Russell the Dream Sheep Dog is a new product from the makers of the popular Ewan the Dream Sheep. Russell is aimed at age 18 months+, so he can take over from Ewan once babies get a little older.
Mr R is 3 years old and has been trying out Russell for the past few weeks.
Russell the Dream Sheep dog is very cuddly and cute, and a bit different from the other cuddly toys that Mr R has. Like Ewan the dream sheep, Russell has a distinctive purple and white colour but when 3 x AAA batteries are inserted and you press his paw, then he will light up with a soft glow. These lights gradually change from blue to green in a soothing light display which is relaxing to watch.
These light keep showing for 30 minutes or until you press the paw again to turn them off, so can be soothing to help children fall asleep. Mr R also finds it fun to activate the lights while playing with Russell during the day!
The other paw is used to activate sounds. Russell the dream sheep dog allows parents to record a message for their child. This is really easy to do. You just take the battery pack out and flip the record switch to “on” then say whatever you would like to record. You could read a short story or sing a song, or just say some soothing words. I recorded a soothing message for Mr R, which he loves to listen to. He actually sleeps pretty well, but for a child who wakes at night perhaps listening to their mums voice from Russell would help them to settle down to sleep again quite quickly especially as they can cuddle him and listen to the message.
The message repeats 8 times, or until you press the paw again to turn it off, and each message can be a maximum of 4 minutes long which gives a total max of 32 minutes of comforting sound. There are no pre-recorded sounds included with Russell so whatever sound you opt for, it will be very personalised to your child.
Russell is a very cute furry friend, and the features that are included do set him apart from other cuddly toys. If your little one has trouble falling asleep then Russell does seem to offer more soothing options than a normal teddy and could really be worth a try. He has not replaced Mr R’s other sleeping time cuddly toys but he is a very welcome addition to his bed, and he loves to press the paws and activate the lights and sounds.
Russell is available for £34.99 and is available from SweetDreamers.co.uk
What do you think of Russell? Let me know in the comments!
Anna Marikar, mum of four and seasoned blogger, has spent over a decade sharing her parenting journey and passion for kid-friendly crafts and free printables.
Her easy-to-follow craft ideas and practical parenting advice have transformed In The Playroom into a cherished resource for parents.
Awww he looks really sweet!
I love Russell – saw him at the Baby Show and thought he was fantastic! Great that he can take over from Ewan as babies grow. Thanks for linking up with #TriedTested
I’ve heard such good things about this – very cute too! #triedtested
These look so cute! I keep hearing good things about them x
#TriedTested
This is definitely something my 3 year old girl would love! 😀
#TriedTested
We are reviewing this too – Chloe is a big fan
Thanks for linking up with #TriedTested this week x
Awww this is adoreable and WILL be bought. I never knew they had these but we loved Ewan when M was a newborn