Tranquil Turtle

I bought this out of desperation, as most people probably do that spend almost $50 on a stuffed turtle and rushed Saturday delivery. I needed sleep. I needed my 9 month old to sleep. We were going out of town and I figured his number of night wakings would get worse with him getting over tired and getting only car naps for a day as we travelled. I was willing to give Tranquil Turtle a shot. After one of the worst car trips I've ever had with my kids, we got in really late and I was not hopeful that my little guy would get to sleep at all after some car sleep and then being up playing in a new place at 11pm. Go through a modified bedtime routine, read some stories and place little guy in the pack and play, turn on the turtle and leave the room. He talked a little, he babbled, he got quiet. I couldn't tell if he was asleep so I went up to spy and he was sitting up admiring the lovely under water effect the turtle creates in a dark room. I then watched him flop over on his side, raise an arm in the air to wave at the "waves" (I guess in surrender) and by the time I got back downstairs he was asleep. NO CRYING. We've been using the turtle for naps and bedtime for two full days and there have been no long drawn out battles. he just lays there and goes to sleep at some point. Even in the middle of the night if he wakes, turning the turtle back on does the trick. I figure he'll get the button pushing down soon enough. This turtle is magic. I am curious to see if the novelty wears off or if it still has the same effect at home when we are done with our trip. I am really excited to use it in our camper as it's difficult for him to get settled there due to the openness of his bed there and general busier sleeping area. I will update the review when we try it out. I am really really pleased so far with the turtle. The sounds are not too loud and optional. You can make the light move to make a wave like effect or be still. Some people complained that it only stays on for 23 minutes but I think it works out OK as it usually takes LOs 15 to 20 minutes to get to sleep - I think if it went on longer than that it might be a distraction. I suspect my guy is lulled in to this sleepy state as he watches the light show and if still awake when it stops he just nods off to dreamland. So glad I bought it.

I got this after lots of price/review comparisons, and had pretty high expectations for it. Here are the pros and cons for me: Pros: Nice sounds, not overwhelming or annoying - nice that you can choose no sound. Good light features - not too bright/dim, not too fast or slow, nice that you can make it still or wavy, realistic water patterns Good area coverage - I put it in my kids' rooms when they go to sleep (which are smaller) then take it into the master bedroom when I'm ready for bed. As long as it is in the middle of the room at about 6 feet down from the ceiling (like it says to do), with no obstructions around the sides, it covers the whole ceiling, plus lots of the walls! The timer is 23 minutes (or close to that) so I don't have to worry about it running all night, though I do wish it had different time settings so I could run it longer/shorter or continuously if I wanted. Cons: The actual bulb is very bright, especially in a dark room - I have to pile a blanket in front of it so that the actual turtle isn't in my line of sight or it's very distracting. The wave motion is kind of jerky (it's basically the bulb rotating and it has small mechanical jerks which show up quite obviously on the ceiling). But its actually not too hard to look past IMO. Basically, I find this product very soothing and pleasing - it has met all my expectations, and even though there are a few annoyances, they are easy to fix/get over.

I have 4 kids under 6 and we love these. We are currently on our second one in 6 years. The first one lasted 5 years until my 2 year old spilled water over the buttons and it stopped working after that. Otherwise it was very durable. When our first one got damaged and we had to get rid of it I really dreaded spending the money on one again so I bought a couple of cheaper ones hoping that they would suffice... and while they are OK... they can't compare to this specific night soother. The music is SO soothing and sweet sounding and it goes with the moving ocean waves really well (it does also play just ocean waves but we prefer the music). It has lulled all of my kids to sleep when they were babies (and the new one we just bought currently lulls our newest baby) the moving wave light and the music blend is just beautiful. No joke. I spent money on a few cheaper versions and they just don't soothe a baby like this one. The only downside is you can't recharge them or plug them in... but at least my baby goes right to sleep! Sanity saver at night.

I absolutely loved this! I would highly recommend this to anyone who is trying to put their children to sleep. I'm expecting and I'm due next month. I bought this for my baby as well as the regular starry night turtle. If you purchase both together and use them both at the same time they look really nice on the ceiling. Stars and the ocean! I'm about to try this on myself when going to sleep since I have difficulty sleeping myself. I felt a lot more relaxed when I listened to the little melody that you can play with it. UPDATE: 12/22/2016 My kid is almost 4 now. This still works just as it did when I first bought this 3 years ago. She loves this thing and she swears by this going to sleep, even in new environments where she hasn't slept before. The only problem is that it's too good that she gets really upset when the batteries start dying out. This is actually really irritating because she'll wake up in the middle of the night bawling her eyes out BEGGING to have us replace the batteries. Thank goodness that the ones we use are rechargeable 3x AA batteries so we usually have an extra set handy just in case. Last night my husband just about had enough because she now started complaining that the wave thing stopped moving (she didn't press the 'move' button) and she cried so hard about it at 3 am. Again, it's too good that she has first world problems with this thing and he wants to throw it out so she can stop depending on it. I really wish they had a plug-in version of this and this will solve all of our parental sleeping problems.

Like most parents on here, this little guy was bought out of desperation while dealing with an extended sleep regression in my 2yo. Why else spend $60 on a stuffed animal with a light in it? While it was not instant magic like some of the reviews, I have zero regrets. Being my second kid, I've had a few different versions this is by far my favorite nighttime projector and music toy. Pros: The toy itself is easy to operate, the toddler can do it easily themselves. I love the brightness control and the soothing music is composed beautifully and looped perfectly so that I don't want to smash it into the wall if we have to cycle through the timer more than once. The turtle is cute and actually larger than I anticipated. The simple mechanics of 3 LEDs and 2 wavy plastic domes is ingenious and creates the most realistic underwater waves I've ever seen. Cons: The timer is too short for my willful child sometimes at bedtime. I would love to have an option of 45 minutes in addition to the 23 minutes. My kid always seems to be allllmost ready to sleep and the timer suddenly runs out and I have to back track the progress. The other con is a minor one, when one looks at the buttons from the back, the decrease in volume is on the left where most volume has the increase on the left instead. I've accidentally made it louder in the dark by accident. Super minor, but also mildly annoying. In short, Shelldon the turtle has become a staple bedtime tool and has drastically reduced middle of the night wake up longevity. My kid still wakes up due to night terrors or who knows, but instead of being up for 20 minutes or more, it's a quick resettle and they're back out in 5 minutes or less. I actually bought a second one for my eldest because it is so worth the price and they were jealous of how cool the projection was.

The turtles when they work are great! They do go through batteries relatively fast. But not unbearable. My kiddos of all ages love them! Even I do. The light is adjustable and the wave feature is so calming and relaxing. It really can fill up an entire room with waves. The sounds are soothing and the light and volume control do an adequate job of low and high. We have 2 in use currently and have bought a total of 4. The first one lasted 3 years with almost daily use. We have had to replace 2 of the other ones we purchased due to manufacture issues right out of the box. But the company is helpful and has integrity to replace whatever is wrong and make it right. Highly recommend! Just beware some dont work straight out of the box. Contact the manufacturer with any issues and you will be pleased. Worth the risk and headache for us!

I have been having a very difficult time sleep training our fourth son. He dislikes being left alone, and will scream inconsolably until picked up. That is, until we borrowed tranquil turtle from our neighbor. She heard the prolonged crying and asked if we would like to try her son's turtle. At this point (hours into the night), I was willing to try anything. I put the turtle into his crib, turned on the light and sounds- and he stopped crying. He turned and looked at the turtle, "talked" to the lights, and then quietly fell asleep. I was so shocked that I immediately ordered one from Amazon- rush delivery. It doesn't work like magic every night:-) but the lights and sounds calm him so that he doesn't feel alone and get hysterical. In fact, if he cries it is often because he has turned the buttons off by accident!! The lights are beautiful and soothing to me as well- and the music is a lovely peaceful loop- not annoying or chintzy. I cannot recommend this sleep aide highly enough for babies or toddlers who are anxious and inconsolable at bedtime. The image is what the lights look like on our ceiling- just like being inside an aquarium...

Alright, so the price seems a bit much for some stuffed animal right? It's worth every penny! The lights, the waves, the music, all of it, just a wonderful and cute and very practical night sleep light for any child's/baby room. It's light enough and soft enough to put into a toddler bed or even baby's crib to sleep with. It's strong enough in sound and light to place next to a childs bed (like a side table) as well. I agree with other reviewers on the time this item stays on. 23-25 minutes and the whole thing turns off. It would be nice if you could set the item for varied set of times and up too several hours. it would be even more helpful if it came with an adapter to plug into the wall instead of just batteries. But... for all the wonderful things it does and how absolutely adorable it is, I'm more than happy with it and would highly recommend this item to parents and grandparents alike. Pamela O Citrus Heights Ca