Review: Good Nite Lite

Sleep. Is there anything that parents of young children want more than sleep? Think hard. If you could have an extra hour everyday to do ANYTHING that you want, what would it be? For many of us, I'm guessing sleep. Nadia was always a good sleeper. Then, we moved her to her big girl bed, and our nights have never been the same. This fall was the first daylight savings time change that wasn't a piece of cake. Switching the clocks used to be a non-issue, but suddenly, Nadia was getting up at 6:00! Not a totally unusual time for a toddler/preschooler to get up, except that she doesn't go to bed until 8:30. (OK, her light goes out at 9:15 and then she talks and sings and reads books in the dark for at least another 15-20 minutes.) With a baby in the house who still drinks a bottle between 5 and 5:30, I'm not prepared to get up before 7:00. I just can't do it. We needed a way for Nadia to recognize that it wasn't "morning" yet and either go back to sleep or find something quiet to do in her room until an appropriate hour. Welcome, the Good Nite Lite. It has changed our mornings completely!

Click on Read More to find out why you need a Good Nite Lite at your house.
What is a Good Nite Lite? The Good Nite Lite is a patent pending, behavioral modification device. You can read all about it here.In a nutshell, the light is designed to be a cue for your child. When the sun is yellow, it's time to be awake. When the moon is out, it's time to sleep. As a parent, you simply set the digital timer for the sun to "come up" at the desired hour as well as have the moon appear to signal that it's time for sleep. Nadia's sun is set to come up at 7:00. Most mornings, we hear her door open and the padding of her feet right at 7. Sometimes later, but never earlier. We've drilled it into her that until the sun is yellow, it's not morning! Is she sleeping until 7? I don't know. Am I? Yes, and if nothing else, at least I'm better rested to start the day which is pretty important, too. We still struggle with nighttime a little, but there are a lot of contributing factors, including the fact that she likes to manipulate us just like every toddler and preschooler likes to control her parents. She's got a new reason to come out almost every night because frankly, she doesn't want to miss out on the "fun" that mom and dad are having. You know, cleaning up the kitchen, picking up toys, paying bills, all the exciting stuff we can't find time to do during the day! However, we're picking our battles, and if I can sleep a little extra in the morning, then I consider this product a smashing success!

Full review, based on 4 stars:

Functionality **** - I do think that the Good Nite Lite has pushed Nadia's wake time back a little. The past couple of days, she hasn't joined us in our room until after 7 which means she's not waking up before then. Even if she is waking before 7, I'm sleeping until then which is marvelous. I've recommended this product to so many friends over the past few weeks to help them with their sleep woes. Now, I'm recommending it to you. My husband set the time originally and then reset it the other day with no problem. The set up is pretty basic and the Good Nite Lite comes with an instruction manual. The whole unit is about 6" in diameter; so, you need to find an empty outlet, but trust me, if you don't have one empty, rearrange!

Price **** - $34.99. I sort of feel like this is a Mastercard commercial. I don't know how it starts, but it would end with Sleep...Priceless. Seriously, only $34.99 to sleep until the hour you want in the morning? (Within reason, of course.) $34.99 seems like a small, small price to pay for a more rested and less grumpy toddler/preschooler. What more can I say?

Overall Rating **** - I'm not going to say any more. If you are wishing your child wouldn't get up so early, or feel like your child's sleep pattern is "broken," but you don't know how to fix it, or just want to be prepared for the next time we change our clocks, then you need to get the Good Nite Lite. I will warn you though. The product is brand-new and the response by weary parents has been overwhelming. You won't have one of these amazing products next week, but get yourself on the wait list. This will be the best $34.99 you've ever spent. I guarantee it!