Gululu Water Bottle Encourages Kids to Drink Water While Having Fun!

Gululu Water Bottle Encourages Kids to Drink Water While Having Fun!
By: Amy

My son is super-active, but we struggle to make sure he gets enough water each day.  Sometimes I feel like it’s a battle. I have to remind him to make sure he is drinking enough fluids and it can feel like nagging.  So when we were recently offered a chance to check out this new interactive water bottle from Gululu in exchange for our honest review, we jumped at the chance. 

I was intrigued right from the beginning. The Gululu is a 13.5-ounce smart water bottle for kids that comes in several colors. This fun water bottle, has a screen on it that features a tamagucci like pet, together they embark on an underwater adventures, helping its pet to get back to its lost Planet Ima. The gamification of the bottle and the new pet-friend encourages kids to drink water, while parents stay updated about their kids intake through the dedicated app! The creators obviously know their customer - the bottle is tough enough to survive the high level of activity it will inevitably see, and according to the website it can survive a three-foot drop. It’s made of BPA-free materials and complies with the FDA’s standards. Gululu was featured on main media publications such as Forbes that declared it as top 5 best kids gadgets, Vauge and others. Their mission is to hydrate the kids of the world- and for every bottle purchased a kid in a developing country is being provided with clean water well for life! through our partnership with Generosity.org organization. This is a great reason to LOVE this product!
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The Gululu water bottle promotes healthy hydration using a virtual pet game. There is a small screen on the side of the bottle where your child interacts with a virtual pet (choice of 3) from the Gululu Universe.  Once it arrived, I immediately hand-washed it (this is NOT dishwasher safe) and charged it while reading through all the directions and the story. We also downloaded the parent app to our phone and set up our daily water goals.  The charging station that comes with the product utilizes a USB cord which you can plug into the computer or you can utilize an adaptor for a wall plug. I do wish it came with the adaptor piece; however, we have one for our cell phones so it wasn’t a huge deal.  

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The 3 pets to choose from all have different skills that they can display as they grow: Noble Ninja, Playful Purpie and Sparkling Sansa.  We decided on Noble Ninja as our 1st pet. who is stated to be an adventurer who likes to find new sea creatures! As soon as our bottle had finished charging, we had filled it up and we were ready to go.  Ethan took a sip and immediately Ninja appeared. Ethan was able to interact with his pet by touching or shaking the bottle, which prompts the pet to laugh, leap, or play. The pets also grow, but do not require kids to stay in front the computer for hours observing every move. The Gululu pet evolves as your kid drinks water over time.
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The pets grow and explore for treasures when your kid hydrates regularly. Timely rewards are carefully given to encourage healthy habits to form. Plus more stories and adventures from the Gululu Universe also unfold and you begin to learn the back story.   Kids can also play with each other.  They can make their pets compare, compete, and play with each other. When two kids shake their bottles close together, their pets become friends. Friends can compare and compete with their habit scores. 

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Now we all know kids are smart and will realize at some point that they MIGHT be able trick Gululu by pouring the water out without drinking it. But this smart water bottle is equipped with a motion sensor and “inclinometer” that measures the movement and the angle of the bottle’s inclination. With these sensors in place, plus a few lines of software code, Gululu can detect whether your kid is drinking or cheating.  But this smart water bottle is so much fun; your kid won’t want to cheat. It is important to know that your kid can play with his pet and Gululu can record hydration even without an internet connection.

The app where we did some initial setup also helps parents know how much their child is drinking and more. The app syncs with the Gululu water bottle over Wi-Fi and displays the amount of water consumed by your child in a day and in a week as measured by the bottle. It also tells you how much water your kid is drinking every two hours. Finally, it grades your child’s drinking habits.

Aside from keeping track of your child’s hydration level, the app lets you customize your kid’s experience.  You can set a personalized hydration goal for your child, which is generated by the app based on his age, weight, height, and activity level. You can also restrict your child from playing with Gululu during school or sleeping hours.  I love that they thought to add this feature for parents.  When turned on, the School Mode removes Gululu’s game features during normal school hours. The Sleep Mode, on the other hand, prevents your child from playing with Gululu past bedtime. Both modes run automatically based on a schedule so that you don’t have to turn them on and off.  We have sent it to school for a few days after letting the teacher know a little about it.  Since the start of the school year Ethan has been bringing another water bottle to school but most days doesn’t drink anything from it.  Now he has been steadily increasing his water intake during the school day and at home and his concentration seems better.

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There are a few other important points to note.  According to the website the Gululu can run for 2 to 3 days on a single charge. You then charge the bottle using its wireless charger. Charging takes about three hours. I  found that I need to charge it every evening while Ethan sleeps to ensure it works during the day while he is at school.  Also only hand wash the water bottle and never pour boiling water into it.
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Does your kid need encouragement to drink more water? If yes, then Gululu is an excellent solution. Gululu sells for normally for $147 on mygululu.com, which includes the Gululu water bottle, 2 replaceable drinking spouts, a store booklet, a set of reward stickers, a wireless charging dock, and a charging cable.  Currently they have a special through Thursday night and you can get one for $79 which means You Save $68.00 or 46%

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Personally we really love this water bottle and while the price tag initially can scare you, we have been more than impressed with the quality of the product and how educational it is. My son loves it and already I can see improvement in his water habits and his over well being.  Yesterday he even came home telling us how great he feels when he drinks water. It is no longer a battle in our home which makes it well worth it. We all need a parenting win and this is an easy way to get one!  The kids at school were fascinated by Ethan’s water bottle and want pets of their own too. At $79 this week, the Gululu  is worth getting as a gift this year for the holidays plus it is educational and perfect for kids who need a little encouragement on healthy drinking habits. Check out thoughts from Ethan below!