Choosing a clock
What to look for before you buy.
No-app OK-to-wake clocks: the ones you set on the clock itself
Which OK-to-wake clocks work with no app, phone or Wi-Fi, and how they differ on bedtime lights, naps, alarms and power cuts.
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App or buttons? Choosing how you set an OK-to-wake clock
What an app adds (different days, changes from another room), what stops when the internet is down, and when buttons on the clock are simpler.
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Battery backup vs memory backup: what happens in a power cut
Does the light keep running in a power cut, or does the clock only remember its settings? Which clocks do which, and what to check in the box.
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Nap timers vs nap wake-up times on OK-to-wake clocks
A nap timer you start at nap time, or a set wake-up time for the afternoon? How each works, and which clocks have which.
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Do OK-to-wake clocks need a subscription?
Which clocks' wake-up light works with no paid plan, what Hatch+ and Nanit's paid plans add, and what to check before you buy.
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What age can a child use an OK-to-wake clock?
Check whether your child understands an OK-to-wake light, what the model’s age warning means, and when to wait before buying a toddler clock.
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Best alarm clocks for kids, from a wake-up light to a first real alarm
Six alarm clocks for kids, in order: four OK-to-wake clocks whose alarm has its own time, a runaway alarm for deep sleepers and a sunrise light. Then when to switch.
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Do OK-to-wake clocks work? What they can and cannot do
An OK-to-wake clock gives a child a signal for when the night is over. It cannot make them sleep longer. What helps it work, and when it is not the right tool.
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OK-to-wake clock alternatives, and what comes after one
A lamp on a plug-in timer, a smart bulb on a schedule or a clock with a sticker can do the job. What each needs, and what comes after the OK-to-wake years.
Read the guideSetting it up
The first nights, and the grown-ups who share it.
Sharing the clock with grandparents, sitters and the other parent
Who can invite another grown-up to an app clock, what they can change, and how to hand over a clock with buttons, for each exact model.
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How to introduce an OK-to-wake clock
Show your child the light, practice the morning, choose a first time and agree on help before the light changes. Then leave a note for the sitter or grandparent.
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How to set an OK-to-wake clock (MELLA, NESSI, Mirari, Hatch Baby)
Set the clock’s time first, then the bedtime and wake-up lights, then switch the sleep trainer on. Exact button steps for MELLA, NESSI, Mirari and Hatch Baby.
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OK-to-wake clock safety: placement, cords, coin batteries and recalls
Where to put an OK-to-wake clock, keeping cords and coin batteries away from small hands, and the one clock-adapter recall we found in the CPSC database.
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Early mornings, clock changes and the times in between.
Daylight saving and OK-to-wake clocks: how to move the wake-up light
When the clocks change, the wake-up light comes on an hour off. Move it 15 minutes a day before the change, with spring and fall dates and a planner.
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Early riser? When your child wakes before the OK-to-wake light
If your toddler wakes long before the green light, set it just after their usual wake time so they succeed, then move it later in small steps.
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Toddler gets out of bed before the light? Making the clock stick
When your child comes out before the light changes: walk them back calmly, keep one rule, make waiting easy and reward the mornings they wait.
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Taking an OK-to-wake clock on vacation: batteries, plugs, time zones
Which OK-to-wake clocks run on batteries away from a socket, what to pack for power, and how to set the light in a new time zone or hotel room.
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Quiet time after naps: using the OK-to-wake clock’s nap timer
When naps stop, a clock’s nap timer can mark the end of quiet time in the afternoon. Which clocks have a nap timer and how long each one runs.
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Night light color and brightness on OK-to-wake clocks
Use the dimmest, warmest night light your child is happy with, or none. Which clocks let you pick red or orange, dim the light or switch the display off.
Read the guideWhen it isn’t working
Find out whether it is the clock, the settings or the meaning.
OK-to-wake clock not working? Start with the light
Find out whether the light did not come on, the time or app is wrong, or your child needs a different explanation. Follow the check that fits your morning.
Read the guideTools: find a clock · plan your clock’s times · plan a clock change
Quick answers
How do I get my toddler to stay in bed until the light changes?
Show the light during the day first, set it just after the time your child already wakes, and move it later in small steps. Keep one rule everyone says the same way. How to introduce the clock →
My child wakes up before the light. What now?
Set the wake-up light a few minutes after their usual waking time so they can succeed, then move it 10 or 15 minutes later after every few good mornings. Those steps are our suggestion, not a medical guideline. Waking before the light →
What do we do when the clocks change?
Move the wake-up and bedtime lights 15 minutes a day for the four days before the change, then put them back to normal on the day. Set the clock’s own time too. The clock-change planner →
Why didn’t the light come on this morning?
Check the clock’s own time and AM or PM, whether the wake-up setting is switched on, and whether it lost power overnight, before resetting anything. OK-to-wake clock not working →
Can grandma or a sitter use it?
On a clock with buttons, show them how; on an app clock they may need their own invitation, and not every brand allows one. Sharing a clock →