Toddler Clocks: How To

Toddler clocks are a fantastic tool for helping with both bedtime AND early morning wakings (I consider anything before 6am an early morning wake). Below, I breakdown exactly how to use a toddler clock and how to implement the concept in a way that makes sense to your child!

When my daughter nearing 3 years old, she started this lovely behavior where she would yell for mommy at the top of her lungs from her crib, letting me know it was time to get up. Before I knew it, “morning time” began to creep up earlier and earlier and I knew what I had to do: it was time for a Toddler Clock!

I originally bought an inexpensive toddler clock off of Amazon (shown below), and it did the trick to be honest. Eventually, we moved to the more expensive Hatch (also shown below), so I could see what it was all about.

But, let’s first start with the concept of a toddler clock:

Step 1: Sit down with your child and have a family meeting. Talk to them about their new toddler clock and explain that the clock will glow green once it’s time to start their day. Remind them that they will need to stay in their bed until their clock is green. Mom/dad/you, their caregiver, will come get them when it’s time to start the day.

Step 2: Choose a bedtime color for their clock! Blue and white lights are very disruptive to the brain, so these should not be considered a nighttime option for your child. Reds or ambers are much less disruptive.

Step 3: Now the key to this working is setting the clock to an attainable time for your child. So, if you know they wake up at 5:55am on the dot, set the clock to 5:54am and be there at their door the second it turns green. Enter their room and get excited!! Make a HUGE deal out of them staying in their room, in their bed, until their clock turned green!! Dance, cheer, hugs, all of the things!!

On the flip side, if they do not stay in their room until their clock turns green, remind them that today is a new day, and that they have another opportunity to practice it tonight. Remind them you know that they can do it!

Keep the clock set at their current wake time for 3-5 days to really solidify the concept. Continue the praise! Then, try pushing it back by 15 minutes. Leave it at that new time for 3 nights, then you can push it another 15 minutes. If your child gets out of bed before their clock turns green, encourage them to go back to their room and do a quiet activity until their clock turns green

It is biologically very normal for children to wake between 6-7:30am, so be sure to have realistic expectations for your child.

Below you can see the Hatch, which is accessible from your cellphone, is a white noise machine and offers a ton of cool wake up sounds as well as a color wheel. Also found below, is the less expensive option; less choices, a little difficult to program, but does the trick!

If you have any questions, please fell free to comment below OR send me an email or message on IG. If you’re interested in working with me 1-1, please head to my toddler services page, found here!

Sweet dreams,

Lexi