Breathe in, breathe out and breathe in again, all in time with the Moonbuddy, a screen-free relaxation device for children -- or children at heart. As I held the Moonbuddy on the chaos of the CES 2025 show floor, I was charmed by the sleeping penguin in my hand, and felt immediately soothed by the tactile sensation of its gentle breathing. It occurred to me that even though the Moonbuddy is technically for children, there's no reason that this cheaper version of the Moonbird without phone connectivity couldn't also be for adults.
But with many children struggling with sleep problems or insomnia, and nearly 1 in 14 children suffering from anxiety according to the American Academy of Family Physicians, portable and affordable solutions like the Moonbuddy are likely to have wide appeal.
Made by Moonbird, a Belgian company that promotes relaxation by breathing, these little friends can take either the form of a penguin or a bear, and could lull me to sleep with their peaceful demeanours alone.
The original Moonbird is a more sophisticated device for adults that costs $199, and connects to your phone to help you understand how stressed or relaxed you are. It gently expands and contracts in the same way your diaphragm does while you breathe, and eventually guides you to sleep.
But at CES, this version designed for children that costs $89 without the connected features of the original. The idea for the Moonbuddy came from adult customers whose children used their parents' Moonbirds to get to sleep at night, says co-founder Michael Broes. By holding the device in the palm of their hands, children can use one of four different Moonbuddy breathing exercises to naturally activate their parasympathetic nervous systems and more easily drift off to sleep.
 The animal sleeves are interchangeable and the device turns on and off with a single button, making it easy and appealing to use for big kids, little kids and overgrown kids alike.