I would have my kid do research on the console before ever buying it for them even if I know exactly what it is.
>What's the name of the console
>Do you know how much it costs
>What do you want to play on it
>Can you play the game(s) on the console we already have in the house
>Do you know what will break it
>Do you understand what will happen if you break or lose it
if you can't answer basic questions like that you don't get the console.
Also this does help them understand the value of whatever they're getting and I do trust that by the time a kid is old enough to answer those questions they'll take better care of what they're given. I remember asking for a N64 when I was like 6 years old, and once I got the thing I treated it like a holy grail because my parents made it very clear that if it broke I wasn't getting another one.