From toddler to teen: the answer is the Zazoo Kids photo clock

Up until just a few months ago, our kids were a parent’s dream at night.  We would literally pop them in their beds after their bedtime routine and not hear from either one again until I would have to wake them up in the morning.  Yes, true story. 

But, while my son is still firmly in the “parent’s dream” category of sleepers, our daughter has been asserting her own, uh, independence.  Independence from things like “bedtime” and “naptime” and “reasonable wake up times” and because of it, her schedule is all out of sorts.  This means that getting her to sleep is a big huge struggle, often involves bargaining, and most of the time, involves tears {mine}.

While the major problem might be that she’s simply outgrowing her nap and moving towards being a full-time big girl, there are definitely other issues at play.  Things like the fact that she cannot tell time so she has no idea her schedule’s off or how to actually fix it, so she does things like fighting sleep at nap only to finally succumb at 3:00pm when she should already be up and playing.  This, of course, makes bedtime a nightmare, which leads to problems the next day as well. 

So, what do you do with a spirited child that needs a set schedule of sleep and rest periods but is too young to tell time?  Why, you call in Zazoo Kids, that’s what.  We recently got the chance to review one of their amazing Zazoo Kids Photo Clocks and I can honestly say that I don’t know what we would do without it. 

Instead of fighting with a four year old on too little sleep, we simply set up the ground rules ahead of time.  No getting outta yer bed unless the photo clock has a sun.  If it’s got a moon, you better be laying down and resting, or better yet, sleeping.  No exceptions. 

And, since she has a bedtime and a naptime, I really love that I can set TWO alarms – one for morning and one for afternoon – that signal it’s okay to leave her bed.  I really wish there was an option to add even more alarms so I could set times of the day for certain activities and she could see what she should be doing just by looking at the Zazoo or a way to set the wake up time later on the weekends and earlier on school days, but I do appreciate the two that I can program for now.  

Speaking of programming, I love that you can make alarm, picture and clock changes right on the back of the Zazoo, but you can also use the included remote control as well.  Since my daughter is of the young and curious variety, we simply put the clock on a lower shelf for now that’s not too tall, but just a bit out of reach so she can't change the settings inadvertently.      

The easy to understand sun and moon that comes pre-loaded on the Zazoo clock was perfect for our use right now, but I also love that you can choose your own image as well.  You can customize the clock with your child’s name, program special images for holidays and events, and use any of the pre-programmed images, or load your own pictures of your child with the SD, flash drive, and USB slots. 

Since I adore anything personalized, I love that I can customize the clock completely for my daughter and change it any time I would like as the mood strikes me.  Whether it's a new background image, how the clock is displayed, or even how she wakes up in the morning, changing things up is quick and easy. 

As great as the Zazoo clock is for little kids who can’t tell time, I really love that the photo clock grows with your child also.  When my daughter will be waking up for school every day next year, I’m simply going to add in an audio alarm to assist in waking her up, and I’m going to change the “naptime” to “quiet time” when she can do homework, read, color, or do any other activity that will let her brother get his beloved nap.  Then, when she’s even older and wants a photo frame that scrolls through pictures of her friends, plays music, or can even be used for audio books, the Zazoo is going to work well into her tweens and teens.

Instead of buying a kids clock now, an alarm clock when she starts school, and then something that can play her music and showcase her photos later, I love that the Zazoo photo clock can grow with her and become a beloved fixture in her room from childhood on up. 

When you factor in how many electronics I won't have to buy her, the $89.99 price tag for the Zazoo Kids clock seems more than reasonable.  And, really, I would pay that amount to sleep in even a few days a week, so this really is an investment into a happy mom. 

You can buy your own customizable PTPA winning Zazoo Photo Clock at zazookids.com and you can choose between many different designs and color schemes to fit your child's room.  For even more information that shows a great overview of the ZAZOO Kids Clock, check out this video.

A big thank you to Zazoo Kids for sending their photo clock to facilitate this review and give me less stressful mornings and afternoons.  As always, all opinions are 100% ours.