1. Bedtimethe character asleep, with a moon
  2. Wake-up timea yellow sun
What your child sees on the Pabobo Kid’Sleep Essential, drawn from Pabobo’s own description. A drawing, not a photo.

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Pabobo product page Compare with another clock

The tradeoff: It is sold for European and UK homes, and Pabobo calls AA battery use limited, so plan to keep it plugged in.

From Pabobo’s own pages and manual: the sources.

2025–26 version · EU, UK · Sold outside the US (checked on 14 October 2026)

Plan the times for this clock →Compare with another

Set this clock up

  1. Plug it in with its adapter and/or put 3 AA batteries in the back, behind a screwed cover. For the wake-up light, use the plate with the sleeping and the awake figure; the plate with only the sleeping figure is for night-light mode.
  2. Hold OK for more than 3 seconds until the lock icon on the back screen disappears. After 20 seconds without a press, it locks again.
  3. Press button 1 (time), set the hours with + and − and confirm with OK, then the minutes. The clock starts in AM/PM: press + and − together to switch it to 24 hours.
  4. Press button 2 (get-up) and set the wake-up time the same way. Later, pressing 2 shows the wake-up time for 5 seconds, even when the clock is locked.
  5. MODE chooses a silent wake-up light (the default), the birdsong alarm, or night light only. Each evening, slide the switch on top to LEVER (get up); for a nap, to SIESTE (button 3 sets how long it lasts); to OFF once your child is up.
  6. The front brightness, the front clock and the moon and sun it projects in the room are not locked, so your child can change them; the times change only when the clock is unlocked.

Pabobo says never to leave the Kid’Sleep within reach of children under 3, because its cord is a strangulation risk, and to use only the recommended adapter.

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 clock; there is no app to share. Show the next grown-up how to change the times, how to switch the light on and how the lock works.

App or buttons: which suits your family?

Schedules, light and sound

You switch the mode on at the clock.

What you can schedule on this clock

  • Bedtime light at a set timeNo
  • 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
No
Nap timer
Yes
Weekday and weekend times
No
Several light or sound changes a night
No
Start it by hand
Yes
Silent wake-up light
Yes
Alarm sound
Yes
Sound machine
No
Dimmable light
Yes
Shows the time
Yes
Dimmable time display
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.

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 switch its night mode on each evening.

Power, and what happens in a power cut

Plugged in

When the plug comes out, it keeps running on its battery.

Runs on battery · Mains charger (included) or 3 AA batteries

Runs on battery?
Runs on battery
Power connection
Mains charger (included) or 3 AA batteries
Keeps its settings without power
Yes
Battery life
A few days, Pabobo says; it recommends keeping the clock plugged in

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

  • Kid’Sleep Essential
  • Mains charger
  • Two decorative plates
  • Manual

Do OK-to-wake clocks need a subscription?

When your child outgrows the light

Pabobo Kid’Sleep Essential can play a sound at its wake-up time, which you switch on or off. It has no alarm with a time of its own, so on school mornings the light and the sound come together. 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 Pabobo Kid’Sleep Essential

Does the Pabobo Kid’Sleep Essential 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 Pabobo Kid’Sleep Essential?

Bedtime: the character asleep, with a moon. Wake-up time: a yellow sun. See the drawing →

What happens to the Pabobo Kid’Sleep Essential in a power cut?

Three AA batteries keep it running for limited use and keep its settings; Pabobo recommends keeping it plugged in for every feature. Battery or memory backup? →

Can the Pabobo Kid’Sleep Essential do naps?

Yes, it has a nap timer that you start at nap 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 Pabobo Kid’Sleep Essential have an alarm?

It can play a sound at the wake-up time, which you switch on or off. It has no alarm with a time of its own. 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