There are a variety of different kinds of clocks on the market to alert kids when it is ok for them to wake from a nap or wake in the morning. Some are better than others so I am reviewing some offered on Amazon here. These kid’s clocks are very helpful when trying to keep children, especially toddlers and older children in their rooms. Most kids can be taught to follow a clock, so they are a wonderful parenting tool.
Review 1: Hatch Baby
I have been using the Hatch Baby Rest for a couple of months. The Hatch baby is both a noise machine, nightlight and ok to wake clock. If you are in the market for both these products then it costs about the same to get the Hach as to buy two seperate products ($60).
Things I like about Hatch:
You can control the Hatch from your phone. This is a nice feature for if you have noise in the house that you don't normally have, like the electrican comes in the middle of nap time and is drilling holes in your wall. It is nice to be able to adjust the noise level on the Hatch.
The color that the light turns when it is time for sleeping and time to wake are adjustable. When you are picking colors make sure to choose colors that aid in sleep. Blue and white lights tell our brain it is time to be awake so don't choose those colors for the nighttime color. The example color on the box is blue. That is a no no for sleep. Amber (red/orange) color is the best color for sleeping so when you pick the color for nighttime pick a calming orangy red. Green is a fine color to turn when it is "ok to wake" up. As a side note don't set the clock for "ok to wake"earlier than 6:00 a.m. (6:30 is better).
With the Hatch you can also adjust the brightness. Babies do not need nightlights in their rooms. Toddlers and older kids might want a soft light especially if they are having nightmares. Make the light as dim as you can though. My Hatch is barely toggeled on for the brightness for my 3 year old. The room should still be nice and dark.
I also think a positive about the Hatch is that it isn't likely to break whereas some of the other ok to wake clocks (specifically the two listed below) are a little flimsy and if your kids mess with the buttons or the clock itself, they are likely to break. The Hatch also has a feature so that kids can't change the settings by pusing the buttons, which is a great feature.
Things I do not love about the Hatch:
I don't really like any of the noise machine sounds. I don't think any of them are particurarily soothing sounds. They sound like the noises you can get by downloading an app for white noise on your phone (they all sounds cheap to me). Of all of them, I think the "wind" sound is the best.
My favorite noise machine, by far, is the Marpec Dohm. I think the noise that noise machine makes a much nicer noise than the Hatch or any other noise machine I have tried. If I were buying a noise machine and ok to wake clock, I prefer the Marpec noise machine and a seperate ok to wake clock over the Hatch.
The other negative, in my mind about the Hatch is that I wouldn't travel with it (too big and expensive). This is another benefit of the Marpec. They just came out with a small travel size noise machine and I love it. You could probably get away with just using the travel size one every day and save a little money.
Overall, there are some things I reallly like about the Hatch, namely that you can control it from outside the sleeping child's bedroom. I also like that it seems the most likely clock to not break. I like that you can customize the colors for waking and sleeping. I still prefer the Marpec Dohm noise machine over this one.
Review 2: Mirari OK to Wake! Alarm Clock & Night-Light
We call this clock a “bug” in our house but maybe it is supposed to be an alien? Either way, this clock does the job. The light turns green when it is “ok to wake.” It has a nap feature so you can set the nap time for the duration you want and then it will turn green and indicate “ok to wake” when the time is up. You can also set it for the morning time so your kids know what time they can get out of bed. The light it makes, I think it is a little bright so I just cover the back of the clock with a small towel. Overall, the clock works well and does the job. It is a little bit of a cheap product that is the biggest downside.
You will want to disable the alarm sound so it doesn’t wake your child in the morning or wake them from a nap. Setting this function is not intuitive and in order to disable the alarm you have to press the “Wake button” and then the on/off button. Setting the rest of the clock is easy and pretty obvious. Overall, I think this a good clock and for $31 if you can keep your kids in their rooms when needed it is worth the money.
Review 3- Claessens Kid Sleep Moon Sleeptrainer Nightlight
This one is a circle clock with a picture of a bunny awake on the top and the bunny sleeping on the bottom. It is cute and make a nice dim light, but I felt it was cheap and very flimsy. It broke almost immediately after purchasing it.
Other clocks-ones to avoid
There are a couple other clocks on the market that make a blue light when it is time to wake or sleep. Avoid these clocks. One of them is the My Tot Clock. I have seen this one listed on the “best of lists.” Blue light interferes with our melatonin secretions, which is exactly what you want to avoid when trying to go to sleep.
Happy Sleeping!! Any tools parents can use that will keep their kids in their bedrooms until an acceptable hour is worth it!
© October, 201 9 by Erin Myrmel at Sleep Baby, LLC
Erin Myrmel
Sleep Baby, LLC
775-413-0521
This information is being provided to you for educational and informational purposes only. It is being provided to you to educate you about pediatric sleep and as a self-help tool for your own use. It is not intended nor is implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or the health and welfare of your baby, toddler or child. This information is to be used at your own risk based on your own judgment. For my full Disclaimer, please go to https://www.sleepbaby.co/disclaimer-copyright