Monkey

This is one of the best discoveries I've ever made, so I had to promote it. When we moved to California, big changes came for Brooklynn. We sent her beloved sippee cup up to the "sipee fairy" who in turn granted her a big girl bed to replace the crib we had packed up and sent to storage. It was a very touching display that we prepped for for days. After some inspiration from Tara about said fairy, we tied the cup to two dozen balloons, and let Brooklynn take one last sip before sending it off our balcony, up up up to the sky. As soon as it was out of site, we opened her closet door (yes, she sleeps in the closet - very Harry Potter like, without the abuse) and (*poof!*) there was her big girl bed waiting with new pink bedding.

Brooklynn was delighted, jumping on her bed and hugging her pillows . . . until time came to go to sleep without her sippee cup. But never fear, I had anticipated such a situation. Enter the monkey.

It's dark in that closet, and Brooklynn, who has never had a problem before with sleeping with a closed door, suddenly didn't want to be in the dark alone, without her comfort item. So I brought out the monkey, ordered before hand, and helped her unwrap it. It's a soft plush stuffed animal, that when hugged, lights up as a nightlight. I looked EVERYWHERE for something like this - I mean, EVERYWHERE. It's the only one I could find that was soft, not hard, and I was delighted when I came across it on one of my google searches. I loved that the light turns off automatically after 5 minutes (or stays on if you change the setting), that it comes with an actual book about getting a big girl bed with your monkey and child as the main characters, and that you can choose from three colors (green, pink, or blue, and yes, the book corresponds with whatever color you order).

However, one disclaimer. It's not really a monkey. After several weeks, Brooklynn looked up at me and with big innocent eyes said "mom, where is my monkey's tail?". Sure enough, there is no tail. Turns out it's not really a monkey at all . . . it's a frog.
We haven't had the heart to tell her.

After your wee ones first night without tears, you can send in for an actual "certificate of bravery" that arrives, custom printed with their name on it.
Cracks me up.
The monkey, invented by a mom, has done wonders for our home. I recommend it whole heartedly. Order one here.
It's just simply adorable.