Alarm Clock For Kids

Some kids really love to sleep in the mornings, others not so much. If you’re lucky enough to have a child who sleeps in in the mornings, you better enjoy it, because some of us are up at the crack of dawn every morning with kids. We currently have both types of kids in our home, so there’s really no saying which you’ll have.

Regardless of which type of child you have, a clock is something that can come in handy to help you out when you’re in need of getting a child to sleep. Now, at some point your child will be old enough that they will explicitly ignore an alarm clock, or turn it off. This article isn’t really aimed towards parents with children at that age (teenagers, generally). This is meant for children who are getting ready for kindergarten or in elementary school already.

Clocks for kids that wake up early

For those that have children that don’t sleep in, a clock can come in handy for them to know what time it is when they wake up. If you wake up in the middle of the night, you may have no idea if it’s time to actually wake up, or if you should still be sleeping. The same goes for in the morning - a child won’t be able to tell if they’ve woken up an hour earlier than they normally would or not. Getting a clock for your child will allow them to know what time it is.

You don’t need anything fancy, just something that shows the time so that your child knows what time they woke up. This can allow you to tell your child that they can’t come out of their room until a specific time. You should set  the time that works for you and your child. Obviously, your child should understand the exceptions to this - they are allowed to go to the bathroom, or if there is some other emergency then they can exit their room. Otherwise, they need to stay in their room and either go back to sleep or else quietly read a book or another activity.

This has worked really well for our older son who likes to wake up way too early. Since we provided a clock, he’s learned to sleep longer in the mornings, and if he does wake up, he stays in his room until it’s time to get up. It’s not perfect of course, but it has helped a lot with his sleeping habits.

Alarm clocks for kids that sleep in

To help with kids that are on the other end of the spectrum, you’re going to need an alarm clock to help them wake up on time for school, or other activities. Of course, you can wake them up as well. Starting to teach them some responsibility and independence though are a couple of reasons that you might be considering an alarm clock for them.

There are a few considerations when buying an alarm clock for a child. Do you want something that is loud? Do you want a smart device that’s connected to the internet? Do you need something silent as there are others you don’t want to wake up? These are some of the questions you’ll need to answer to make a decision on an alarm clock for your child.

If you’re looking for a simple alarm clock - it has a clock face, and beeps or plays radio, there are plenty of options. This is our favorite - simple and no nonsense. It has a clock and an alarm, and that’s it. It also starts out softer and gets louder the longer that it’s on. This model doesn’t have a radio on it, so if you’d prefer, there are plenty of simple options that do.

Another option is a smart alarm clock. These are great because you simply speak what time you want the alarm set for, and the alarm goes off at that time. You’re not having to click around in menus to try and figure out how to set the time for your alarm. It’s extremely easy to change the time, or to turn the alarm off. The downside is that these are generally connected to a whole lot more than just an alarm clock, so if your child is going to sit up all night and talk to it, then it may be a bad idea. Additionally, they generally need to be connected to the internet to function.

A completely different option for an alarm clock for your child is a watch. This is a great option if you need something silent for them. My Fitbit has an alarm that simply causes it to vibrate in the morning. No one else hears it, and I’m able to get up and go about my day. Assuming your child doesn’t have a phone at their age, a watch is a great option for a vibrating silent alarm.

Conclusion

Whatever your goal for getting an alarm clock for your child, there are a lot of options. Think through your goals and concerns, and you can quickly decide what works best for them.