The Gro Company Gro-Clock Sleep Trainer

Product Information

You can also use it for naps if they’re still napping, or if they’re growing out of naps and you’re replacing the nap with quiet time then it’s perfect to indicate when your little one can continue playing quietly and then when they can get up. And while I like the clever touch of the stars going out one by one during the night to show time passing (so if there’s six stars left, you know it’s not even close to morning), I’m not sure she really grasps that, at least for now.

The Groclock also comes with a beautifully illustrated book which helps to encourage children to stay in bed longer, which means more sleep for them and more sleep for you. The Groclock sleep trainer uses colours and pictures to help children who are too young to read an ordinary clock, to understand when it’s time to sleep and when it’s time to spring out of bed and play!For it to remain a useful tool, the most important thing to do is to use it in a way that is realistic and achievable for your child. In this case, we’ll need to slowly push bedtime back by 5 mins every couple of nights as we adjust the morning time. I can help establish good sleep bedtime habits and provide tips on how to cope with inevitable nighttime disruptions. The first day I set the clock, I wasn’t 100% sure I had set it right and there was no way to test it beforehand.

The USB adaptor plug is not included but the cable is compatible with most USB plugs used as phone chargers. My eldest has a gro-clock and it has worked pretty well, but I agree that a battery option would be good as my youngest is much more pickle-y and needs something like a clock put well out of reach – which I can’t do if it needs plugging in! They also mention that there is no automatic daylight saving program, so you will have to remember to adjust this, and that the Sun does not stay onscreen throughout the day. I didn't want my daughter getting reliant on a blue light all night, but you can adjust the blue glow brightness (about 10 different levels) or have it turn off altogether! A cheaper alternative would be a digital clock and a smart bulb I think but reading the time alone would be confusing as we have two wake up times 6.

I also had a friend using one with her 18m old and he had no words at all but understood it when it was explained simply and they were consistent with not getting him up until the clock changed colour. They say that the sleep mode is great, and the brightness can be adjusted so it doesn't disturb their sleep. Purchasing via an affiliate link doesn’t cost you any extra, and I only recommend products and services I trust and it doesn’t influence what I promote. It’s not that I think it’s a bad product – it’s a great idea, well designed and cleverly thought out – and I know plenty of people who wouldn’t be without it, so perhaps it’s simply down to your toddler’s reaction. EDIT: The clock has accompanied us around the world, and has definitely been helpful on jetlagged days – we might both be wide awake in the early hours, but at least I could point to it and insist it was night time.

I think the house move has unsettled Jacob – he would usually sleep without a light, but now asks for a light to be left on in his bedroom.

it wobbles over – like the egg too and if it gets switched off, bam, you have to reset the whole thing from start. So much so that for about a week, my wake-up sound was the rattly noise of her pulling the Gro Clock into her bed and cuddling it before pressing all the buttons. A simple piece of kit that fits over your usual bedside lamp or overhead light, this light offers a soft glow when you flick the switch. As for the mornings, it has been a slow process – but by gradually increasing the time we expect him to stay in bed we have managed to get him from a 6am wake up to a 6.