The Gro Company Gro-Clock Sleep Trainer

Product Information

The optional digital clock feature allows parents to also display the digital clock – ideal for when your little one starts to learn digital time.

Glow in Dark Wall Clock - Etsy UK Glow in Dark Wall Clock - Etsy UK

With our Groclock you simply set the time you would like your child to wake up in the morning and this sleep trainer clock will show the passing of time using colours and symbols. Sunrise alarm clocks mimic gradually strengthening sunlight, which you can sense through closed eyelids. I hate waking up to harsh alarm sounds (I’m looking at you, iPhone), so the option of waking up to a steady ‘sunrise’, combined with the radio is an attractive one. For a budget option, it does everything you need it to and has certainly made my mornings a little less groggy. To avoid triggering this response, many wake-up light alarms use gently increasing nature sounds, like birdsong, rain or waves.The first thing that strikes you is its resemblance to an old Apple Mac; it is smaller than the Lumies but still fairly chunky, at 15cm deep and 20cm wide. The light closely simulates sunrise in both strength and hue and has been registered with the MHRA as a way to combat SAD. As the time passes and reaches your pre-set wake-up time, the stars start to gradually disappear until there are only hearts left and our lovable Ollie the Owl appears awake on a yellow background.

Moon Clock - Etsy UK Moon Clock - Etsy UK

Many also have the ability to remove the blue wavelengths from your reading light, which has been shown to keep you awake.

Philips have been making lightbulbs for over a century and in recent years have pivoted towards health tech, this wake-up light being where the two overlap. Simply set the time you would like your child to wake up in the morning and this sleep trainer clock will show the passing of time using colours and symbols. The no-tick silent second hand means you won’t be frustrated by an annoying tick-tock sound when all you want is peace and quiet, while the precision quartz movement makes our glow in the dark clock a dependable timepiece.

Glow Clock - Etsy UK

Like other budget alarms, it brightens in ten gradual stages over half an hour, but the Lumie Sunrise also offers coloured mood lighting, which I tend to put on as soon as I get home to make the bedroom feel cosier. With two time setting options, you can choose to set different weekday, weekend or naptime wake-up times. Philips’ version of wake-up light begins red and over the course of 40 minutes turns bright yellow, rising through 20 levels of brightness (most sunrise alarms only have 10). As such it works well as a reading light, as daylight therapy or even as a main bedroom light source (it reaches 580 lumens). The products or services listed have been selected independently by journalists after hands-on testing or sourcing expert opinions.You probably also don’t want to turn on the light if you want to see what the time is late at night or in the early hours of the morning.

Groclock Sleep Trainer Clock for Young Children | Tommee Tippee Groclock Sleep Trainer Clock for Young Children | Tommee Tippee

We judged them by how naturally and completely they woke us, preventing the ‘just five more minutes’ reflex punch of the snooze button.I found the Groov-e alarm clock fiddly to set up, it’s not particularly intuitive and it’s difficult to figure out which button controls what, but you do get the hang of it. As your child gets older, parents can choose to set the optional audible alarm – perfect for routine wake-up times. This is designed to combat the sudden, startling awakening of a regular alarm clock, which releases cortisol and can potentially lead to bad mood and inertia. The only drawback is that it’s surprisingly fiddly to set, using small rubbery buttons and very small icons in the corners of the clock display. The best way to set the alarm is to position the alarm switch to the OFF position (on reverse of clock) and then using the alarm dial position the alarm hand to the required time.