Amazon Echo Dot Kids Edition: This chatty, Alexa-powered playmate keeps tykes entertained

If you’re looking for an alternative to unleashing your kids on an iPad when you need a few precious moments to yourself, the Amazon Echo Dot Kids Edition makes for an attentive and surprisingly engaging companion. Loaded up with parental controls aplenty and packed to the gills with games and “skills,” the Alexa-powered Echo Kids Edition keeps children entertained while spurring their imaginations, all with you in control.

The $70 Echo Dot Kids Edition is, for all intents and purposes, the same device as the 3rd-generation Echo Dot, but it comes with a one-year subscription to FreeTime, an Amazon service that boasts parental controls, thousands of Audible books, hundreds of Alexa games and kid-friendly skills, and ad-free tunes on Amazon Music.

The FreeTime bundle is a $36 value ($60 for non-Prime members), so given that the standard Echo Dot costs $50 (although it’s frequently on sale for much less), ponying up for the Kids Edition can save you some cash. Also, keep in mind that a FreeTime