- Bedtimea moon and stars, with an optional red light
- Wake-up timegreen with a sun
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The tradeoff: It must stay plugged in (the coin cell only keeps the settings), the box has no wall adapter, 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 control panel is on the back.
- For the night and morning: press SET, then SLEEP/WAKE. Set the sleep time, choose whether the red light comes on at bedtime (NL:ON or NL:OF), then set the wake time. The sleep trainer switches itself on when you leave this setting.
- For an alarm, press SET, then ALARM, and set the time and sound for alarm 1 and, if you want, alarm 2; press ALARM to switch each one on. Tap the spike to snooze for 9 minutes.
- Press the lock button on the back to stop changes; hold it for 2 seconds to unlock.
Keep the clock and its cord out of reach of the bed. The CR2032 coin battery sits behind a screwed cover: a swallowed coin battery can cause internal chemical burns, so get medical help at once if one may have been swallowed.
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
Everyone uses the buttons on the back of the clock; there is no app to invite anyone to. Show the next grown-up the lock button: while it is on, they can still check the alarm time and snooze.
- Buttons on the clock
- All settings are on the clock's back panel. The lock blocks changes; holding the Spike still shows the alarm time and snoozes.
- Resetting or passing it on
- A hard reset means unplugging and removing the CR2032 battery, which erases the saved settings.
Schedules, light and sound
Switches on by itself every day.
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
- No
- Silent wake-up light
- Yes
Alarm sound- Yes
- Sound machine
- Yes
- Shows the time
- Yes
- Dimmable time display
- Yes
- Child lock
- Yes
- Nap timer length
- 10, 30, 45, 60, 90, 120, 150 or 180 minutes
- More than one alarm
- Yes
- Display brightness levels
- 4
Features the maker’s manual doesn’t mention aren’t listed here, so the clock matcher won’t suggest this clock for them.
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 · USB-C cable; USB wall adapter not included
NESSI must be plugged in to turn on. Its CR2032 coin battery keeps the basic settings while it is unplugged, but the lights and sounds stop until the power is back.
- Runs on battery?
- Needs to stay plugged in
- Power connection
- USB-C cable; USB wall adapter not included
- Keeps its settings without power
- Yes
- Battery that keeps the settings
- CR2032 (pre-installed)
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
- NESSI clock
- 4 ft USB-C cable
- CR2032 battery (pre-installed)
- Instruction manual
When your child outgrows the light
LittleHippo NESSI 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 NESSI
Does the LittleHippo NESSI 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 NESSI?
Bedtime: a moon and stars, with an optional red light. Wake-up time: green with a sun. See the drawing →
What happens to the LittleHippo NESSI in a power cut?
Stops, but keeps its settings. NESSI must be plugged in to turn on. Its CR2032 coin battery keeps the basic settings while it is unplugged, but the lights and sounds stop until the power is back. Battery or memory backup? →
Can the LittleHippo NESSI do naps?
Yes, it has a nap timer that you start at nap time: 10, 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 NESSI 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