IMPORTANT UPDATE **** IMPORTANT UPDATE
The LeapFrog Explorer is now back in stock and prices have stabilized! LeapFrog LeapPad Explorer Learning Tablet 
As we predicted in our initial review of the LeapFrog Tablet, this electronic toy and learning system has won the distinguished title of ,Toy Of The Year Award for 2012.
If you are still interested in an alternative, see our comparison of the LeapFrog Tablet and the
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Unfortunately for those shoppers looking for the LeapFrog Tablet for their tech savvy youngster most retailers are sold out. Even the manufacturer has sold out of current supply. If you are fortunate enough to find one, it will likely be at an inflated price
Continue reading below for some options.
Vtech Innotab Interactive Tablet
The strongest competition for the LeapFrog Tablet is the Vtech Innotab Tablet. Read our side by side comparison of these two units to see if the Vtech tablet meets your needs.
When the LeapFrog LeapPad was priced close to that of the Innotab I believed it to be the better value. In my judgement, the built-in camera and video recorder justified the difference in price. But with the new prices currently being charged, I no longer subscribe to that view.
With the inflated prices being seen on the LeapFrog Tablet, I believe the Vtech Innotab Tablet is now the better value and Amazon has the best price I have found so far and the only makes the deal sweeter.
Kindle Fire
With the scarcity of the LeapFrog Tablet, the following question was asked:
“I’m in the market for a tablet for my 5 1/2 year old and 2 year old-both of whom are whizzes with my iPad 2. I’m looking at the Kindle Fire and the almost endless apps/books/movies/songs, rechargeable battery and price of only $199. It sure seems like a much better value than the LeapPad. Has anyone purchased the Kindle Fire for use by a child? How does it compare to an iPad 2? Thanks!”
This is a very reasonable question. While the Kindle Fire was not specifically designed for use by preschoolers and toddlers, take a look at how one person responded to this question:
“My wife and I are very happy with the K Fire. I installed 2 educational children apps “Kids Math” and “Kids Match’em”, a calculator and Mapquest; they all work excellent. There are thousands of android apps, all Dr. Seuss animated books and of course e-books. This device offers the educational piece, the entertainment, netflix, youtube, pandora, silk browser, etc. and of course amazon. My wife got one of the roocase covers which would give plenty of protection to the device in case of a drop. I would recommend this device to a kid 5 or 6 and older; perhaps younger children with supervision. The WiFi connection can be easily disconnected so that younger children don’t access internet or buy apps accidentally.”
Personally, having a 3 year old granddaughter, I would not want to entrust her to the Kindle Fire without proper supervision. For those over the age of 5, I would seriously consider this option. While the Kindle Fire has been thoroughly tested, I do not know that it was tested to be kid proof.
Follow this link for more information on the Kindle Fire, Full Color 7″ Multi-touch Display with Wi-Fi
