My Hero, Charley the Chameleon

Saturday, December 20, 2014

For as long as I can remember, bedtime has always been a challenge with my first-born. As a newborn, she would often fuss and cry at night but I thought if we could just implement a routine as she got older, things would get easier. And sometimes it did. But mostly, it didn't. It turns out, she needed someone with her in her room every night. Yet for me, I needed her to go to sleep on her own. I was often tired and if I were to lay down next to her, I would inevitably fall asleep in an awkward position on her twin bed and wake up with an arm resting on my face. I'm sure many parents can relate. Lots of fun, right? Nope. I needed to sleep in my own spacious bed and I needed my daughter to find ways to self-soothe. My husband, however, would prefer to lay down next to her than have her call us repeatedly to her room out of fear of the dark. We have tried a few different night lights but, even at nine years of age, she was still afraid of being alone in her room at night. Until we met Charley the Chameleon, that is.

Initially, I had intended for my six-year-old son to have Charley because it was designed for babies and toddlers, I thought to myself. Surely the novelty would wear off and then I could pass it on to my baby nephew or my three-year-old goddaughter. While my son loved it, he really didn't need it. He's always been a pro at sleeping and would often sleep for 10-11 hours a night since he was one month old. But because Charley is so cute, my kids decided to take turns with him each night. What ended up happening? My daughter kept him in her room and my son really hasn't asked for him in weeks. Which is perfectly fine because for the first time in a very, very long time, my daughter will go to bed without asking me to say with her. I'm still having a hard time believing it myself, but it's true! I feel like bowing down to the Cloud B gods and saying, "I'm not worthy! I'm not worthy!"

My hero Charley the Chameleon is a cuddly plush friend from Cloud B, the makers of Dreamz To Go Octo and Nighty Night Owl Smart Sensor. He illuminates in a rainbow of colors and plays soothing sounds which include Rain Forest and Tropical Tunes. You can play the sounds with strobing lights or with lights that transition gradually between different colour. Press the button three times for lights only and press it four times to turn it off. Charley also comes with a 45-minute sleep timer and includes three AAA batteries. You can purchase Charley the Chameleon on cloudb.ca for $39.99.

Disclosure: I received product to help facilitate this review. Any opinions expressed in this post are my own.