Monday, January 2, 2012

Night Lights - OXO Candela Tooli, Set of 2

'Can't Live Without' Registry Item #1 - Night Lights - OXO Candela Tooli, Set of 2




We have the Blue & Green set. They come in other colors, just keep in mind that the light they project is slightly tinted to the color of the tooli.
Pros: Portable. This is the most valuable thing about these night lights. When you are getting up in the night with a newborn, a night light plugged into the wall is never going to be exactly where you need it - which may be in the middle of the bed. The fact that you can carry these around makes them worth their weight in gold. When I'm boobing Baby M in the middle of the night, I can hold it up to make sure I'm getting my boob right in his mouth on the first try.
Amount of Light. I find these to give off just the right amount of light. It's easy to sleep through (not too bright), but bright enough to illuminate the area and see what you're doing.
Easy Charging. The toolis sit on a little tray to charge. There's no fumbling with a plug in the middle of the night. When you pick the tooli up off of the tray, it automatically turns itself on. Be aware that it will also automatically turn itself off when placed on the tray, so you can't use the light while it's charging.
Cons: The set of 2 is discontinued. I was so upset when I discovered this. BUT... you can still find sets of the fuchsia/red for sale, and the OXO website has the different colored Tooli bodies for sale for $2.99, so you can create the blue/green set. They're still selling the single Tooli, but one of the key benefits (in my opinion) is having the double charger tray, so snag one before they're all gone!
Battery life. I'm listing this as a con because many of the Amazon reviews speak to poor battery life. Personally we haven't had an issue with this yet, but we've only been using them for 2 months so far (I'll update this if battery life becomes an issue later. We are currently getting 10 - 12 hours per charge). It appeared that the folks that had issues with battery life were attempting to use these night lights as an all-night light for their babies and/or toddlers. One Mom commented that it was easy for her toddler to carry the light into their bedroom when she woke up in the night. While handy for a toddler to be able to carry her night light, perhaps a combination of a wall night light and teaching the toddler how to turn the tooli on and off would work. A light that plugs in can be a reasonable solution for all-night lighting to save battery life. I really wouldn't give a product a poor review for battery life when I'm doing something that is so obviously battery draining. Like I said though, our Toolis are currently lasting 10 - 12 hours.
Shape. This night light is roughly the same diameter as the bottles we use, and its ear is shaped like a nipple. Yep, in my still 75% asleep state, I attempted to feed the unlit night light to Baby M. He was not impressed. (By the way, this obviously isn't a serious con! The shape is actually very cute.)
Tips: Follow the instructions for running the batteries down completely and fully recharging twice before use. This will help extend the battery life and you won't encounter battery issues as quickly.
Buy the two candle set. They sell these individually, but it's very convenient to have two on hand. For example, one of us will take one to go make a bottle in the middle of the night, while the other one of us will keep one by the bed, comforting the baby while waiting for the bottle. It's also handy to have two if you've forgotten to charge one, you've got a back-up. (See note under 'cons' about the double charger being discontinued.)