It’s been a year or so since Tacy finally started sleeping with the lights off.  For a long time, she needed the overhead light.  Then a plugged-in Hello Kitty night light would suffice.  Now we turn off all the lights, but the door still has to remain open.

Meanwhile, CJ is still in the stage where she needs the light on.  Fortunately in her case, it’s just the bedside lamp that needs to remain on all night long.  Still, just a nightlight doesn’t cut it.  Not even the super cool PalPODzzz from SYLVANIA.

Don’t get me wrong; she adores her ladybug - which functions as both a nightlight and a rechargeable flashlight - and the little green leaf upon which the ladybug rests while she’s charging her batteries.  It’s the cutest darned nightlight I’ve ever seen, also available in a rocker ship design, and I hope SYLVANIA will come out with a few more models.  I’d gladly buy one for each child.

Why do I love this nightlight?  A few key reasons:

1. It plugs into the wall, just like a regular nightlight, but the “pod” rests on a surface like a night table or dresser.  One aspect of traditional nightlights that I don’t like is that kids can yank them out of the socket, leaving a vacant outlet that’s just waiting for a baby to jam an errant hair clip in there.  With the PalPODzzz, just plug it into an outlet that’s covered by a piece of furniture.  Potential problem successfully avoided.

2. It includes a rechargeable flashlight.  If you’re a parent of children older than three, there’s really no further explanation required.  But I’ll happily indulge those who haven’t yet groped for their emergency flashlight during a thunderstorm only to discover that it’s been relocated to a child’s bedroom, where it was left on all night and the batteries are completely drained.  Oh, and of course, there are no replacement batteries anywhere in the house.

Bottom line: A flashlight that doesn’t take batteries and is specifically intended for the kids = TOTALLY FREAKING AWESOME.

3. It’s cute whether it’s plugged in or not, whether it’s night time or not.  So much kiddie decor is just awful.  Even that damn Hello Kitty nightlight Tacy used went against my “no licensed characters” rule, but in the interest of sleep preservation, I did what I had to do.  The PalPODzzz nightlights are decor-neutral and haven’t been infiltrated by Dora or SpongeBob.  God knows I get enough of them on TV; I do not need them in my kids’ rooms.

What don’t I like?  That CJ can drop the ladybug flashlight behind her bed so that I have to lift her entire mattress off the platform in order to retrieve it.  But I suppose that’s actually a good thing; it reminds me that I need to change her sheets.  Plus, she could do the same with any other flashlight (and has).

Of course I wish that PalPODzzz had been the magical solution to the energy drain of CJ’s bedside lamp, but really, that’s too much to expect from a cute little ladybug.

But knowing that my emergency flashlight can rest easy in its kitchen drawer?  That’s more than enough for me.

Find out more about SYLVANIA PalPODzzz from the other PBN bloggers who checked out these nightlight/flashlight combos!  Or if I’ve already convinced you that you must have one, find them on Amazon!