- Bedtimeno light until 30 minutes before wake-up (a tap gives 20 minutes of night light)
- Before wake-upa warm yellow glow from 30 minutes before
- Wake-up timegreen at wake-up time, until a button is pressed
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The tradeoff: One wake-up time for every day, no bedtime light (the night light goes off by itself after 20 minutes), and no wall plug in the box.
From Luvion’s own pages and manual: the sources.
Set this clock up
- Charge the penguin for at least 30 minutes with its USB cable before you first use it (the wall plug is not in the box), then slide the power switch on.
- Hold the clock button until the time blinks, set the hours and then the minutes with + and −, confirming each with the clock button, then choose a 12- or 24-hour clock.
- Hold the alarm button until the time blinks and set the “OK to get up” time the same way, leaving it on ON. From 30 minutes before that time the penguin glows warm yellow, and at the time it turns green. Any button switches the green light off.
- Tap the penguin’s head for the night light, which goes off by itself after 20 minutes; hold the head to change the brightness, and use the color button to choose a warm or a bright light.
- Hold the color button and the alarm button together to lock the buttons. With the lock on, the penguin still turns green even if the power switch has been slid off.
Luvion says to charge it only with the USB cable it comes with and never to put the penguin or the cable in water. Keep the cable away from the bed.
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 penguin; there is no app to share. Show the next grown-up how to change the wake-up time and how the lock works (the color and alarm buttons held together).
Schedules, light and sound
Switches on by itself every day.
What you can schedule on this clock
- Bedtime light at a set timeNo
- Wake-up light at a set timeYes
- Nap timerNo
- Different weekend timesNo
Wake-up light at a set time- Yes
- Bedtime light at a set time
- No
Nap timer- No
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- No
- Sound machine
- No
- Dimmable light
- Yes
- Shows the time
- Yes
- Time display can turn off
- Yes
- Child lock
- Yes
Features the maker’s manual doesn’t mention aren’t listed here, so the clock matcher won’t suggest this clock for them.
From 30 minutes before the wake-up time the penguin slowly glows a warm yellow, and at the wake-up time it turns green.
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
Runs on battery · Built-in rechargeable battery (1200 mAh), charged with the USB cable in the box; no wall plug included
It runs on its built-in battery, so a power cut changes nothing while the battery has charge. Luvion does not say how long a full charge lasts.
- Runs on battery?
- Runs on battery
- Power connection
- Built-in rechargeable battery (1200 mAh), charged with the USB cable in the box; no wall plug included
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
- Penguin sleep trainer
- USB cable
- Manual
When your child outgrows the light
Luvion Penguin has no alarm sound, so a school-age child who needs waking will need another clock. 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 Luvion Penguin
Does the Luvion Penguin 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 Luvion Penguin?
Bedtime: no light until 30 minutes before wake-up (a tap gives 20 minutes of night light). Before wake-up: a warm yellow glow from 30 minutes before. Wake-up time: green at wake-up time, until a button is pressed. See the drawing →
What happens to the Luvion Penguin in a power cut?
Keeps running on its battery. It runs on its built-in battery, so a power cut changes nothing while the battery has charge. Luvion does not say how long a full charge lasts. Battery or memory backup? →
Can the Luvion Penguin do naps?
No. Its manual describes no nap timer and no separate nap wake-up time. 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 Luvion Penguin have an alarm?
No, the wake-up signal is light only. 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. Dates show when we last checked something that changes, like stock or a recall. Every source we use