what do you think of webkinz?

[Lunaria]

My mom in law just e-mailed me to ask if she could buy the kids webkinz. I'm glad she asked but I have no idea about this. My dd is 4 1/2 and my ds is 2. So far they don't have anything to do with the computer except once in awhile I'll show them pictures of things they like(horses, trucks). I thought it best to not start them on the computer at a young age. What do you ladies think? Please give me your opinions/experiences


Jenny

[SAHDS]

I know I'll be in the minority, but I'm not a fan of (my) children being on the Internet, no matter how "secure" a site is.

[Miasmamma]

My DD has a few of them, but we don't go online with them. I don't even have the little tags you're supposed to keep. She just thinks they are nice stuffed animals. I think her favorite one lately is a snake.

[onlyzombiecat]

Can't they enjoy the stuffed animal without doing the internet part?

[mamazee]

The internet site is cute and I don't have a problem with it at all personally, though a 2-year-old won't get anything out of it, and a 4-1/2-year-old likely won't either. And they're expensive for stuffed animals without the internet stuff. She could probably find nice stuffed animals that size cheaper. Maybe puppets - puppets are good for that age group.

[AliveMama]

DD got one for her 1st birthday and for Christmas this year.

She's way to young to enjoy the computer part, but she loves the stuffies. I gave the codes away to people I knew online.

If she was closer to 5, I would have kept the codes until she was interested. But I have nothing against computers for kids in moderation. It's not like a 5yo is going to be in a chat room having cyber sex. So it seems alot safer than letting as 12 or 13yo be online.

[LittleBlessings]

Originally Posted by Miasmamma

My DD has a few of them, but we don't go online with them. I don't even have the little tags you're supposed to keep. She just thinks they are nice stuffed animals. I think her favorite one lately is a snake.

We also have a few and do not go online with them. They are very cute stuffed animals and that is why we got them.

[Porcelain Interior]

I find them to be a pain. You get the toy, then you have to sign it up, and I guess you can starve it to death if you don't go online enough? I don't know for sure though, but I think we killed all of ours.

My kids get limited computer time, and we don't do websites where you need to sign up first, and have a username- too invasive.

So pbskids.org is a go, and there are a select few others. Never alone though.

[Village Mama]

I didn't like it at all personally. I found the format to be like " consumer training". You buy your pet all sorts of ridiculous items all with a checkout cart system like you do with online shopping. There was also emphasis on getting more webkins friends.
It was a good time waster and a cool idea, but I didn't like the product.
I was disappointed. I guess I was hoping that it would be more realistic. Like you would feed your pet realistic food and make a habitat for it or something.

[Bell]

Hi Jenny! My dd has some Webkinz and she enjoys playing with the plush toys and also spends some time on their website too. I try to set a time limit for using the computer. I like the site because it's safe and it helped her reading. So I don't see any problem if your los use the computer for a short time.

[labdogs42]

I happen to love Webkinz! I have 5 on my own personal account and DS now has five. He's 4 and he doesn't play with them online a ton, but he does have some games he likes on the Webkinz site. I think the games are great and he has learned how to use the mouse exceptionally well already and I attribute a lot of that to Webkinz. The site is totally safe (one of the reasons I got one for myself first was so I could test it all out first, then I got hooked on the fun games!). Even the "chat" feature only allows you to exchange pre-written phrases. It is very safe.

They are coming out with a new line of pets and a new site very soon. It will be called Webkinz Jr and is geared for the 3-6 year old set. I don't know if I'll get DS one of those pets or not yet.

If you children don't want to play online, then they can just play with the nice toys. Or you can use the codes to set up an account and decide what you think of the site. I think it is important in this day and age to expose kids to computers ASAP and I think Webkinz is a great way to do that.

[Lunaria]

Thanks for the replies!

My gut feels like they are too young for it and I was worried about the consumerism aspect as well. I feel like a bit of an ogre because I've already told my mil we don't do barbies or brats. She was disappointed she couldn't buy barbies for dd, but thankfully I steered her to the only hearts club dolls and she bought those for her instead. The kids could just use the stuffies in the old fashioned way...but my goodness they don't need more stuffed animals. Thank you for helping me make my decision I'm off to e-mail my mil.

Jenny

[daytripper75]

Mine asked for one and got it. The Internet games are for a much older child than mine but she does enjoy the stuffed animal.

A lot of children in her preschool have them so I didn't really think about whether it would be age appropriate or not. They aren't for 3 year olds. But my 3 year old doesn't mind.

[vegemamato]

Originally Posted by Village Mama

I didn't like it at all personally. I found the format to be like " consumer training". You buy your pet all sorts of ridiculous items all with a checkout cart system like you do with online shopping. There was also emphasis on getting more webkins friends.
It was a good time waster and a cool idea, but I didn't like the product.
I was disappointed. I guess I was hoping that it would be more realistic. Like you would feed your pet realistic food and make a habitat for it or something.

-we have two, and the kids appreciate their cuteness.. but I do not want them to go online and "buy" items (or even make "friends" with other webkinsters, honestly).

My kids do use the computer, however, but more for silly youtube videos, pbs games and netflix (). My nearly eight-year-old reads mommy-approved blogs, too..

so, a 'no' vote for the online part of it but if your mil wants to buy them for the stuffedness, then so be it

(maybe you could suggest something like this instead? the $50 donation includes a stuffed animal )

[lilyka]

Ava got her first webkinz when she was about 4 1/2 and it was a mom intensive experiance. So your kid slikely won't be very interested. or they may just play a couple of games. I doubt your two year old will care. However. Some of them are just very nice stuffed animals. a good size, nicely weighted, cute, soft. So if nothing else they are nice toys. your kids likely won't even be interested in the whole internet thing. however . . it could be really fun for you. I won't lie. I enjoy the games.

[Dahlea]

I think they're pointless for younger children (<10 imo)

[AliveMama]

Originally Posted by Dahlea

I think they're pointless for younger children (<10 imo)

Pointless doesn't mean they are harmful.

DD has a couple because they were the only form my sister could find the right animal in.

[Maeve]

My kids don't have Webkinz, but they have some Folkmanis puppets that came with codes where you can go online and learn about their habitats, play games, etc. It's pretty neat, though they really haven't done it much.
If my mil or mom wanted to get the kids one, iw ould probably explain to her that they wouldn't use it much, but if she still wanted to, whatever. It's not something I feel strongly enough to fight over, kwim?

[Lunaria]

I sent her an e-mail just explaining that I think they are too young for the online part but if she wants to get them they'll be happy to play with them the old fashioned way

Jenny

[Breeder]

I'm just not a fan of giving my kid another excuse to stare at screen. But that's me. The animals are cute though.