The clocks you set on the clock itself, on sale in the US

Every clock on sale in the US that is set on its own buttons, with no app, account or Wi-Fi: why each fits, and the one thing to know first.

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  1. LittleHippo MELLA

    Bedtime, wake-up, an optional yellow “almost time” light and a nap timer, all on its own buttons.

    Child lock
    Yes

    The catch: In a power cut its light and sounds stop until the power is back; a coin battery keeps the settings.

    Check price on Amazon Setup, power and nap facts

  2. ZAZU Sam the Sheep

    Bedtime and wake-up on the sheep’s own buttons, a nap timer from 30 minutes to 3 hours, and four AA batteries that keep it going when the plug comes out.

    Child lock
    Yes

    The catch: One wake-up time for every day, and the batteries are not in the box.

    ZAZU product page Setup, power and nap facts

  3. LittleHippo NESSI

    An optional red bedtime light, a green wake-up light, a nap timer and two alarms with snooze, all set on the clock.

    Child lock
    Yes

    The catch: It must stay plugged in, and the box has a USB-C cable but no wall adapter.

    Check price on Amazon Setup, power and nap facts

  4. Yogasleep Light to Rise

    Bedtime and wake-up times and sleep sounds on its buttons; once its Sleep and Wake modes are on, it runs by itself every day.

    Child lock
    None, so keep it out of your child’s reach

    The catch: It stops in a power cut and keeps its settings for up to 72 hours, and the box has no USB power adapter.

    Check price on Amazon Setup, power and nap facts

  5. Core Innovations Baby Shark ALM204

    Bedtime and wake-up set on the clock, and a rechargeable battery that runs it for about 12 hours on a full charge.

    Child lock
    Yes

    The catch: At wake-up time it glows and plays a song, so it cannot give a silent morning, and its manual describes no nap mode.

    Check price on Amazon Setup, power and nap facts

  6. It’s About Time Stoplight Alarm Clock

    The plainest signal: red from bedtime, then green at the wake-up time for an hour, set with its own buttons.

    Child lock
    Not in the instructions

    The catch: Someone has to press ALARM every night, or no light comes on.

    It’s About Time product page Setup, power and nap facts

These do it too, but are out of stock or no longer sold by their makers: Learn & Climb Good Morning Buddy, PlayMonster Mirari OK to Wake! 8091 and Skip Hop Dream & Shine Sleep Trainer.

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Shopping in the UK, the EU or Australia? 16 more clocks sold there do this: see every country in the matcher.

What each one can do

Light to Rise sets bedtime and wake-up times and plays sleep sounds. Groclock has a night mode and a separate nap wake-up time. MELLA and NESSI set bedtime and wake-up times, have a nap timer and play sleep sounds. ZAZU Sam has a nap timer from 30 minutes to 3 hours and can run on four AA batteries.

Learn & Climb’s Good Morning Buddy sets a red stay-in-bed time and a green wake-up time, with an optional yellow “soon” light 20 minutes before and a nap timer up to 3 hours. The It’s About Time Stoplight clock has a wake-up time only: you press ALARM each night to turn its red light on, and the green light follows in the morning.

Check the nap setting first

Groclock suits a nap that ends at the same time every day. MELLA, NESSI, Sam and the Good Morning Buddy suit a nap that starts whenever your child goes down, because you start their timers at nap time. Yogasleep’s support page does not mention a separate nap mode on Light to Rise, and the Stoplight clock has none.

Groclock, MELLA, NESSI, Sam, the Good Morning Buddy and the Stoplight clock keep one time for every day, and Yogasleep does not say whether Light to Rise can keep different weekend times. If you need a later weekend wake-up, the app or buttons guide covers the clocks that can.

A wake-up light that stays silent

Groclock, MELLA, NESSI, Sam, the Good Morning Buddy and the Stoplight clock can show a silent light that says it is OK to get up, with a separate alarm sound you can leave off. Light to Rise’s wake-up is a light too, yellow from 30 minutes before and then green, and its sleep sounds have their own on/off button, Yogasleep’s setup guide says. It describes no separate alarm sound.

Groclock, MELLA and Sam let you switch the time display off. Light to Rise’s display can be dimmed, but Yogasleep does not say it turns off fully, and NESSI’s has four brightness levels.

Only Sam keeps running when the plug comes out

Sam runs on four AA batteries (not included) and keeps its settings if the USB power stops; ZAZU does not say how long the batteries last. Light to Rise, Groclock, MELLA, NESSI and the Good Morning Buddy all stop when they are unplugged or the power goes off, though each keeps its settings in its own way. Custom Quest’s instructions for the Stoplight clock mention only its plug-in adapter, no battery.

Light to Rise keeps its settings for up to 72 hours. Groclock freezes its time and settings, so after a long power cut its clock is behind until you correct it. MELLA and NESSI keep their settings on a CR2032 coin battery, and the Good Morning Buddy on 3 AAA batteries (not included). The battery guide explains the difference.

Which one

  • Light to Rise: bedtime and wake-up times with sleep sounds, and settings kept for up to 72 hours.
  • Groclock: a night mode and a separate nap wake-up time, an optional alarm, and a time display that switches off.
  • MELLA: a nap timer, sleep sounds, a yellow “almost time” light and a wall plug in the box.
  • NESSI: a red bedtime light, a nap timer and two alarms with snooze.
  • Sam: a nap timer from 30 minutes to 3 hours, and AA batteries that keep it going in a power cut.
  • Good Morning Buddy: red, an optional yellow “soon” and green, a nap timer up to 3 hours, and AAA batteries that keep the settings.
  • Stoplight clock: the plainest red and green, but you press ALARM every night.

Sources

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