Build-A-Bear Workshop A Great Experience! #BuildABearFriend Review

Last week was my 3 year old's first week of Preschool and I wanted to reward him with a special treat for doing such a great job. I had received a free $40 gift card from Smiley360 to try out Build-A-Bear and knew this we would be the perfect opportunity to try them out without having my 5 year old son wonder what was up. :)

It's so nice to have just my 3 year old with me a couple mornings a week so with Friday being one of those days, it was just me and the little guy. On the car ride to the mall, I told him that we would be going to Build-A-Bear and that he would be able to choose any bear. He was so excited! 

I had never taken my boys to a Build-A-Bear Workshop but have heard good things. The store is great! Definitely a bright and happy place! My 3 year old immediately saw the bear he wanted in the window. He saw his favorite superhero Spiderman! He definitely knew what he wanted right away so it was easy from the get go. 

The process is pretty neat. Here is a sign laying out the steps of building a bear.

My 3 year old really likes superheros and chose Spiderman as his bear.

You can choose to add a sound or record a personal Build-a-Sound message but we skipped on that as everything adds up. We headed to the next part where the bear was stuffed.

He then got to pick a heart for his bear. The lady then had him put the heart on his ears, his nose, next to his heart, etc. then make a wish on a heart and seal it with a kiss. It was really cute what she had him do. Such a nice touch that the heart is inside the bear, and then stitched up. She also put in a paper with a barcode inside, so that if the bear is ever found, someone just needs to bring it to any Build-A-Bear location and it will be mailed to you. I thought that was neat, but I guess it only works if other people know about it...so now you know, if you ever happen to come across a lost Build-A-Bear bear, return it to any store. :)

After the bear is all stitched up, they can give the bear a bath and brush their fur.

Then an outfit is chosen, and it was an easy pick for my 3 year old as he knew what he wanted right from the start.

Lastly, he got to pick a name, we entered the info into the computer, and a birth certificate was printed out.

This was a great experience for my 3 year old!! He really enjoyed the whole process and was so excited about playing with his bear, that he didn't even want to play at the kid's play area in the mall afterwards. All he wanted to do was go home, so that he could play with his bear! :) I thought the experience was awesome! I enjoyed the steps and all the options you can do. I love how there are so many outfits and bears to choose from. My only complaint would be on the price. It can be pretty pricey especially if you want all the options and if your child chooses an expensive bear or clothes. Luckily, thanks to Smiley360 a majority of the price of the bear was covered. This is definitely a special occasion bear!

Have you heard of Build-A-Bear Workshop?

Disclaimer: Smiley360 provided me with a complimentary $40 gift card to review. Everything contained in this post is my own opinion.