LittleHippo Mella: Ready to Rise Children's Sleep Trainer, Night Light, Sound Machine and OK to Wake Alarm Clock for Toddlers and Kids - Arctic Blue

### Introduction

The LittleHippo Mella Ready to Rise Children's Sleep Trainer is a multifunctional device designed to help children and toddlers develop healthy sleep routines. Mella is not just an alarm clock; it also functions as a night light and sound machine, providing a comprehensive solution for sleep training. Available in the charming Arctic Blue color, Mella incorporates an innovative "OK to Wake" feature, which uses colors to teach children when to stay in bed and when it's time to rise for the day, making mornings smoother for both children and parents.

### Advantages

• Intuitive Design: Mella is designed with ease-of-use in mind, making setup straightforward and intuitive even for non-tech-savvy parents .
• High Quality and Durability: Users praise the product's high-quality build and durability, asserting that it is a well-thought-out product .
• Effective Sleep Training: The color-coded lights system effectively communicates to children when it is time to sleep, play, or get up, integrating seamlessly into daily routines .
• Customizable Features: Parents can customize sleep times, light colors, and alarms, ensuring Mella fits perfectly into their child's schedule .
• Appealing Design for Children: With its cute and engaging design, complete with a friendly face that "blinks," Mella appeals to children, encouraging them to follow its cues .
• Comprehensive Usage Modes: The device offers nap modes and noise functions, although some users have noted that the noise feature could be improved .
• Encourages Independence: Children learn to rely on Mella’s signals rather than parental interventions to determine sleep times, fostering independence .
• Positive Customer Support Experience: In cases of technical issues, customers have reported responsive and effective customer service, enhancing user experience .
• Flexibility: The night light can remain on all night if desired, providing comfort for children who might feel uneasy in the dark .
• Safety Features: It includes a child lock and hidden buttons to prevent tampering, keeping the settings secure .

### Disadvantages

• Price Point: Some users consider Mella to be expensive for its feature set, comparing it to more economical alternatives .
• Brightness: The brightness of the night light may be excessive for some children, depending on their sensitivity .
• Sound Quality: The sound machine feature has been critiqued for its quiet and sometimes unpleasant noise output .
• Dependence on Power Supply: Although it retains settings with a battery, Mella requires constant plugging into a power source to function, which can be inconvenient .
• Unwanted Features: Some parents find the yellow play light unnecessary and wish for more control over it .
• Lack of Connectivity: Mella lacks modern features like smartphone connectivity, which some users feel would greatly enhance its usability .
• Potential for Display Issues: There have been instances of display flickering, though customer service has been reportedly helpful in resolving these issues .
• Vulnerable to Unplugging: The power cord design makes it easy for curious children to unplug the device, which interrupts its functioning .
• No Parent App: Some users wish for an app to control the clock remotely, adding convenience to changing settings .
• Limited Long-term Durability: There are reports of the device's performance diminishing after some time, particularly in terms of sleep timing functionality .

### Conclusion

The LittleHippo Mella Ready to Rise Children's Sleep Trainer is a unique and effective tool for developing healthy sleep routines in young children. While the device offers numerous benefits, including intuitive design, attractive features for children, and helpful customer support, it is not without its drawbacks, notably its price and a few functional limitations. Despite these, Mella remains a solid choice for many parents looking for a robust sleep training solution that has positively impacted many families' bedtime routines.

### FAQ

1. What is the main function of Mella?

Mella serves as a children's sleep trainer, using color-coded lights to indicate bedtime, playtime, and wake-up time for children.

2. Is Mella easy to set up?

Yes, Mella is incredibly user-friendly and easy to set up, according to various user reviews .

3. Does Mella have customizable features?

Yes, Mella allows parents to customize various aspects, including sleep times, light colors, and alarm settings, to suit their child's needs .

4. Is it possible to adjust the brightness of Mella's night light?

The brightness can be a concern for some users, as it has been reported to be too bright for some children .

5. How effective is the sound machine feature?

While it serves its purpose, some users have found the sound machine feature to be subpar in comparison to professional white noise machines .

6. Can Mella be used as a standalone alarm clock?

Yes, besides the sleep training features, Mella can also function as an alarm clock for older children .

7. What should I do if Mella starts having issues?

Users are encouraged to contact customer support, which has been praised for being responsive and helpful in resolving issues .

8. Is Mella portable?

Mella needs to be plugged in to work, but it can retain settings with its battery, making it somewhat portable .

9. Can my child alter the settings easily?

Not easily, thanks to the child lock and hidden buttons designed to prevent children from tampering with the settings .

10. Is it worth the price?

While considered by some as expensive, many users feel the range of features and the sleep training benefits justify the cost .