This post was first published on Mellow Mummy in September 2011.
Winnie the Pooh is an interactive Disney friend from Worlds Apart. He is programmed with over 50 phrases and 'pooisms' in a very cute familiar voice. Pooh bear is incredibly soft and has a nose and hand that you can squeeze to interact with him.
My daughter loves to feed her new friend whenever he gets hungry (we've set him up so that he is hungry for breakfast, lunch and dinner at the same time as she is). Pooh comes with his own honey pot and spoon and will tell you when he has a rumbly in his tummy!
At bedtime Pooh bear tells you when he's feeling a bit tired (cunningly we've programmed him to do this shortly before we normally get our daughter ready for bed). He knows when it is time to get changed, brush teeth, wash face and have a bedtime story (you can set him up to do these in any order you like). And, when he is finally ready to go to sleep he yawns and drifts off and won't let you disturb him until it is officially time to wake up.
Since Winnie the Pooh came to live with us, our daughter has often asked to go to bed earlier than her normal bedtime. He really helps to re-enforce the bedtime routine. I had hoped that it would also help to stop her waking up too early in the morning but he will only tell you to go back to sleep if you choose to actively engage with him by pressing his nose or mouth. Despite this, she seems to really enjoy being with him, especially playing hide and seek with him!
I think that the interactive friend from Worlds Apart is a fabulous toy and could become any pre-schooler's new best friend. The only negative I've found is that because all of his electronics are internal and can't be removed, you can't put Pooh bear in the wash. Unfortunately our Winnie the Pooh has already had one vomit incident and he really could have done with a spin.
You can buy the Winnie the Pooh interactive friend in a number of shops including Argos, Tesco and Amazon.
