The Amazing Tot Clock

So I mentioned in this previous post that a Tot Clock was going on my wishlist. Well, my sweet mother took that to heart and volunteered to get the clock for me (and for Elsa) for my birthday. It might seem like a strange birthday gift to some, but it has been perhaps one of the best gifts ever! (And I really hope I am not jinxing myself by posting about it here.)

I received the clock in the mail on Friday afternoon, and Elsa was so excited about it, I went ahead and tried to use it that night at bedtime. She very quickly caught on that the blue light of the clock face meant that she was to stay in bed and that when it turned yellow, it meant she could get up. She has not been wanting us to leave her alone in her bed right away in the evenings lately, and there was no change Friday evening... until I asked her if she would like the clock to play music. That seemed to make everything okay. If set to do so, the clock will play lullabies for 30 minutes once it turns blue for "bedtime." Even though she had taken a good nap with Daddy that afternoon and did not get up until 6:00 p.m., we did not see her emerge from her bedroom at all that evening, whereas she had been coming out at least three times (sometimes many more if she had taken a decent nap) on nights prior.

She slept all night, and when she woke up, she saw that her clock had turned yellow (I set it to turn yellow at 7:15 a.m., but she did not actually wake up until closer to 8:00 a.m.) and came out of her room and into our room, announcing that this had occurred. And then, that afternoon, the most miraculous of all events occurred. She took at nap, all on her own, without us having to lay down in there with her until she fell asleep, in her big girl bed. She did not come out of her room once. Incredible. When she awoke nearly three hours later (I had set the clock to just a one-hour rest time), she was once again extraordinarily excited that her clock had turned yellow and wanted us to come see. On Saturday night, she again went to bed painlessly and did not emerge once. Granted, we did have a bad night in the end when she ended up waking up at 2:15 a.m., crying, likely due to a bad dream, and then had a very hard time going back to sleep, so I ended up being awake, lying in bed with her for about three hours. I think if any of that was to blame on the clock, though, it would be that even at its most dim, the blue light is still quite illuminating. I am considering getting a piece of darkened film or something to place over the clock face to make it a bit darker. But then last night she slept completely fine.

And now, as I type this, she is again napping liking a pro. She did come out of her room right away -- just once -- after I put her down for the nap, but then she was fine. I hope the newness does not wear off, and she does not decide to start coming out of her room all of the time again. But for now the clock seems to be working like a charm. Thanks, Mom!!! Getting some down time in the afternoon again is a most fabulous birthday gift!!!

Today's nap