Text and Learn: Kid's PDA
Jun. 3 2009, Published 5:19 a.m. ET
Scary statistics: One in 6 parents have found their PDA – whether it’s a Trio, Palm, Blackberry, iPhone – in the trash or even worse, the toilet! Anyone with a toddler knows that they’re fascinated with our PDA’s, probably because we’re on it so much, and a cheap imitation won’t fool them.
So the clever folks at Leapfrog created a “Text and Learn” PDA that actually works! Well, they can’t text YOU or update their Facebook page but the green puppy, Scout who comes in the package can text them back. And you can program Scout to call them by name (my cute press unit came already calling me “Evan” which is just too adorable, especially when singing lullabies.)
It’s got the all-important QWERTY keyboard and they can play letter games (6 games built in) when they’re not busy texting. The “pretend” browser will entertain the 6-36 group, but no older. With the directions game kiddies learn to follow directions and help Scout find his way home.
If you think your precious PDA is safe, consider these horror stories:
-One toddler used her Mom’s Blackberry as a chew toy for their two large dogs
-When my son was 3 (he's 4 now) he thought that my PDA phone was thirsty so he dunked it in my drink. I didn't realize it until he said "look mommy, your phone was thirsty"!
-When my son was a year old, he got his little hands on my Blackberry Pearl and slobbered it to death. To make matters worse, it was my birthday and the phone completely died.
$32.00 at Leapfrog
NOTE: Leapfrog is undertaking a voluntary recall of the My Pal Scout plush toy due to a problem discovered with the paw decals.
“After only a small number of these toys shipped and were on store shelves, we recently became aware that the decals on the paws of the toy may be removed in part or in some cases entirely from My Pal Scout. In response, we have redesigned the product. A new My Pal Scout, available in August, will replace the paw decals with embroidered paws that will retain the toy’s functionality while removing the potential hazard”