My daughter (3 1/2), got this toy for Christmas and it is AWESOME! We've been using it several months and only had to replace the batteries once. It took her a little while to figure out how to use all of the features, but I'm amazed now at how well she knows how to use it. The diversity of play on this toy is great! My daughter tends to have a short attention span, but this will keep her occupied for an hour or more. She loves being able to interact when it "reads" to her. She likes to be able to click on words and it spells them out for her, I was so suprised to hear her naming at least a dozen letters the other day out of the blue! The only draw back with this toy is the price, and the price of the games.

sunshinebabysite

Hyattsville, MD

We bought this as a present at Christmas for my almost 3 yr old daughter and she absolutely loves it. Right now she is into coloring and art so she loves the preloaded activities that it comes with. Being able to draw on pictures that are her favorite I had uploaded is fun for her. I take it everywhere we go because not only does it help her start writing, coloring, singing, etc but also entertains her easily and is a big learning opportunity for her. I would reccomend greatly...

momofangels2011

Fredericksburg, IN

My three year old son really enjoys his iXL.  It has taken him a while to figure out how everything works, and he still asks for help often.  The stylus can be sensitive, so it can be hard for little fingers to touch just the right place on the screen.  I really like that it can be personalized with his name and his own pictures and music.  I am not crazy about the software choices.  Except for the monkey software that comes on the iXL when you buy it, all of the available software is based on licensed characters.  I don't let my son watch a lot of television, so he is not even familiar with the characters, and I prefer it to stay that way.  I would like the iXL better if there were some software options that were not based on television shows.  The software is also expensive.  If the child plays a lot the batteries die often, but if he or she plays only thirty minutes a day or so they last for quite a while. 

MelanieHawkins

Nashville, TN

My 2 year old recieved this for Christmas and LOVES it.  It's very simple for him to use.  He loves listening to music and looking at our family photos.  I love that you can use headphones to silence it!

kristina022179

Leesburg, VA

My 4 year old twins wanted a DSI, but I refused to spend all that money on a toy without being sure they would take care of it.  They LOVE the iXL and play it for hours at a time.  One unit was faulty, but I exchanged it at target, no problem.  My boys love the games (Batman and Toy Story) and practice their writing a lot.  I swear their letters have improved in the last week and a half alone.  They feel very important and grown up with their own handheld system.  That said, I have to be honest; I will never recommend this toy to anyone.  when I say it eats batteries, please do not underestimate that statement.  Each unit takes 4 AA batteries and I am going through 2 sets a day per unit.  That is 16 batteries a day.  For that money I could have gotten them the DSI, but I still wouldnt for such young ones.  I wish I had gotten the Leapster. 

grekrs

Metamora, MI

My son loves his new Fisher price ixl learning system. I will start with the down side first-  the games are expensive and there isn't very many game yet.   I am hoping they will continue to bring more games out soon.  The learning system provides so many things for preschoolers to do. They can read books, play games, trace letters, have books read to them, music, art, download pictures of themselves. IT is so easy to use and I love that it uses a stylist instead of a touch screen. It is helping with his writing so much I can hardly believe it.  IT is also an Mp3 player, which we haven't used yet, but I am sure we will. He is always asking to play his "video  game".  It is great for trips and is a product that I think will grow with him.  I love that it is all these things on one system instead of buying a whole bunch of different items like the Vreader, a game system, mp3 player. It is all in one handy little toy.!

clcmtc

Springboro, OH

My girls received the Fisher-Price iXL for Christmas and we've been very satisfied with it.  It comes preloaded with a story, a game, a few pictures and 5 songs (like the abc's.)  The games are great for learning.  There is a sequential counting game from 1-10 (pre-loaded) and because the kids are trying to collect bananas they don't even realize they are learning.  The photo viewer has a stamp button that allows you to add stamps to your downloaded pictures, so you can add a picture of your child and they can stamp a cowboy hat or funny lips on themselves, my kids love it!  It's fairly small and fits easily into a child's bag or purse.  When you purchase a game for the system you have to load it from your computer onto the ixl.  They've made it pretty simple to do so even someone without much computer knowledge can do it.  But then once the game is on your computer you can transfer it to more than one iXL so if you have several children with their own iXLs you can put one game on all their systems and they can play them at the same time not like when you have a game card.  And each extra game you purchase (like toy story) has 3 games on it (like memory and such) so it's very much worth the money.  I also like that to expand the memory you can add a standard sd card and not have to buy anything special that doesn't fit anything else.

mommyof2n2

Chesapeake, OH

I purchased the Fisher Price ixl learning system for my granddaughter as a Christmas gift.  I also purchased 3 of the additional game cd roms.  She could not put it down!  She absolutely loves it!  It is very child friendly in it's use and very entertaining.  I love the fact that she is learning while she is playing.  I think she will be able to use this system for several years since she can have a story read to her now and later on she can read it herself with help from the system. On the con side, it does use a lot of batteries and it quite bulky.  I still haven't been able to get her 3rd game loaded onto the system because it won't recognize any of the 3 SC cards I have for it.  The FAQ section on the website was of no help at all so I guess I am going to have to call them.  Overall, I would definitely recommend it as it has many more pros than cons.

kkcraig3

Pleasureville, KY

My 5 year old is developmentally delayed with significant motor planning delays.  He has found many electronic learning toys to be very frustrating and just plain not fun for him.  I saw the iXl in the store and played with it a bit and decided to give it a try.  He loves it!  He can play the games with the included stylus and not worry about trying to push small buttons.  I loaded his music on the player and he can watch the little monkey dance to his favorite tunes, which makes him giggle and giggle.  I like that he can operate it by himself and not get frustrated and cry or scream.   My only complaint is the length of time it takes to set it up with the included software, the updates take over an hour on a very fast cable internet connection.  You can't start the software without doing an update first.   I have been leaving the software open on my computer rather than closing it and waiting for the update each time.

preciousgem26

Coldwater, MI

My parents got this for my almost 5 year old daugher for Christmas.  She likes it!  It is educational and easy for her to use.  It opens up with the screen and buttons inside.  I think this will help keep the screen protected.  The buttons are also large & easy for kids to press.  The battery compartment is locked, but easy for an adult to open with a coin, etc.  You can expand memory by adding a Secure Digital memory card (purchased separately).  The card is secured from kids with a screw. It comes with software that must be installed on a computer before your child can play with the iXL.  You must use your computer to setup your child's profile, and also to install any new games.  The software also has some extra activites & things, but I have not yet explored them. It comes with a game already installed.  Additional games are on CDs, and must be installed through the software on your computer.  Not very convenient for opening a new game as a gift & not be able to just pop it in and play! Overall I think it's fun for kids, and easy for them to play. But there are better competitor systems out there.

dealshanna

Madison, AL