******
- Verified Buyer
I wanted so badly to love the Ok to Wake! Owl. I like it, and overall, I'd recommend it for a child that's having difficulty staying in bed in the morning, but there are a few issues to be noted. We have two of these; one for each of my daughters, ages 2 and 3.Pros:Cute design and soft exterior: I'd be comfortable with a baby 12 months and up sleeping with this owl. It's not too hard, as some other reviews have stated. The internal components do make it firmer than a typical stuffed animal, but nothing that my girls have complained about.Excellent music: My girls absolutely love the melodies their owls play. Canon in D, Brahms Lullaby, and other classical songs can be played at a high or low volume setting. The low setting is plenty loud. The upbeat song that plays in the morning when the eyes turn green is bright and cheerful. I like that it doesn't wake them when the pre-set time comes around, but the eyes do glow green so that when they wake up, they can tell without squeezing it that it's ok to wake.Voices: "Go back to sleep now" "It's not time to get up yet" "Just a little bit longer" "Good morning! It's ok to wake now!" All the phrases are clear and understandable and not 'electronic' sounding.Easy for little ones to use: My younger daughter had just turned two when we bought these, and it was easy enough for her to hug the owl to get it to work. 3 months later, she still brings me her owl every morning saying, "My owl turned green! I get out of my bed!"Adjustability: The controls are easy to use and can be locked so the kids can't change the settings. I like that you can adjust how long the music plays once the owl is pressed. I have a different setting for each of my girls because one is soothed back to sleep by the music, while it keeps the other one awake.Effectiveness: Once they understood how it worked, both my girls were proud to show me their "green eyed" owls in the morning.Cons:The first night we used this, my 3 year old was terrified of it. She refused for it to be in her bed, which was frustrating when I'd hoped it would be the solution for keeping her in bed a little longer in the mornings! She eventually got used to it and now loves it, but the eyes do glow quite brightly (even on the low setting) making it look a bit sci-fi in a dark room.The product information touts a 3 month battery life when used under normal conditions, and I've not gone more than 3 weeks before replacing batteries. As soon as the eyes start to dim, know that in the next few hours, you'll be replacing the batteries. Don't make the same mistake I did and hope it will last until morning, or you'll be awake at 3 am to replace batteries for a crying toddler that's hugged her owl and didn't get any response.The display is not back lit, so if for some reason you need to adjust it in the dark, prepare to pull out your cell phone to be able to see what you're doing.I've had issues with both of the owls resetting when dropped. I'd maybe expect it if they were thrown onto a hard floor, but even falling off a mattress onto the floor in the middle of the night can cause the timer to reset, making the eyes not turn green in the morning, or turning green in the middle of the night. This caused an upset toddler when her owl was green at 4 am and she knew it wasn't time to get up yet.Despite the quite extensive list of cons, I'd still recommend this product as it has helped our daughters to stay in their beds longer in the morning. They were waking up at 6-6:30, and after using the Ok to Wake! Owl, they've been trained to sleeping until at least 7:30, and most days longer. I hope that when my son is old enough to need one, they'll have fixed the issues we've had with these ones and we can purchase a newer version.
