This screen-free handheld device helps my son self-regulate
Motherly / Angela Elias
Watching him turn to his Moonbuddy in moments when he’s feeling frustrated, upset, or burned out at the end of a school day is incredibly gratifying.
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As a mom of two with a firefighter husband, I rely on breathwork to pull me through the most chaotic moments of solo-parenting. I’m usually box-breathing my way through the rush of school mornings, homework-filled afternoons, and the scramble of dinner prep, but for some reason, passing this practice onto my kids hasn’t come easy.
For my son with ADHD, slipping into a dysregulated state can sneak up on him after a day at school, during a homework session, or a screen time transition, and I don’t blame him for not defaulting to a breathing exercise in the midst of his frustration.
When I heard about Moonbuddy ($99), a screen-free handheld device that helps kids regulate through breathing, I was skeptical. How could a pricey piece of tech be more accessible than a simple and free method like five-finger breathing? I decided to give it to my son and let him decide.
How the Moonbuddy works
When the device is turned on, the animal’s belly softly expands and contracts to mimic a calm breathing pattern that kids can breathe along with while holding it. The Moonbuddy has three different breathing rhythms so that kids can find a cadence that feels natural to them, depending on their age. It’s geared towards kids aged 6 to 12 years old, with younger kids typically preferring higher breathing rates with more breaths per minute and older kids preferring longer stretches of inhales and exhales. Either way, kids can cycle through them to experiment with what feels right.
The intuitive, single-button design makes it easy to start using right away. That one button powers it on and off and can cycle through the different breathing patterns. After it runs through a four-minute breathing pattern, it automatically turns off, which helps to keep the battery powered up even if you fall asleep while using it.
What using the Moonbuddy is like
When I opened the Moonbuddy box with my son, he was instantly charmed by the adorable animal sleeve you wrap the Moonbuddy body in. It comes with the choice between Barry the Bear or Bibi the Bird, and we got the latter.
My son re-named it Lenny immediately, which aside from adding another level of ownership and personalization also introduced some humor. I highly suggest it.
The Moonbuddy is deliciously tactile, which makes you want to hold it even more. The smooth silicone body is slightly squishy, so when its belly expands and contracts, it really feels like a living being. Just holding it while it breathes is a soothing sensory experience in itself—syncing your breath with it takes it to another level.
We keep the magnetic charger by my son’s bed, which makes it easier for him to bake into his sleep routine. Aside from using it to fall asleep, he loves that he can reach for it if he wakes up in the middle of the night. Its whisper-quiet motor also means it won’t wake up his brother, who he bunks with.
Unlike so many devices, this one isn’t synced to an app, so I don’t have to worry about that becoming a distraction or another piece of tech to manage. It’s something he can grab and use on his own whenever he feels like it. Watching him turn to it to self-regulate in moments when he’s feeling frustrated, upset, or just burned out at the end of a school day is incredibly gratifying.
It’s also compact enough that he can pack it as a sensory-friendly travel companion for long car rides and noisy, chaotic airports.
What to know before buying the Moonbuddy
The Moonbuddy isn’t a silver bullet for self-regulation, but it’s a low-entry invitation to practice proven stress-reducing breathing techniques in a kid-friendly package. Sometimes, my son’s body craves focused movement when he’s dysregulated, so jumping on a pogo stick can bring more immediate relief.
My point is that it’s not the only item in his toolbox and it doesn’t need to be. Knowing that your child will have days or moments when they’ll turn to it and periods where they may not will take the pressure off. Having them engage with it enough times to feel its effects increases their likelihood of continuing to reach for it— but my son, like all kids, still wants reaching for it to be his idea.
Would I recommend the Moonbuddy?
While the price is a little high for the simplicity of the device, I do think that the simplicity is what ultimately makes it so effective. Considering all of the kid-friendly breathing exercises I’ve tried—blowing bubbles, miming a cup of cocoa that you smell and then blow to cool off, laying down with a stuffed animal placed on your belly to watch it go up and down, and more—this is the only one he’s repeatedly turned to on his own. For me, that alone is worth every dollar.
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