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Do you still remember those days when you used to sleep until 10, then would lazily read the news in bed, and would sometimes hit the gym before meeting your friends for a late brunch? What? You don’t? Neither do we! Those good old days are long behind every parent. Now, every parent has babies and toddlers, the human alarm clocks you never knew you needed. Every parent with an infant wakes up with the birds. For some, this alarming trend could extend into the toddler years. We know that trying to teach a 2-year-old to stay in bed until a certain time is not an easy feat. Are you looking for a solution? Well, a toddler alarm clock can be the solution you’ve been dreaming of!
What Is A Toddler Alarm Clock?
This alarm clock is specifically designed for the toddler set. It is also known as an okay-to-wake clock. A toddler alarm clock uses features such as lights, pictures, sounds, or sometimes a combination of all three since your kid can’t tell time as of yet. These alarm clocks indicate when it’s time for your little one to get out of bed and start their day.
Do Toddler Alarm Clocks Work?
If it is used properly, a toddler alarm clock can help your toddler (and you) sleep a bit more. We recommend you to start using it slowly, for better results. Talk to your little one about the alarm clock, what it’s for, how it works, and what the rules are around it.
Before diving straight in, you need to set clear, realistic expectations around what your little one can and can’t do if they wake up earlier than the clock. For instance, let them know that if they wake up before the light on their clock turns on, they can stay in bed and read a story.
Also, instead of rushing to it, you need to ease into the desired wake-up time slowly. For instance, if your toddler usually wakes up at 6:30, but you’d like them up around 7:30. On the first day, you should not set the clock for 7:30, instead, you need to start slowly. You can start at 6:40, then increase the time by 10 minutes or so every few days. Keep doing this until you’ve reached your desired wake-up time. Do not rush your little one into it, rather go for a slow transition that will set them up for success.
The Best Toddler Alarm Clocks
If you’re a tech-savvy parent or you’re just looking for just a basic alarm clock that will do the work, these best toddler alarm clocks get our vote. This will help you establish a healthy sleep routine and get everyone in the family a bit more rest!
1. Hatch Rest+ Sound Machine, Night Light, Time-to-Rise plus Audio Monitor
You can use this clock from your little one’s first night at home through the big-kid years. It’s not just the best toddler alarm clock, it’s so much more! This amazing modern multi-tasker comes with a night light, a sound machine, a digital clock, and an audio monitor. You can control and customize every feature from an app on your phone and also it is Alexa-enabled. In the early years, you can use it as a night light and sound machine and transition the Rest+ to a toddler alarm clock as your kid grows.
Amazon Reviews
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2. Anmones Bunny Kids Alarm Clock
This cute rabbit alarm clock will bring a few moments of peace to your life. It is packed with features, which include a digital clock, a 12 or 24-hour display, a temperature sensor, and the obvious, best toddler alarm clock and night light. You can activate the clock’s screen with some sound or vibration such as a clap or a quick tap. The cute bunny design is well-loved by little kids.
Amazon Reviews
Bought this as a gift to my niece of 12 yo. She loves it! It is cute to begin with and the brightness is not too much that blinds you in the dark. Easy to setup. She was able to read the short instruction and was able to set up on her own. I even want one!
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3. Claessens' Kids Sleep Moon Sleeptrainer Nightlight
This best toddler alarm clock does have a small digital clock. But the main feature is the clock face design. It uses 2 easy-to-understand images, one is a small rabbit that’s asleep, and the other one is awake. This alarm clock is perfect for kids who may be a bit on the younger side and are more visual. Additionally, it has features such as 4-alarm sounds, a setting for naps and weekends, and 4 brightness levels.
Amazon Reviews
My son has had this product for around two years now. It has greatly helped him understand when he is, and when he is not allowed to be up. We are ordering a second on for our daughter who is finally old enough to understand it (If they’re not old enough to understand simple instructions this clock will not help you.) It has been a boon for those years between ‘needs to understand when he can get out of bed’ and ‘can read the numbers on the clock well enough to understand it’s not time yet.’
There is training involved, as with all such things. I found it easier to use the moon/Sun than the bunny part as an explanation of when he was allowed to be up. Sun is up. He could be up. Moon was up. He was to be in bed.
The clock is relatively straightforward to operate, especially if you’re used to old style digital alarm clocks. Middle button on the back gets you to the menu. Scroll up and down using the arrows on the back. Set the clock using the same set of buttons. Middle to select. Up and down to change. It’s simple and straightforward, if a bit slow for the impatient.
I have no complaint with the construction. If the chord is stretched, you probably want to put batteries in it as well as having it plugged in, if only for redundancy and power outage protection. It’s been knocked over several times by my kids (who are rather rambunctious) and has survived with no real trouble. The face-plate is somewhat loose, you have to turn it to lock it in which sets the picture a little cockeyed, but that’s the only issue I see. All in all a solidly useful piece of equipment that does what it says it does and is what it says it is on the label.
Note: This is NOT a miracle cure for sleepless children. It’s an aid to sleep training not a substitute for it.
This clock was very easy to setup and use and has been very effective. Now she knows not to leave her room until the sun ON THE CLOCK is awake. We currently have it set for 7:20 am, and at 7:21 in the morning she’s knocking at our door, so it took immediately.
I also really like the nap time setting, though I wish you could configure it for a specified duration after you turn it on rather than a set nap time (i.e, 3:00 pm), because our daughter doesn’t always go down for a nap at the same time. But it’s still a nice feature and easy to adjust if necessary, like if I put her down for a nap 10 minutes before the nap time timer would go off.
Others have complained about how bright the light is, but I don’t find it a problem at all. In fact, I have it turned up to the brightest setting because the others are too dim, in my opinion. My daughter likes having a nightlight, so if your kid wants complete darkness then it could be a problem, but perhaps a sleeptrainer nightlight isn’t the right solution in that case.
We’ve only had one “incident” with this, and that was a few days after we started using it my 3 year old started playing with it during her nap time instead of napping. She ended up flipping the switch to the music alarm mode where it plays music instead of just switching to sunlight when it reaches the alarm time. She wasn’t expecting that and it scared her when it went off, but now she doesn’t mess with it anymore.
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4. Little Hippo MELLA Ready to Rise Clock
The minimal and modern alarm clock is more than just a nice aesthetic. It strikes the perfect balance between form and function. The clock is very easy to program and easy for your kid to understand, with the help of colors and facial expressions you can show your toddler when it’s okay for them to get out and when they need to stay in bed. This best toddler alarm clock comes with 3 sound options, 5 night light colors, and an alarm function for older kids.
Amazon Reviews
I can’t believe how well this this works. My 4 yr old son would come into our room every single night for the almost two hrs he’s been in a big boy bed. We tried everything to get him to stay in bed and nothing worked. He would make every excuse in the book to im scared, I’m thirsty, I need to go potty. It was so disruptive to all of our sleeping.
The very first night using this product he slept through the night. We use the sleep trainer with the red light to green light and the white noise settling on continuous. We’ve been using it for a month now and HE HASNT WOKEN UP ONCE! I’m not kidding! Not once! It’s simply amazing.
Only con I have is it’s annoying to have to set every night. But I’m wondering if that’s a user error and I just haven’t realized it yet. But I’ve read the directions a million times and haven’t figured out how to keep it set.
If you have a kid that is always waking up at night please buy this product. It is worth every single penny! When my youngest starts sleeping in a big boy bed you bet your butt I’ll be buying another one of these dang robots!
My husband and I were desperate to reclaim our space. We tried everything all the books, experts, and other parent’s said. Bribery, taking stuff away. Everything.
Finally, I bought this clock. My own mother said “What exactly is that going to do?” and I wasn’t quite sure myself.
Well, by some freaking miracle, for 15 nights in a row, since the very day we plugged this in, my husband and I have our bed back!!!! I don’t know if it’s because its a fun game. I don’t know if it’s because it’s a rule. I don’t know if it’s because she likes the smiley face, or the little bit of extra light, or that she enjoys that she can tell the time. All I know is that it works!
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5. Mirari OK to Wake! Alarm Clock & Night-Light
This alarm clock is well-loved and well-reviewed by parents because it’s super simple to use. When it’s time to wake up, the entire clock will light up green which makes it a perfect pick for younger kids. It has lots of additional features such as a night light option, a nap timer, an alarm clock (with a snooze button!), and a digital clock, and fun animations that your baby can activate by pressing on the buttons.
Amazon Reviews
Finally a clock that lets a child know it’s okay to wake without an alarm going off (although, it has an alarm if you want it). It Has a purple flower if you prefer it over the green bug. Love this clock ⏰
I’m sure hatch is great but it’s expensive and it you just need the wake up function, this does the trick!
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6. My Tot Toddler Clock
This alarm clock has an alarm clock feature and lights stories, songs, and more. It features 5 different colors that will illuminate for different times, such as wake time, bedtime, naps, fun/activity time, and timeout. Also, it has an analog and digital clock and for a custom look, it has swappable faceplates. Moreover, it plays white noise, lullabies, stories, and fun wake music.
Amazon Reviews
My kids get up at the butt crack of dawn and this allows me to sleep until a sane time. They know they are supposed to play in their room until the clock turns blue and then they can come get us for breakfast. The music is really stupid sounding and the “stories” are practically indecipherable, but my daughters love them so what the hell do I know?
In case you’re trying to decide which of these types of clock to purchase, we also have a “bunny clock” sleep timer that we used when they were younger (and are saving for when the baby gets old enough to understand it), but I wanted to get this clock to help teach time telling (and again, thinking ahead to when the baby will understand that mommy needs her effing sleep). The bunny clock is also great but I appreciate that the tot clock is on a timer setting for naps, while the bunny clock has a set “wake-up time” for both naps and sleep. This is a huge pain for me because my kid never goes down for a nap at the EXACT same time every single day, which means that EVERY time she had a nap I would have to adjust the clock to a new wake-up time. With the tot clock, I know the timer is already set for two hours, and I just press the nap time button when putting her down for a nap. (One other downside of the bunny clock – it is WAY too easy to accidentally set it in “alarm mode,” which you will sorely regret when this scary ass rooster noise wakes your kid up and you emerge from your slumber to a child screaming in terror!)
Conclusion: the tot clock is a bit superior to the bunny clock, and worth a bit of extra money. (But don’t think your kid is going to get anything out of the “stories” thing, because it sounds like a fairy princess voice recorded onto a gramophone while gargling listerine.)
At the time, I couldn’t believe that I was spending $60 on a clock for my 2 1/2 year old’s room. But, desperate times call for desperate measures. He’d started out sleeping in his own bed, but over the last several months had migrated to sleeping in ours nearly the entire night. When we decided we couldn’t have this happen any longer, we needed a plan and we needed to stick to the plan.
We started out with his daddy sleeping on an air mattress on his floor for four nights – all night long. That was two weeks ago. We then transitioned to just staying in his room until he fell asleep. After a few nights of that, we added the clock and now we just read stories and then leave and he goes to sleep. It’s amazing!
He stays in bed all night until the clock turns yellow. I’ve even heard him wake up a few times in the middle of the night and whine that the clock is blue and just go back to sleep. Prior to the clock, he showed up in our room everytime he awoke during the night. When he gets up in the morning, he is always sure to show us that the clock is yellow.
We haven’t used any other features of the clock – these seems to be enough for us right now. Although, when putting him down for a nap yesterday, he did note to his dad that his clock was “yellow up” not “blue sleep” – so we may have to start using it for naps as well … we shall see!
To summarize: BUY THIS CLOCK IS YOU ARE HAVING SLEEPING PROBLEMS WITH YOUR LITTLE ONE! If your kiddo is anything like mine, it will work wonders!
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7. It's About Time Stoplight Sleep Enhancing Alarm Clock
Are you a fan of Sesame Street? Or your little one loves the Cookie Monster? Then what are you waiting for? Get this alarm clock which features Cookie Monster, Big Bird, and fan-favorite Elmo. It uses simple stoplight colors that will teach your kid to stay in bed, wake up or sit tight. This basic concept is perfect for younger toddlers and even some older kids. Also, yes! There are other characters to choose from!
Amazon Reviews
Not too difficult to program and if you put batteries in it keeps the settings if it gets unplugged. Red light green light function is adorable and a great way to teach sleep and wake times.
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8. Zazu Kids Pam The Penguin Sleep Trainer and Night Light
This adorable penguin figurine is a cute decor and sweet addition to any kid’s room. This alarm clock is an amazing okay-to-wake clock, night light, and Bluetooth speaker. Before wake-up time, this clock glows red for 30 minutes to keep kids in bed. When it’s okay to get up in the morning, it automatically turns green. Also, when used just as a nightlight, it is available in multiple other color options. If you want, through the wireless speaker, you can even pipe in soothing lullabies.
9. Gro Clock Sleep Trainer
This simple and best toddler alarm clock uses images of the sun and stars to tell children whether it’s daytime or nighttime. The stars that come out during bedtime will go out one by one overnight, which will show the passing of time. When it’s time to wake up, the clock shows the sun rising and glows orange. Also, it comes with an illustrated book and it has both weekend and weekday programs.
Amazon Reviews
Awesome way to train your young kids to wake up at the correct time. Daughter was waking up at 445am, after 2 weeks she now sleeps until 6am and wakes up and says “sun up” instead of crying
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10. MomKnows Galaxy Clock
On the ceiling of your little one’s room, this digital kids’ alarm clock will project soothing images of stars. You can also use it as a sound machine. It comes with 7 built-in sounds, which include birds, waves, and a womb simulator (which is similar to white noise). You can even pair it with your phone to play music. Additionally, with the touch of a button, you check the temperature of your child’s room because of the built-in thermometer.
Amazon Reviews
This is a good product for children so like that i can make a restful night fir the child of my friend rather than have him crying all night. The product was brilliant on how it can assist both adult and children the sleep time for the children and it can help adults so i can also make a better design if we were able to make it have more of the colors can be changed in a pattern were it can illuminate the room with the star design so i can make it for the children can have a longer time been watching colors with the sounds but have the alarm work more perfect for when the alarm goes off it can actually bee on time and sounding, But so far a great product. The think that can be added is make it do more stuff like play changing symbols
It may be a little pricier than some other models, but theirs has been going strong with daily use for almost two years, so I imagine ours will last too.
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In Conclusion
When you’re deciding which one you should go for, just think about the features you would want the most to help select the right one. Remember that it will take some time for your little one to get the hang of it, but once you get on a schedule, it’s worth it! Choose your clock now and get started! Because it will change your child’s sleep pattern in wonderful ways! Additionally, get some tips on how to sleep train your little one!
FAQs: Best Toddler Alarm Clocks
1) When should I start using a toddler alarm clock?
2) How do I introduce my toddler to the clock?
3) How much sleep should a toddler get at night?
Reviewed By:
Nimrat Sidhu - Pediatration
Dr. Nimrat S Sidhu is a practicing pediatrician for about 5 years now and holds an MD pediatrics degree. She was the topper of her batch, has always had a keen interest in her core medical field, and is specially trained for neonatal resuscitation.
She has published multiple research papers on pediatrics and is interested in topics like Neonatal care, skincare, baby growth, vaccination, growth, and development.
