As a mom of twins, I valued every minute of sleep that I could get because I learned very quickly that I needed sleep for energy and patience to take on the day. They are now almost 12 years old, but when they were three I transitioned them to toddler beds. They were good sleepers, but once they were no longer in their cribs, and had the freedom to get out of their beds in the morning, or worst yet at night, I was getting less and less sleep and so were they. At that time, I did some research and talked to my fellow twin mom friends and they suggested an OK to Wake Clock. I had no clue what that was, but you bet I was willing to do anything to get sleep. That afternoon I went online and purchased the Mirari Ok to Wake Clock. There weren’t many options to choose from, and you know what, it worked. The only thing that I found frustrating was trying to figure out how to use it with all the buttons and small directions on the back of the unit. It was basic and it helped me get more sleep too. I just got annoyed any time I had to change the time up (like daylight savings or for school days) or fix the clock because one of the twins decided to play with it. YIKES!
Fast-forward nine years later and I have my own established business as a pediatric sleep consultant, along with a spunky three year old that needs some boundaries, and like the twins he would benefit from an OK to Wake clock. What I learned from having the Mirari is that I wanted a clock that was more user-friendly with more features because this was a long-term investment. We used the Mirari through first grade so I know from past experience that I will be using it for many years to come. Luckily there are more options on the market now, so I opened up my computer and did some research – that’s when I found Ooly.
What do I love (so far) about Ooly?
We’ve only used Ooly for a week, but here are a few things that both my husband and I already love compared to the clock we used for the twins:
- It works with our iPhone with a simple Bluetooth connection. LOVE THIS!
- There was virtually zero learning curve to figure out how to use Ooly – talk about user-friendly!
- No more confusing buttons on the back of the unit and my son cannot “accidently” reset the time since it’s controlled by my Ooly app.
- The design is approachable and kid-friendly.
- You can choose from a variety of light colors, and there is a blue light blocker. If you don’t know already, blue light has been known to affect sleep.
- I can change the “Ok to Wake” time if we have a last minute appointment or if I forget until the night before to do it. Check out my blog post on Ok to Wake Clocks and how to properly use them.
BONUS: The Clock Uses Positive Reinforcement with its Free Stories App
Not only does Ooly help toddler’s by visually showing them that it’s a good time to wake up (light color), but there is a separate Ooly stories app that helps teach your little ones the importance of sleep by age group with a star chart in which your little one can earn stars to help with positive reinforcement. As far as I know, this feature is unique to Ooly and as a sleep consultant I absolutely love this functionality. I personally work with many toddlers that need positive reinforcement so I can see this being super useful for parents that need to entice their child to listen to the Ooly OK to Wake light and earn a star.
Ooly is a great sleep tool; it’s not going to solve sleep issues
Please know that Ooly is a great visual tool to help cue your little one that it’s time to wake up based on the light color (green means wake up, red means bedtime). Ooly is not going to solve underlying medical issues or other sleep troubles that you may have been dealing with for week or years. If your little one is having a hard time going to bed at night, needing assistance to fall back to sleep at night, or having any other sleep related issues then it may be time to reach out to a sleep consultant like myself. Ooly is part of the equation to help, but it’s not meant to solve sleep problems that your little one may be experiencing. If your goal is to prevent bedtime battles or to help your toddler understand that it’s a reasonable time to wake up in the morning to start their day, then this is a great solution.
###
Ooly – More sleep for the whole family.
Put an end to your child’s bedtime battles, nighttime awakenings, and early morning wake-ups.
Visit our website
www.novo123.com/ooly
###
Author: Desiree Baird
Desiree Baird is a certified sleep consultant and a mother of three. Her two eldest children are boy/girl twins. As a twin mom, Desiree experienced many sleepless nights the first 5 months of her twins’ life. She felt helpless and decided to study sleep on her own so that she could ensure her twins became better sleepers and were set up for success. Eight years later when Desiree became pregnant with her third baby, she decided to take her sleep education to the next level by becoming a certified sleep consultant. Her mission is to help moms —especially twin moms — all over the world with improved sleep. She resides in Seattle, WA. For more information, visit her website at www.pediatricsleepcoach.com and follow her on Instagram @the_sleepcoach.
