Great Gifts For Kids: CloudPets

Hey guys!  Today’s post sponsor, CloudPets™, has been a HUGE hero in my house!  I can’t wait to show you my daughter’s new favorite toy, Popcorn.  (Yes, she wanted to name it Popcorn, so hey, Popcorn it is!)  We’ve been playing with this new toy all week, sending messages back and forth.  It’s going to make overnights with Grandma and business trips a whole lot easier, because you can record and send messages to your kids’ CloudPets™, even when you’re far away.

All you need is the Smartphone app (available on Google Play and the Apple App Store).  I downloaded it, my husband downloaded it, and we’ll talk grandma into it next time we see her!  Anyone with the app on their phone, on your kids’ approved friend list (something you have total control over) can send a message.  If you ever spend nights away from your kids, or if you have a deployed spouse, or if your close family is out of state – these are all situations where you can record and send a message!

They call CloudPets™ “a message you can hug“, because there’s just something comforting about a special stuffed animal.  I mean, I STILL remember my favorite stuffed bear from my childhood.  So while the kids may have video chats and phone calls, there’s still a point where it’s time to say goodbye.  That’s when CloudPets™ are extra-special – kids can take them to bed or bring them along for play, and they can listen to your special message whenever they want that extra dose of comfort.

And what’s even cooler is that the kids can send a message back!  Raya’s puppy, Popcorn, has only been part of the family for about a week, and (luckily) we haven’t had to spend any time apart, but the first night that my husband worked his regular night shift, he recorded a special bedtime message for her, since he always misses out on the kids’ bedtime routine.  Raya knows there’s a new message anytime the red heart is blinking, and she can press the blue paw to hear it as often as she wants.  But when she presses the red button, she can record her own message right back!  I know the next time I have a conference or a night away, I’ll be looking forward to a special message from her.

I know when I first heard about CloudPets™, I wasn’t quite sure how they worked.  It turns out, they’re really easy!  Here’s how it works for us: Kevin and I each have the app on our phones.  The app is synced to Popcorn the puppy.  We can be anywhere that we get cell phone reception – it could be in the in the next room or in the next state, it doesn’t matter – and we can record a new message and send it to Popcorn.  When one of the synced phones is near Popcorn, it can wirelessly send the message.  So as an example – even if one parent is overseas, as long as the other one is within 30 feet of the CloudPets™, you can record, re-record, and rotate special messages to CloudPets™ as often as you like.  The message is sent to the home-parent’s CloudPets™ inbox, and the home-parent can save it and send it to their child as often as they want.

When Raya sends a message back, the app alerts me, and I can listen and even send it off to Kevin for him to hear at work.  It’s SO easy to change the messages, and you can invite specific people to download the app and be approved to send messages to your child.  While it may sound like extra back-and-forth to use the inbox to manage messages, what this parental gateway really does is allow you as the parent to ensure that any message your child receives is something you approve of.   You also get to send it at the best time – maybe while they’re away at school, or overnight so that they wake up to something special.  And the same message will stay loaded to the pet until you replace it!  So while it’s a wonderful way to stay connected, your child doesn’t have to wait to receive a message.  They can press the paw anytime they want to hear your voice.

And on top of all of that, it’s also a seriously cute and squishy stuffed animal – perfect for hugs.  Bottom line?  I love CloudPets™ as a gift idea for any family who doesn’t connect as often as they’d like to, whether it’s a working parent, extended family, or even just a vacation gift.  I wish I had known how much this toy could do when I spent a weekend in Chicago for a conference earlier this month!  You better believe that the next time around, we’ll be using Popcorn to stay in touch!

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of CloudPets™.