DS6 received his own desktop at age 2, and a small laptop at age 5. The main issues I considered with the desktop were safety, processing power, and graphics power. We solved the safety issue by keeping it off the web, and in fact even off of our network, and letting him use a restricted user account that couldn't uninstall programs etc. I bought some lower-case thin keyboard vinyl stickers and a small Microsoft travel mouse, and he was in business. Early on he used to play at typing a bit, but mostly used a few educational software titles and simulation games like Zoo Tycoon, Crazy Machines, etc. Later on he used all sorts of software on it.
The main issues I considered with the laptop were safety, size, battery life, ergonomics, and again good enough power to run his programs. I wound up considering a netbook, but instead gave him my old Thinkpad X100e, which is a perfect size for his hands and which has a wonderful keyboard. Once again he uses a restricted user account, but he has web access now, which we control using Windows Live Family Safety. The laptop's build quality is very solid, and it has a solid state drive to further reduce the possibility of damage due to a fall.
A netbook might be a good choice, because of the size, lightness and long battery life, but they are fairly underpowered. Durability is always an issue with expensive electronics that are designed to be carried.
I'm partial to ThinkPads, but of course you may not want to spend many hundreds of dollars (though there are small models like the
X120e that regularly dip below $400). If money is no object I'd buy something with years of in-home service and business-class build.
(And I think a tablet might be a good option, too, but I just don't like them. I just prefer something with a keyboard built-in and more storage and upgradeability options.)
