we recently received our acceptance into preschool for the fall and i’ve basically been a big puddle of tears this week thinking about our big girls already being school-age!! it seems like just yesterday they were learning to crawl and i feel like if i blink again they’ll be going off to college.
maybe a little dramatic but guys, where is the time going?!

as the girls are getting older, we’ve been working on our routines to help them be as independent as possible. they’re in a stage where they want to do everything like mama and i hear the phrase ‘no, i do it myself’ on repeat all day errrry day. getting dressed. getting water. brushing teeth. setting the table.
it’s a constant dance between allowing them to do things by themselves, repeating myself 100x and getting anywhere on time for anything. we’ve also entered the era of ‘selective hearing’ if you know what i mean and virtually anything that comes out of my mouth falls on deaf ears until i begin counting, which pre-kids, i swore to myself i would never do.

i have started seeing watches for kids pop up here and there and to be quite honest, i didn’t want something that would potentially distract them attached at all times. i’m very cautious about what electronics they engage in, but they are SO into technology! while they don’t have an iPad or even know how to work our phones, kids are just drawn to how it works.
when i first discovered the octopus watch, i immediately noticed that it was different than other watches geared towards kids. designed by people with backgrounds in child development, i knew this watch would be the training wheels for good habits. it has 3 different modes {analog, digital + icon}, and helps the girls {and let’s be honest, me..} stay on schedule with a visual schedule… and i think the girls favorite part is the octopus charging station that is a night light!

this is the first icon-based watch that EMPOWERS kids by teaching good habits, fostering responsibility, independence and self-esteem!

other amazing features:

with more than 700 icons to choose from, you can customize the watch to best fit your childs age, developmental needs + interests

easy set up…when i initially opened the packages, i was a little overwhelmed by setting up our full schedules every day of the week..twice. it was easy, but it was time consuming. i learned through the process, though, and especially with my girls only being 2, i backed up a bit and made my life WAY easier! {sharing other tips below!}

includes positive reinforcement that allows children to earn stars for regularly completing tasks

as a safety feature, bluetooth is only connected for a few seconds while charging and synchronizing!

includes I.C.E contacts which is HUGE in my books…we will be using these at the zoo and other public places just in case!

water resistant for splash + sweat {not waterproof…we don’t use them while swimming!}

octopus companion is a night light {fan favorite in this house!}, a charging station, and wakeup alarm!

tips for getting started:

start small – you don’t have to add your entire schedule the first day!! start small by adding one consistent activity… brushing teeth, eating breakfast…whatever that is! as the days go by and your child is used to each activity, you can add one or two more!

customize your icons to fit your child’s interest!

i forgot to tell my girls that there would be a vibration {totally optional when you set up your various tasks} when it was time to brush their teeth and lila panicked when it vibrated {very gently!!!}… when she knew it was coming, she was fine but make sure you mention that feature if you have it set up!

allow some time for play… like anything new, it is exciting, so allow your child a little bit of time to explore and play with their watch!

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at this time, we’re using the watch as a reminder to brush teeth and eat breakfast. it’s been our sweet spot and as the girls get ready for preschool in the fall, we’ll be using this much more frequently for expectations like getting dressed, getting in the car and bed time routines! it’s amazing what kids can achieve when they know what is expected of them!
with spring right around the corner, it’s the perfect time to help your kiddos start being more independent! these would make the perfect addition to an easter basket or even in preparation for the school year ahead!

now the fun part!!
i’ve teamed up with ihelpmoms.com to offer readers 25% off your purchase by using the code ihelpmoms2018

a huge thank you to ihelpmoms.com + octopus watch for sponsoring this post!