- Bedtimeeyes closed and a moon on the display
- Before wake-upyellow, 5, 15 or 30 minutes before (you choose)
- Wake-up timegreen with eyes open and a sun
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The tradeoff: The coin battery only keeps the settings, so the light and sounds stop in a power cut, and there is one wake-up time for every day of the week.
From LittleHippo’s own pages and manual: the sources.
Set this clock up
- Set the time first: press SET, then TIME, and use + and − for the hour, the minute and 12 or 24-hour mode; press SET to finish. The buttons are on the bottom of the clock.
- For the night and morning: press SET, then SLEEP/WAKE. Set the sleep time, choose whether the night light comes on at bedtime (NL:ON or NL:OF), choose the yellow “play” time before wake-up (5, 15 or 30 minutes, or off), then set the wake time.
- Check that a sun or moon icon shows next to the time. If it does not, press SLEEP/WAKE to switch the sleep trainer on.
- Hold the hat for 2 seconds to turn off the yellow or green light early; otherwise the green light goes off by itself an hour after wake-up time.
Keep the clock and its cord out of reach of the bed. MELLA keeps its settings on a CR2032 coin battery: keep the cover shut and spare coin batteries away from children.
Check the age warning and whether your child is ready separately, and see how to set an OK-to-wake clock for other clocks.
Setup and everyday controls
You set it with the buttons on the clock. No app is needed, and no account.
- How you set it
- Set on the clock
- Buttons on the clock
- Yes
- Change it from your phone
- No
- Account needed
- No
When grandma, a sitter or the other parent sets it
Anyone can use the buttons on the bottom of the clock; there is no app to share. Show the next grown-up how to change the times and how the lock works: a slider on the bottom stops changes to the settings, while the volume, the display brightness and the hat still work.
Schedules, light and sound
Runs by itself every day once the sleep trainer is on: look for a sun or moon next to the time, and press SLEEP/WAKE if it is missing.
What you can schedule on this clock
- Bedtime light at a set timeYes
- Wake-up light at a set timeYes
- Nap timerYes
- Different weekend timesNo
Wake-up light at a set time- Yes
- Bedtime light at a set time
- Yes
Nap timer- Yes
Weekday and weekend times- No
Several light or sound changes a night- No
- Can also start it by hand
- Yes
- Silent wake-up light
- Yes
Alarm sound- Yes
- Sound machine
- Yes
- Dimmable light
- Yes
- Shows the time
- Yes
- Dimmable time display
- Yes
- Time display can turn off
- Yes
- Child lock
- Yes
- Nap timer length
- 15, 30, 45, 60, 90, 120, 150 or 180 minutes
Features the maker’s manual doesn’t mention aren’t listed here, so the clock matcher won’t suggest this clock for them.
MELLA can glow yellow 5, 15 or 30 minutes before the wake-up time (15 is the default), or you can switch this off.
A nap timer and a nap wake-up time work differently. The planner keeps them separate.
Clocks changing, or an early riser? Move the wake-up light in small steps with the clock-change planner.
Without Wi-Fi or a phone
It has no app and needs no Wi-Fi: you set and change everything on the clock, and it runs by itself.
Power, and what happens in a power cut
Plugged in
Needs to stay plugged in · 4 ft cable and AC wall adapter
MELLA stops when the power goes off: its coin battery keeps the settings, but the display, light and sounds go off until the power is back.
- Runs on battery?
- Needs to stay plugged in
- Power connection
- 4 ft cable and AC wall adapter
- Keeps its settings without power
- Yes
- Battery that keeps the settings
- CR2032
See why a battery that keeps the settings is different from one that keeps the light on.
Subscription and included parts
No subscription: everything works on the clock.
In the box
- MELLA clock
- 4 ft cable
- AC wall adapter
- Instruction manual
When your child outgrows the light
LittleHippo MELLA has a sound alarm you set apart from the wake-up light, so it can become your child’s alarm clock once school mornings start. When to move on to a kids’ alarm clock.
Check it in your home
While you can still return it, try the buttons you will actually use. These are checks for you to make; we have not tested this clock.
- Find how to change the times and switch the wake-up light on, then check it shows the light and sound you chose.
- Check the brightness, the volume and where the clock stands, using the maker’s placement advice. Check what the lock stops and which buttons still work.
- Use the clock’s own preview or test, if it has one, rather than unplugging it or resetting it to see what happens.
- Show the other parent, a grandparent or the sitter the buttons. Read what to do after a power cut before you need it.
Agree on what the light means and what to do if it does not come on, then keep the manual or the maker’s help page with your plan.
Show your child what this clock’s light means, and leave a note for the sitter.
If the light does not come on, check the time, the mode and the power before you reset the clock.
Questions about the LittleHippo MELLA
Does the LittleHippo MELLA need an app?
No. You set it with the buttons on the clock, and no account or Wi-Fi is needed. App or buttons? →
What does my child see on the LittleHippo MELLA?
Bedtime: eyes closed and a moon on the display. Before wake-up: yellow, 5, 15 or 30 minutes before (you choose). Wake-up time: green with eyes open and a sun. See the drawing →
What happens to the LittleHippo MELLA in a power cut?
Stops, but keeps its settings. MELLA stops when the power goes off: its coin battery keeps the settings, but the display, light and sounds go off until the power is back. Battery or memory backup? →
Can the LittleHippo MELLA do naps?
Yes, it has a nap timer that you start at nap time: 15, 30, 45, 60, 90, 120, 150 or 180 minutes. Nap timers vs nap wake-up times →
Can I set a different time for weekends?
No. It has one wake-up time for every day, so change it on Friday night if you want a later weekend. Plan a new wake-up time →
Does the LittleHippo MELLA have an alarm?
Yes, it has a sound alarm you set apart from the wake-up light, so it can become your child’s alarm clock later. Kids alarm clocks →
Can grandma or a sitter change it?
Yes, with the buttons on the clock; nobody needs an app or an account. Sharing a clock →
The maker’s pages
Details can differ between versions and countries. Every source we use