Zazoo Kids Clock: This Could Be Love

Well it is finally happening. My first product review. I was contacted by a company called Zazoo Kids. Someone there had stumbled upon MY blog and felt they had a product, that was a perfect fit for my family. I won’t lie, I was thrilled. I had only been blogging for a couple of months. I thought this stuff only happened to awesome bloggers. Could I too, be an awesome blogger?

I googled the product only to discover that it had already received awards from Creative Child Magazine, National Parenting Publications, The National Parenting Center and the Parent Tested Parent Approved organization. Well if it was good enough for them, it was good enough for me.

Squeeeeeeeal!!!!! I agreed to give the product a test run.

Okay first things first. I have learned that I am required to insert some legal language right here, due to the fact that they graciously sent me a free clock. So here goes:

I am writing this review on behalf of Zazoo Kids. I received a free product sample to facilitate my review. Opinions are my own.

Gahhh! I just put somewhat legal language in my blog!! Okay, now back to the story. I agreed to give the product a try and let my readers know what I thought about it. Within a few days, the product came in the mail. I was pretty excited.

There it was. A shiny new product sample. Then suddenly, fear shot through me. What if I hated it! Oh no! I am all about love, rainbows and lollipops. I cannot write a scathing review for a terrible product! What have I done? I couldn’t think about that yet. I had a job to do and I was going to do it. I opened up the box and my first thought was how adorable.

The whole idea behind this clock, is to help children understand when they are supposed to be sleeping and when it is okay to get up. As a mother of four, I know all too well how much potential this product had. How many times have you told your kid that it is still DARK OUTSIDE! GO BACK TO BED! It can be a very stressful thing for already sleep deprived parents. I see Facebook posts all the time from mothers wondering why their kids are up for the day, at 5 A.M. Maybe the problem is, kids just need a way to understand better. This could very well be the answer.

I read all of the included literature. It was marketed as a “solution for young children who wake up too early.” This had potential to be life changing. I placed the clock into the boys room. I removed the plastic protective covering and plugged it in. Within seconds the correct time automatically appeared. About this time my daughter came to plead her case for the clock. I explained to her at 8, she could tell time and didn’t need assistance. That and the fact that she would sleep until noon on any given day, if I let her. Nope, this was for my boys.

I used the accompanying remote and easy to follow instructions to set waking and sleeping times. Then I invited the boys to come check it out. They gushed on and on about the appearance and how cool it was (also hoping to add insult to injury for their sister, I am sure.) The clock comes in several attractive designs to choose from. I explained how the clocks works to them: When you see sunshine, it is time to be awake. When the screen turns black, and you see stars and a moon, it is time to sleep. They were excited to have the big kid clock in their room.

Aside from functioning as an alarm clock for school days, it also serves as a night light while they sleep. My boys no longer nap, but the clock can also be programmed for nap time. Why did I not have this product back in those days?

I noticed the boys running into their room, every few minutes, to make sure the clock was still functioning correctly. Each time they saw the sun still showing, they cheered with delight. There was more time to play because the clock said so!

Now it was time for the real test to begin. We went through our bedtime routine: baths, pjs and teeth brushing; all checked off the list. This is where they would normally wait for me to tell them when it was time to go to bed. Tonight, however, they were waiting for the clock to announce the news. It was adorable.

Then it happened. It flipped to 8 o’clock and the screen went to night time mode. They literally screamed! It actually worked! I cannot make this stuff up, my four year old raced to tell me that it was bedtime. They all GOT IN THE BED ON THEIR OWN ACCORD. Do you understand what I am saying to you? It was impressive. This little device had brought so much excitement that they were anxious to follow instructions, and go to bed. I was already in love with this clock.

The next morning was Saturday, the only morning of the week that I could sleep in, if so allowed. I was anxious to see what would happen. I had programmed the clock to display the glorious sunshine screen at 7:00 A.M. I know, I should have shot for 8, but baby steps. 7 o’clock would be amazing.

I should probably note that historically, on Saturday mornings, at least one of the boys wonder into our bedroom, anytime between 5:30 and 6:30. I do not understand why their little internal clocks want to begin the day so early, but this has always been the case. I am so used to this fact that I was actually awake at 6:30 wondering if they had been abducted in the middle of the night. I listened closely and I could hear chatting coming from their room. They were actually awake and in their own room? That was major.

What happened next, you may find hard to believe, but you have my word that this happened. At 7 o’clock on the dot my four year old came to my bedside and said “Mom! It is time to get up! I see the sunshine on my clock!” He was so excited. All three boys had actually stayed in their bed watching and waiting for the clock to tell them that it was time to get up. I was sold.

My four year old absolutely adores this clock. He checks on it throughout the day and talks to me about the sunshine and the moon. I would absolutely recommend this product to any parent struggling to get your kids to stay in bed until a decent hour.

The best thing about this product is that it grows with your child. It not only functions as an alarm clock, but also an MP3 player, digital picture frame and can be used as a timer for homework or chores. It comes pre-programmed with children’s songs and lots of imagery but you can also download your own songs and pictures through a USB connection. You can even download new wallpapers for the clock and customize it with your child’s name.  For more information about this clock please visit their website. I have added the link to my page.

And now I have completed my very first product review! How fun. Thank you Zazoo Kids for the opportunity. It was truly my pleasure. Now, who wants me to try something else out for them? Jessica Simpson shoes? BCBGeneration handbags? A Lexus SUV? I am currently wide open 😉

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