We gave my son the Twilight Turtle for his New Years Day birthday, after I heard from a friend what a hit it was with her son. I’m giving this toy/nightlight/portable planetarium a big double thumbs up.

For the past few days, it’s been more of a daytime toy that my 5 year old has loved showing to friends and family – usually in a dark closet since it’s been too bright out to showcase it anywhere else. My 13 year old cousin even said he wanted one for himself.

Then a few nights ago, it was too late to light a fire, so we turned off all the lights, sat on the couch, and made our own star show, including many rounds “find the moon” as we rotated the turtle’s shell around or moved the stars onto the walls. We briefly tried finding the constellations, but to me, it was like trying to find a constellation in a bowl of chicken and stars soup – no apparent formations. Then again, I got some of my best sleep in my college astronomy class, so maybe you’ll have better luck.

Tonight is the first night my son is falling asleep under his little blanket of stars. He said he was scared at bedtime, so when I brought in the turtle and put it on his night table, he relaxed and snuggled up. There are three light colors to choose from and a timer that turns off the lights after 45 minutes.

And the best news? I just read on Baby Cheapskate that the Twilight Turtle is 30% off at Amazon.com.

$20.95 at Amazon.com

Photo courtesy of Cloud B