I’m so excited to share my first review for the 2012 gift guide. Today I’m sharing with you a review of a game for the Nintendo 3DS called Imagine Babyz.

The premise of the game is that you are a nanny for an agency and you get sent out on jobs to care for babies all around the world. You can customize your avatar and use your own name or one of the preselected options. My one suggestion for the game would be the option to have a boy avatar. My son actually enjoyed playing the game quite a lot, but I wished he didn’t have to be a girl nanny.

You can see my kids were both very engaged in the game. They both have a 3DS, but more often than not, one will stop playing so they can watch their sibling play.

 My favorite part of the game is that there were clearly defined objectives for each baby. One baby might need a bath, a bottle, and practice walking. The next baby might need a diaper change, a nap, and learn to play the xylophone. There was a wide variety of tasks to complete and I can see this game having a long play life. The objectives insure that the kids don’t get bored or that they don’t know ‘what to do’ with their babies.

One of the favorite activities to do with the baby was peek-a-boo. You start by covering the camera on the front of the 3DS, then when the baby calls you, you remove your hand and say ‘Boo’ into the microphone. I really felt like the game utilizes all the features of the 3DS, which is much appreciated in a game.

Another thing I liked about the game is that the tasks were all very realistic. To give a bath, first you had to set the water to the correct temperature. Changing a diaper involved multiple steps like opening the diaper, cleaning the baby, throwing away the old diaper, applying diaper cream if necessary, and putting a new diaper on. I felt like the kids were getting a better understanding of what it takes to care for a baby.

Interacting with Baby Lucie

There is a fair amount of reading required for the game, so I would recommend this game for children with reading skills. My 4, almost 5 year old liked to play the game but she needed someone with her to explain what to do. There is also a section where you teach the baby some words, so you need to be able to read the words and say them into the microphone.

Overall we liked the game very much and I would recommend it for your reading children. Any little girls that love to play mommy, should really love Imagine Babyz 3D. The game is available for purchase from Amazon: Imagine Babyz 3D.

Thank you to Ubisoft for sponsoring this blog post.  I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective. All opinions are my own.