-screen computers for the nine-and-under set

If Mom and Dad want to use an an iPad, why shouldn't Junior get a tablet computer, too? Many parents appear to be following that line of reasoning, but many child-development experts say it's best for kids not to have too much "screen time" each day.

2. Vtech InnoTab ($80)

VTech

Pitched to kids age four to nine, the InnoTab comes with a suite of apps, which Vtech says include "creative activities, an MP3 music player, photo viewer, video player, alarm clock, calculator, calendar and an address book."

In a manner similar to the LeapPad, parents can track what kids do on the device by visiting Vtech's Learning Lodge website.

Consumer Reports says its child testers thought the InnoTab's games were the best, compared to those on the other devices.

"The tablet has a bright 5” screen and comes in a sturdy design for small hands to maneuver," tech blogger Jeana Lee Tahnk says in a review for Parenting.com. "You can download content" such as new games onto an SD card from Learning Lodge, it says, and you can also download the other way - saving kids' art to a PC or Mac.
 

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