Pause with Panda Review

If your child needs help developing emotional regulation, empathy, and compassion, then your child needs to Pause with Panda. This comforting stuffed animal and support tool uses short, audible exercises called “pauses” to help children ages 4 and up pause and identify and respond to their thoughts, feelings, and bodies. 

When you first get your panda, you’ll need to charge it. A USB charging cable is included. Then you can download the Pause with Panda app. This is a parent app giving adults full control over their child’s experience with the panda. The app is also how you add and sync your panda to your account. Then you’ll be ready to use your panda. To listen to a pause, press any of the panda’s six Pause buttons. A Calm pause helps children focus on breath, a Focus pause helps kids tune into their senses to improve focus, a Move pause connects kids to their bodies through movement, a Love pause helps kids send themselves and others love and kindness, a Sleep pause plays a calming story to help kids drift off to sleep, and the Smart Heart pause plays affirmations. You can also use the Smart Heart to record your own pause from within the app. All of the pause content can be customized within the app, allowing parents to select which pauses – up to four per button – to be stored and played on your panda.

The instruction guide gives parents tips on how to help children get the most out of the Pauses, and the included storybook introduces the panda character to kids along with what a Pause is and what each of the Pause buttons means.

The panda does have four volume settings, which can be switched via the battery pack.