We have this “issue” in our house. One night, several months ago, Daddy told the girls “When you wake up in the morning, wake me up. Let’s let Mommy sleep in.” They actually listened to him.. It was amazing. What we didn’t know, was that they listened too well! From that day on, they have come into our room early in the morning and woken up Daddy. Most mornings, it’s ok, but there have been a few where we just wanted to sleep in a little. Really… just a little :).
Anyway, we came across this product called My Tot Clock, and I contacted them to see if they were interested in a review. They were! Thank goodness! So here I am, with two 4 year olds, a My Tot Clock, and well, a better idea that it’s going to take something a little stronger to keep my kids in bed longer. I’m KIDDING! (sorta)
The My Tot Clock is a really neat way to teach children:
a) How to tell time
b) How to tell when it’s time to get up, nap, study, go to bed, and yes… even the dreaded Time Out.
The front of the clock has a great analog clock, with a color changing background according to what time it is, and the designs on the front are interchangeable. We have the standard night time sky, and were also sent the super cute princess design as well. The girls LOVE it! The kids don’t know it, but the back of the clock is where all the magic happens. It has a digital time display, and all of the controls for each function. You can set the wake up alarm, bed time story, and durations for Time Out, Nap time, and Encouragement, or as I like to say… Quiet Activity Time! Each function changes the clock face to a different color. Yellow for wake time, light blue for nap, green for encouragement, red for time out, and dark blue for night time. I love it because it sets up some guide times for the girls. I can tell them that they need to work on their study books for 20 minutes, or take some time to read in their room so I can work on some  things around the house. The clock will turn green, and when that time is up, it will turn back to yellow and alert them.
The My Tot Clock also has a great alarm clock! It plays a song for them to wake up both in the morning and at nap time. The nap and bed time buttons can be set to play a story, play music, or play some “white noise” after the story. There is also separate volume buttons for each audible function, so you can set the story to be quieter than the wake up alarm. Oh.. and the stories can also be changed by purchasing the Tot Clock Treasures. They’re little cartridges that hold different stories like Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Sleeping Beauty, The Hare and the Tortoise and many more.
The My Tot Clock retails for $49.95. Additional face plates are $9.95 and each of the Tot Clock Treasures cartridges are $9.95
It’s really a very cute way to teach your children how to tell time, and about the concept of time. It may also help you get them on a better sleep schedule since the bed time story starts automatically each night at the time you set it for!
Thank you to My Tot Clock for sending us a My Tot Clock, princess face plate and two additional cartridges for this review. My girls won’t go to sleep without their story each night! Now.. about getting them to actually stay in bed until the alarm goes off each morning… 🙂