SomniLight Dimmable Nursery Lamp and Red LED Night Light

With a baby coming in just a week or two, we were on the lookout for a good red night light for our nursery after reading about blue light emission and how it can alter sleep cycles. That is definitely not what we want with a newborn that we aim to have sleep peacefully through the night (laughable as a newborn, I know). We wanted to be prepared! We stumbled across SomniLight in our research for red LED night lights and it also led us to discovering their dimmable nursery lamp in an Amber color as well. We will be reviewing both of these products in this post.

SomniLight was founded by Jordan and Kelly Burr in 2014.  In their research, they found how blue light emissions negatively affect their circadian rhythm and that was what led to their developing a line of products that effective address this issue. Their product line offers more than the two products we are reviewing here and their full line can be found here.

First up for review is SomniLight's red LED night light. It comes in a two pack and are perfect to use in the bathroom, hallways, bedrooms, or in a nursery. We purchased this specifically for the nursery and use one in there, but also use one out in the living room and have really liked it there. Originally we used it in our bathroom, but it was always on due to the nightlight having a dawn/dusk sensor that automatically shuts off when there is any ambient light and then turns on when there isn't. Since there's normally no light in the bathroom, this resulted to the nightlight always being on. So we ended up using it in the living room and it functions perfectly there!

The reason we wanted these lights for the nursery was because we've learned from our own research the effect of blue light emission from standard light bulbs and nightlights can interfere with sleep patterns. Since we wanted a very very small amount of light in the room for late night diaper changes and nursing, we wanted a light that was not going to interfere with us trying to establish sleep patterns with a baby.

 In the photo above you can see the motion sensor on the night light.

The photo (above) shows just how thin the light actually is from the side profile. Not bulky at all!

SomniLight's night lights were cool to the touch after hours of being on so they are definitely safe to use around children without fear of them touching the light and hurting themselves. These were the perfect nightlights to get for the nursery and our hallway. They don't disturb my sleep and I can't "see" the light through my eyelids when it produces ambient red light in the room. These are a great 2 pack deal and we recommend these if you are looking for a night light that truly will not disturb your sleep pattern!

Saving the best for last: SomniLight's dimmable nursery lamp! This was truly a lucky treasure we found when looking for a nursery night light that with low blue light emissions. This nursery lamp uses an A/C that provides consistent lighting without needing to recharge like some other lights that have been very popular these days. We were looking for a warm lighting that was dimmable for our nursery that wouldn't wake up the baby or make them too alert during middle of the night feedings or diaper changes and this light fit the bill.  SomniLight dimmable nursery lamp comes in at just 1 lb, 5 oz and measure 16"H by 7"L by 3.75"W - does not take up much space at all!

Per SomniLight's website, "SomniLight's dimmable nursery lamp uses specially designed amber LEDs which emit only amber wavelengths of light (peaking at 592 nM), free from the blue and green wavelengths that can disrupt the sleep of mother and baby. As numerous studies have found, even bright amber light has no negative effect on melatonin production (Kayumov, 2005). Our dimmable amber nursery lamp allows you to use as much or as little light as you need to safely navigate the nursery and care for your baby, without worrying about the harmful effects of blue light on your sleep."

We love the option of having LED lights because it conserves energy (up to 90% less energy than your standard incandescent bulbs) using just 6 W of power. We've converted all the lights in our home to energy efficient bulbs so it was only natural to look for a product that had those same standards for our nursery!

My favorite part of this lamp is that the dimmable touch sensor panel at the base that allows for three brightness levels: low (nightlight setting), medium, and high light settings. This is not a primary lamp I plan on using for the nursery as we have a ceiling lamp, but this is what we will be using during sleep/nap times when mom or dad need light to check on baby so we don't alert and wake him. The feature I like most about this dimmable lamp is that it has a memory of your last brightness level selection!! We have a few touch lamps that are dimmable at home, both wireless and A/C and none of them turn on at the level of brightness you turned it off on and requires you to circulate through all the settings to turn it off. Meaning, if you only want to use the low light, when you are going to turn if off, you just need to long press the lamp base and it turns off without having you cycle through medium and high light settings - possibly waking up your precious one!

To demonstrate this favorite feature of mine with the nursery lamp and its memory of its last light setting, I've uploaded this video below!

Buy your red LED night light here and your dimmable nursery lamp here!

Disclosure: This complimentary item was provided for review purposes. As always, all opinions are my own and no compensation was received. This post contains affiliate links.

The Mommy Hook Review and Giveaway!!

The Mommy Hook has been touted as a must have accessory for your stroller and I was not convinced I needed this in my life. I was so wrong. The Mommy Hook is a game changer for holding purses and bags easily on your stroller without taking the time to use the stroller hooks on our diaper bag. Those are great, but they take time to put together on each side of the stroller. This is just one giant aluminum carabiner that you attach your purses or bags on.

The Mommy Hook is huge. I didn't expect it to be has big as it was so I took a picture of it next to my hand to give you a better idea of just how big it is. I also wasn't convinced this was fit onto the handlebar of my stroller but I had no problems. I also wasn't convinced this was safe because this would displace the weight of the stroller backwards, but in the video I took below, you can tell that with just my purse, it was safe and didn't tip backwards while the stroller frame was empty. If you have a child in the stroller or the car seat, this is definitely very stable and safe. Obviously you still need to use common sense and judge the safety of how much weight you are using The Mommy Hook for.

Another great use for The Mommy Hook is that once you grow out of needing it with your stroller, you can just throw it in your trunk and use it for taking in your groceries all in one trip by hooking all the handles of your bags into The Mommy Hook! I also love that there is foam on The Mommy Hook for added protection so the metal doesn't rub on anything.

Now, the moment you've been waiting for, our GIVEAWAY! The Mommy Hook was kind enough to provide us FOUR "The Mommy Hooks" to give away!! We have 2 pink and 2 black ones to raffle off. Here is how to enter the raffle. Comment below with your name, email, and how The Mommy Hook will be a game changer for you! The winners will be selected at random. Your names will be tossed in a hat at the end of October and the winners will be contacted the first week of November. I will contact you (via email) for your mailing address at that time and send you The Mommy Hook! Happy commenting!!

Buy The Mommy Hook here!

Disclosure: This complimentary item was provided for review purposes. As always, all opinions are my own and no compensation was received. This post contains affiliate links.

TubShroom

TubShroom? What is this? Well, this is a GAME CHANGER when it comes to tub drain hair catchers!! We spent so much time and effort trying to find a drain cover that would effective catch my long hair in our tub and nothing ever fit well. Many times, we'd find that whatever we used would fill up with hair, and we'd have to remove it mid shower so that it wouldn't create a flood. Yes. That is how much hair I shed each shower. No, I'm not bald. Yet. In comes this unique and perfect little gadget that looks like a little mushroom that fits inside your tub drain to catch all your hair while still allowing water to pass through. Giving you a great shower experience and not having to clean out hair mid shower!!

This tub drain is made of soft silicone that fits neatly inside your drain and collects hair while you shower. Due to its ingenious design, you can set it and forget it and not clean your drain for a long time. I'm talking about at least a week with the amount of hair I am loosing each shower, too.

The TubShroom is designed to fit any standard 1.5" tub drain and comes in 5 colors: Clean White, Marine Blue, Neutral Gray, Organic Green, and Autumn Orange.

The TubShroom is built with long-lasting, industrial-strength silicone, so it should last for a very long time. Only time will tell! It looks very solidly built. Though this little wonder gadget costs more than your average run of the mill hair drains you might find at Target or the hardware store, it earns its keep by preventing the need to call a plumber or your time to unclog it yourself. Afterall, time is money! We highly recommend this hair drain!

There is also a ShowerShroom version created for shower stalls with larger drainage. I'm not sure how those work or how effective it is, but would love to find out someday! The idea behind it is that it is installed under the drainage cover and it doesn't "mushroom" at the top so that you can put the drainage cover back over it...I think. It sounds like a great concept!

Here are pictures of us installing it. It literally took 2 seconds!

Just push it in the drain and you're done! This gadget creates a tight seal.

This is the TubShroom fully installed.

That's it folks! Please excuse the nasty old tub we have!

Buy yours here or on Amazon.

Disclosure: This complimentary item was provided for review purposes. As always, all opinions are my own and no compensation was received. This post contains affiliate links.

TaoTronics TT-CD06-N 2 inches Car Dash Cam 2K Dvr with Wide Angle, G-Sensor Wdr for Super Night Vision

This dash cam is exceptional and works extremely well both during the day and night.  But first, let's talk packaging. Packing is important to me because it tells me that the company spent extra time and effort to develop a seemingly inconsequential part of a product for its finishing touches. It gives me confidence when I'm opening it that I have, in my hands, a superior product than one that was thrown in a box with bubble wrap. This one came so nicely packaged, it was like opening an item from a major brand like Samsung, Microsoft, Apple...etc. 

The TaoTronic dash cam is solidly built and allows you to view your recording on your computer or mobile phone. The small camera plastic body is both modern and sleek. The lightweight camera body, when installed, doesn't risk falling onto your dash while you're driving and creating a hazard. The design of the camera is much like a high quality picture camera with a bezel that protects the lens from dirty, lint, or any scratches that may occur if it is ever dropped during handling.  The camera body also features a microphone that picks up sound (though the sound quality is not phenomenal). There are four buttons on the camera body, opposite of the lens that is user-friendly and uncomplicated to use.

The dash cam comes with all the accessories you need to charge and mount the unit in your car. The camera comes with a microSD card already so you don’t need to go buy one! You have everything you need to get the camera setup and working when you get the package. In the package you will find the necessary tools, charging cable, mounts and clips to properly install the camera in your vehicle. It was a huge bonus to find that it included a free 32gig micro SD card. Nothing is more inconvenient than when you are setting up a new gadget and find out it didn’t come with everything you need and you have to go out and buy something in order to use it!

The video quality of the recording is quite phenomenal for a dash cam. It works well both during the day and night. Typically I wouldn’t check the video unless something happened that day. In order to watch the playback, you need to put the SD card in a laptop or device that reads SD cards. The video quality is high definition and sound quality is good enough to pick up conversations occurring in the car. Typically, I use this while it's connected and charging because it is easier than worrying about if it is running out of juice or having to connect it while you are driving.

This is a great product to have on the road just in case there is an accident. Of course you hope you never have to use it, but this is definitely safe to have as evidence if you are caught in a sticky situation! It is both security and protection for you! I highly recommend this dash cam!

Buy yours here!

Disclosure: This complimentary item was provided for review purposes. As always, all opinions are my own and no compensation was received. This post contains affiliate links.

Yogourmet Electric Yogurt Maker

I had been making yogurt using various methods at home with mixed results. The mixed results were likely due to not being able to consistently incubate my yogurt at a specific temperature. I was putting it in the oven, wrapped in a towel, to incubate it it. Always crossing my fingers. It was finally time to get an actual yogurt maker.

Inner and outer container nestled together

There are so many different types of yogurt makers available and I was able to quickly find one that best suited my needs. I wanted one that didn't require multiple jars because I was going to strain the yogurt to make greek yogurt and that would mean I'd have to dump x-amount of jars to strain it then put it back! That was way too much work and too many dishes. So I wanted one large jar. My second criteria was that I wanted something inexpensive. I found all of that in Yogourmet's electric yogurt maker!!

When you order the Yogourmet, it comes with everything you need to get started, except the milk. IT comes with an outer container, inner container where the yogurt goes, thermometer, cotton bag for straining, yogurt starter, and instruction manual.

Thermometer included

The yogurt maker is extremely easy to use. You fill the water up to the line indicator in the outer container, then when you are ready to incubate the milk, you put the milk in the inner container and seal the lid then put it into the water in the outer container. What you created is a water bath that maintains the yogurt temperature so that it is the ideal environment for your yogurt to culture. Each time I measured the water temp, I got around 109-110 fahrenheit.

Yogurt starter included

The verdict? My yogurt came out smooth and creamy! I was extremely pleased with the results and plan to make this every weekend! You can throw the inner container into the dishwasher for an easy clean up or store your yogurt in it afterwards.

Cotton bag for straining

Purchase yours here.

Disclosure: This complimentary item was provided for review purposes. As always, all opinions are my own and no compensation was received. This post contains affiliate links.

Crucial Medical Systems CMS 50E OLED Rechargeable Fingertip Pulse Oximeter

 Crucial Medical Systems Pulse Oximeter CMS 50
Fulfillement by ClinicalGuard.com

Clinical Guard was founded in 2006 and have been a source of reliable medical supplies for healthcare professionals as well as everyday people. They offer many products such as fetal dopplers, pregnancy and ovulation tests, thermometers, nebulizers, blood pressure monitors, peak flow meters, ECG/EKG machines, patient monitors, and more. Read more about the company here.

The pulse ox comes securely packaged in its box. All the accessories and disks are packed underneath.

The package comes with the pulse ox device, charging cord and adapter, software installation CD, lanyard, and manual.

My favorite part about this pulse ox is that it is rechargeable! No more worries about batteries. This uses the standard usb charging cable, not the more popular micro usb that most devices use now-a-day. I'd love to see an update to the charging to a more common cable to reduce the amount of household cable management we have now a days!

I plugged the device in first thing, before using it. A blue light comes on and once it has completed its charge, the blue light is no longer on. The first charge was completed pretty quickly. I didn't time it bu it was just a few hours.

Now, it came time to test this 50E model response time with their more basic 50DL model that I reviewed here. My previous "complaint," if you can really call it a complaint is the longer time it takes for a reading and how it would slow down your job if you were to use this in the healthcare setting when you need a more instantaneous read. Unfortunately, after timing it, it is not necessarily faster at reading, but it does come with a slew of other redeeming qualities that you might want to consider.

The reading time is nominally faster than the 50DL, but it is so small that the average user won't notice it at all. It is nearly the same as far as time. I believe the reason is that this 50E model requires you to long press the button for the pulse ox to "turn on" then begin its reading. The 50DL just requires a quick press to the button and it starts up. I don't know how this will affect the battery life of the 50DL since, perhaps, it is always on standby. Once this 50E model, the one reviewed here, is on, it is relatively quick to give you a reading. It also shows you a graphic chart (pleth waveform) under the number output of your pulse for a visual representation of your pulse. This pulse ox allows you to customize for your use much more than other ones I've come across. For instance, you can set an alarm so when it falls below a certain marker, it will alert you. This may be helpful for those who use this overnight who may have a sleeping disorder, such as sleep apnea, or COPD that need to monitor their sats throughout their day or during their sleep. This pulse ox also allows you to change the orientation of the reading so that it is horizontal or vertical. It's a very thoughtful design.

Another feature of this pulse ox is that it can store 24 hours worth of data. I have not used this feature as this is not something I need. But, this is an extremely helpful tool for those who need to monitor their oxygen saturation due to a pulmonary disorder. The readings can be uploaded to your computer using the included disc. Please note that this CD is only compatible with PC (windows) and not designed for Mac iOs users. That is something I'd like to see in the near future, especially with so many apple users on the rise for the geriatric population.

Overall, this is a great tool to consider for those home users who need a log of their oxygen saturation and not just a snapshot that the 50DL is able to provide. This is much more advanced with more features that benefit those who require more monitoring. Additionally, as a healthcare provider myself, this is a nice-to-have pulse ox that you can use on your patients and also educate them on the extra features a premium model has to offer if it benefits their condition. 

Purchase yours here.


Disclosure: This complimentary item was provided for review purposes. As always, all opinions are my own and no compensation was received. This post contains affiliate links.

Clinical Guard Fingertip Pulse Oximeter

Clinical Guard was founded in 2006 and have been a source of reliable medical supplies for healthcare professionals as well as everyday people. They offer many products such as fetal dopplers, pregnancy and ovulation tests, thermometers, nebulizers, blood pressure monitors, peak flow meters, ECG/EKG machines, patient monitors, and more. Read more about the company here.

You might be wondering, why in the world would I need a pulse oximeter for? Isn't it just for health professionals? Well, I'm an occupational therapist working in the healthcare field and yes I use this nearly every day and was looking for a replacement. I'm here to tell you, that average healthy people can benefit from having one! This is a helpful little gadget to have with you during working out, whether young or old. For the young, you may want to monitor your heart rate during strenuous workouts/cardio while also getting a view of your oxygen saturation when your heart is pumping hard. For those who are more elderly, this is a good tool to have to monitor how much oxygen is in your blood at rest, during activity (workout), then afterwards. It's a good idea to keep these numbers in a notebook if you have any medical condition that may benefit from tracking your oxygen saturation (heart disease, asthma, those on oxygen...etc).

CG's pulse oximeter is a simple and reliable oximeter for the home user. The display is easy to read due to the red illuminated numbers. I've found this oximeter to be reliable when compared to what I use in the workplace. The pulse ox requires 2 AAA batteries that is not included in the package. With 2 AAA batteries, your pulse ox should run for at least 30 hours of continuous use.

What is included is a durable carrying case and 2 lanyards that you can attach to the end of the pulse ox. You can use the lanyards to wear around your neck when you are on a walk/run.

I think this is a great pulse ox for the average home user. At the price, it is a no brainer recommendation that this is the pulse ox to get. However, if you are a healthcare professional that plans to use it often, as I do, this one falls a bit short because of how long it takes to get a reading. It takes longer than some others. However, this particular model may be marketed to the average user where quick readings are not a priority.

Purchase yours here or here.


Disclosure: This complimentary item was provided for review purposes. As always, all opinions are my own and no compensation was received. This post contains affiliate links.

The Friendly Swede Paracord Hank

The Friendly Swede is a relatively small and new company that was established in 2011. They are based in Sweden and much of their line cover outdoor activities. Their products are all covered by "The Friendly Swede Lifetime Warranty." This means that if there is any issues with their product, they will replace it or provide a full refund. Pretty sweet deal if you ask me! For more information see their warranty page.

The package comes with 110 feet of military grade paracord and 5 quick release plastic buckles. The paracord is made with 7 strands and can withstand 550 pounds. With this amount of rope, you can make 5 bracelets with the included buckles. It also comes with instructions walking you through how to make your own bracelet using various weaving methods. The only thing that would make this from great to fantastic is if it came with paracord needle to help make the weaving easier.

Their cute icon on the buckle!

Keep in mind, this paracord is NOT intended or recommended for mountaineering or climbing!!!

My initial paracord came with damaged (see photo). The innards were spewing out! I contacted the company and they immediately resent the package and promised to escalate this to their QA team. Great customer service!

Purchase on Amazon.

Disclosure: This complimentary item was provided for review purposes. As always, all opinions are my own and no compensation was received. This post contains affiliate links.

Hallomall light

This outdoor solar lighting features 12 LED light bulbs with an output of 240 lumens. It worked straight out of the box on day one and was very easy to install. We screwed it into the wood panel above our garage with the included screws.

The light automatically lights up at dusk and turns off at dawn when it recharges the internal battery. When motion is detected, the light will go from a dim lighting to a brighter and stronger light that illuminates the area in right below.  It will return to its dimmer setting after 10 seconds without any motion.

Verdict: The light emits a bluish tint and when it is dark, it comes on and stays on for the remainder of the dark hours. When set on motion, the light gets brighter when it senses motion, then goes into standby when it decreases the light output (but still stays on). So the only drawback is that the light is always on at night and looks a little out of place because we put it above our garage. The light is not as bright as normal outdoor lighting that homeowners use outdoors above the garage, but it does provide enough light on your driveway should you decide to install this there. We didn’t want to fuss (read: lazy and cheap) with installing outdoor lighting there because we’d have to call an electrician to pull wires there. This light is best fit to light up your alleyway next to a gate or a small area, and it would do it well if used that way. We've used this for a few months now and it's still going strong!!

Purchase on Amazon.

Disclosure: This complimentary item was provided for review purposes. As always, all opinions are my own and no compensation was received. This post contains affiliate links.