- Bedtimered, after a yellow light and two minutes of music
- Before wake-upa warm yellow light fading in, 10 minutes before
- Wake-up timegreen, with two minutes of music unless the volume is off
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The tradeoff: Skip Hop still publishes the instructions but has no current product page for it, so check that a seller's listing is this exact model before you buy.
From Skip Hop’s own pages and manual: the sources.
Set this clock up
- Find your version first: the number printed with the clock’s name on your instruction sheet is 185250-07 on the current clock and 185250-02 (dated 2019) on the earlier one, whose lights stay on for less time (steps 4, 5 and 7).
- Power it with 4 AA batteries (not in the box) so it runs without the cord: undo the battery door screw with a Phillips screwdriver, put the batteries in and screw the door back on; Skip Hop says an adult changes them and the clock is not used without its door. Or plug the USB cord into the clock first, then into a USB wall plug; Skip Hop asks for a 5 V toy-grade plug, which is not in the box. Its instruction sheet gives the rating as “5.00 DC, 120mA”; a plug’s own rating is printed on its label.
- Set the time: press MODE until the arrow on the screen is under TIME, set the hour with the up and down buttons, press SET, set the minutes and press SET again.
- Set wake-up: press MODE until the arrow is under WAKE, set the time the same way, then hold SET until a line appears under WAKE: the line means wake mode is on. A warm yellow light fades in 10 minutes before; at wake-up time the light turns green with 2 minutes of music and stays green for 2 hours in all (20 minutes on the 2019 version, 185250-02).
- Set bedtime: press MODE until the arrow is under SLEEP, set the time, then hold SET until a line appears under SLEEP. At bedtime it plays 2 minutes of music with a yellow light, then glows red until the yellow light in the morning, for up to 12 hours (on the 2019 version the red lasts 20 minutes, then the room is dark).
- Choose the sound before the first night: under SOUND pick the soother sound (lullaby, white noise or gentle rain) and the volume, which counts for every mode. Skip Hop sets it to the loudest unless you choose; L:00 switches the music off everywhere, so the morning is light only. Under LIGHT pick the brightness (0, 30, 60 or 100%); it remembers it.
- For naps, choose the length under NAP (30 minutes to 2 hours), then at nap time hold the Sun button for 2 seconds until it beeps; hold it again to cancel. A short press on the Sun button plays the soother or the night light for up to 12 hours, or until the wake-up light starts (30 minutes on the 2019 version).
Skip Hop says this is an electric lamp, not a toy: keep it where small children cannot reach it, never in the crib, and its cord out of reach of 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 clock; there is no app to share. Show the next grown-up how to change the times and switch the light on. The clock has no lock.
Schedules, light and sound
You switch the mode on at the clock.
What you can schedule on this clock
- Bedtime light at a set timeYes
- Wake-up light at a set timeYes
- Nap timerYes
- Different weekend timesNot in the manual
Wake-up light at a set time- Yes
- Bedtime light at a set time
- Yes
Nap timer- Yes
Several light or sound changes a night- No
- Start it by hand
- Yes
- Silent wake-up light
- Yes
Sound machine- Yes
- Dimmable light
- Yes
- Shows the time
- Yes
- Dimmable time display
- Yes
- Child lock
- No
- Nap timer length
- 30–120 minutes
Features the maker’s manual doesn’t mention aren’t listed here, so the clock matcher won’t suggest this clock for them.
An “almost time” light comes on 10 minutes before the wake-up time.
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
Runs on battery · 5 V USB cable or 4 AA batteries
Four AA batteries (not included) keep it running without USB power. The wall adapter is not included either.
- Runs on battery?
- Runs on battery
- Power connection
- 5 V USB cable or 4 AA batteries
- Battery life
- About a week of continuous use, Skip Hop says
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
- Dream & Shine Sleep Trainer
- USB cord
When your child outgrows the light
The Skip Hop manual does not describe a separate sound alarm, so a school-age child who needs waking may 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 Skip Hop Dream & Shine Sleep Trainer
Does the Skip Hop Dream & Shine Sleep Trainer 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 Skip Hop Dream & Shine Sleep Trainer?
Bedtime: red, after a yellow light and two minutes of music. Before wake-up: a warm yellow light fading in, 10 minutes before. Wake-up time: green, with two minutes of music unless the volume is off. See the drawing →
What happens to the Skip Hop Dream & Shine Sleep Trainer in a power cut?
Keeps running on its battery. Four AA batteries (not included) keep it running without USB power. The wall adapter is not included either. Battery or memory backup? →
Can the Skip Hop Dream & Shine Sleep Trainer do naps?
Yes, it has a nap timer that you start at nap time, from 30 to 120 minutes. Nap timers vs nap wake-up times →
Can I set a different time for weekends?
The maker’s pages do not say, so plan to change it by hand at the weekend. Plan a new wake-up time →
Does the Skip Hop Dream & Shine Sleep Trainer have an alarm?
Its manual does not describe a separate alarm. 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