by Ann-Katherine Souilliard

Created on: January 23, 2009

Tween girls, those between the ages of ten and twelve, are some of the hardest to shop for. They are still children but most want to be treated like teenagers and it is up to parents and other relatives to try to figure out how to buy them age-appropriate gifts that the girls will feel are cool enough. It can be very tricky especially if the boundaries and guidelines that one girls parents set may not match that of her closest friends, but there are solutions out there to most of the popular wishes and wants.

Tops on most of these wish lists are technology items like cell phones, MP3 players, and digital cameras. Many parents are concerned about the price of these items and the likelihood that they will get lost or broken quickly. The good news is there are affordable, fairly durable options for these items that will still have the features the girls want. They may not be the big brand names that everyone talks about, but some of them may actually be better options than the big names.

Everyone wants an iPod but not every parent thinks that the hefty price tag is worth it and they may be concerned about the fragility of some of the models. However, Creative ZEN makes comparable models that are much cheaper and many of their models offer features such as expandable memory that are not available on any iPod models. Creative is an electronics company that has been making MP3 players since the technology was in its infancy so they are a good choice over some of the unknown brands you will find at many discount stores. While you won't find many accessories for their MP3 players in stores, they offer everything from skins to speaker systems online. If the tween girl in your life absolutely must have an iPod, I would recommend the Shuffle. It is the smallest iPod model and probably the most durable with its sturdy metal construction and lack of a screen (the most fragile part of any device).

Digital cameras are another area where price and durability is a consideration. Most major camera manufacturers make a lower end line of cameras that are perfect for this age group. These models would have been considered top of the line a year or two ago and all take decent pictures. For less than a hundred dollars you should be able to find a digital camera that will last her well into her teens. I recommend staying away from cameras marketed specifically towards children since they typically take very poor quality pictures.

Probably the trickiest purchase to make for a tween

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