Mummy Alarm Review: Leap Frog Twinkle Twinkle Little Violet

Amy is a great sleeper, don't get me wrong, but getting her to settle down for bedtime can be a real struggle sometimes. She is just too interested in everything happening around her that she just can't switch off and relax. We have been thinking about different ways to help her wind down, e.g. taking her for a walk in her pram, sitting on the swing with her or giving her a calming bath. None of it did really work, so I was delighted when the lovely people from Leap Frog offered to send us a toy called Twinkle Twinkle Little Violet.

Twinkle Twinkle Little Violet is a soft cuddly toy that has two functions: a) it helps children to explore first words and counting and b) it gently teaches them to settle for bedtime.

Amy absolutely loves her new fluffy friend and I can't believe just how quickly she has got used to settling with Violet. As soon as she listens to the lullabies, Amy calms down and you can't believe how cute she smiles when Little Violet tells her "Night Night". It's just adorable. Her absolute favourite, however, are the environmental sounds that are the second sound setting that the toy comes with. You can hear a train, the ocean, a carrier bag in the wind (at least that's what I identified it as) and many more sounds which all send Amy to dreamland within minutes. How good is that? You can choose between two settings for sounds and music and either let them run for 10 or 20 minutes. We usually have Violet set for 20 minutes and in general, Amy doesn't need any longer to fall asleep, however, we sometimes have to give her an extra ten minutes to make sure she really is fast asleep. Unfortunately, this is where I can find the only little thing to moan about. Violet obviously does not know that Amy is almost asleep and gives her another cheerful "Night Night", so it can happen that my baby girl happily opens her eyes and gives Violet another big smile before settling again and cuddling with Violet's soft blanket.

Twinkle twinkle Little Violet is available in Leap Frog's Online Store as well as in all good toy stores and costs around £15 - in my eyes an absolute bargain because this toy is an absolute life saver and must-have for all parents of little ones that struggle going to sleep.