I wrote yesterday about how to get toddlers to go to bed as peacefully as possible. Often however, that isn’t even half of the battle. At some point in their little lives, toddlers believe that when they wake up, everyone else should be awake and be ready to go for the day. This is reasonable at 8am. It gets exhausting when it happens every morning at 4 or 5 or 6am.
Unlike babies, you can’t just leave toddlers for five minutes to let them settle. A toddler determined to be awake is a toddler waking the whole house up.
I first learned about sleep clocks through an online sale. When we were in the midst of the worst of the sleep-wars with Cameron a baby discount blog posted the deal. When I finally confirmed the purchase with my husband, they were sold out. At the end of his rope, my husband then went and ordered a similar product online. We paid $60 for it and it was ugly and cheap looking (leave it to a man to pick the ugliest product option available).
People? It was still the best $60 we have ever spent!
So when SleepBuddy approached me asking me to review their (similar but much sleeker and more affordable) sleep system, I jumped on the opportunity.
If you have never heard of the SleepBuddy or other similar product, it is clock that visually shows children when it is time to sleep and when it is time to be awake. Different products have different ways of doing it. Our first sleep clock lit up a picture of a sleeping boy during night and a picture of a boy playing during the day. The SleepBuddy is actually just a nightlight that glows blue during sleep-time and turns off when it is time to be awake.
Ever since sleep clocks have revolutionized sleep in our household, I have been sharing this little secret with all of my friends. (Seriously. Ask them!)
Cameron got the concept of both clocks as soon as we got them. With a simple explanation he grasped the difference between sleep-time and awake-time. (We started using our first clock when he was just over two years old. I have friends who started before their child’s second birthday). The SleepBuddy system even comes with a story book to read to children that helps explain what the light means.
The great thing about these clocks is that it again takes responsibility and places it in the power of the toddler. I promise, this works. All of a sudden your child has the ability to know when they should be asleep. Waking up and looking at the clock almost becomes a bit of a game. When we first used the sleep clocks we would hear Cam wake up, look at the clock and say “Still sleep-time”. Then he would quiet back down and fall back to sleep. Even now, every morning when he wakes up he yells “It’s Wake-Up Time!” – but only after 7:30 when our SleepBuddy tells him.
I much prefer the SleepBuddy to our original clock. First of all, it is about 30% less expensive. Despite being less expensive, it comes with a story book and a sticker chart for children to be rewarded for staying in bed all night. And it doesn’t make much of visual statement so it won’t distract children from sleeping (some of my friends were concerned about the more cartoony sleep clocks for this reason) and it certainly can’t be called ugly or look out of place in a well-designed nursery. The SleepBuddy allows parents to set the light to go on automatically both at nap and at bedtime. Our old clock could only handle one setting, and Cameron figured out how to change it after a while.
I cannot stress enough how instrumental getting a sleep clock was for Cameron’s sleep. I have recommend the SleepBuddy for months and I will continue to do so. And because I believe in this so strongly, I am giving away a SleepBuddy sleep system thanks to SleepBuddy. You want this if you have a baby who will be a toddler or if you currently have a toddler/preschooler who wakes you up too early or if you’re the caring friend of an exhausted toddler/preschooler parent.
Enter the giveaway using the Rafflecopter widget below. Don’t feel like you need to jump through hoops. The only required entry is to comment on this blog. There are some extra ways to earn extra entries if you want. Giveaway is open until Sunday night, March 3.
The small print: SleepBuddy contacted me to review and run a giveaway of their sleep system. I received a SleepBuddy sleep system for this purpose. I knew that sleep clocks were awesome and was excited for an opportunity to share that experience with my readers and give one away. All opinions in this blog post are entirely my own and not purchased.
About Laura O'Rourke
Depends on the day, but usually between 6:00-6:30. I like being productive before anyone else is up, but somedays I wish I could sleep forever!
I used to be able to sleep until 9am. These days, if nothing else wakes me up, I naturally wake up at about 8:00.
Greta @gfunkified recently posted..An Examination of Self. Or Something.
Twitter: MiramichiHippie
says:
I miss sleep…today it was 6:14…yesterday 5:47…I’d be happy with 7!
If that clock in your photo is the ugly one your husband picked, I think it’s cute, but the Sleep Buddy is much less confusing :) Doe sit let you customize and pick the times? I wonder if there’s a weekend setting…
Twitter: LauraORourke
says:
Yup, the clock on the left is the ugly one. I think it is ugly at least. ;) There are some MUCH cuter options.
The bottom of the Sleep Buddy pops open and from there you can see the digital clock. It lets you set the time, set the times naps start and end and set when night bedtime starts and when they’re allowed to wake up in the morning. There is no additional setting for weekends (though it is easy enough to change settings whenever you want). There is also an option to make the light dimmer or brighter.
Laura recently posted..My Secret Sleep Weapon: A SleepBuddy Review and Giveaway
I need this! I was celebrating that he slept until 6:45 when it used to be 7:30 a month ago.
Kristin Shaw (Two Cannoli) recently posted..Seven things I loved about Dubai
Twitter: LauraORourke
says:
Yes. You need this SO MUCH. I almost tagged you in my post about it on my facebook page saying (Yes, this means you Kristin) but Facebook wouldn’t let me do it.
Laura recently posted..My Secret Sleep Weapon: A SleepBuddy Review and Giveaway
Aw, thanks! It’s good to be thought of. Even when it’s because you don’t get enough sleep. :)
Kristin Shaw (Two Cannoli) recently posted..Seven things I loved about Dubai
Twitter: FarewellStrangr
says:
Awesome. We have a similar one and we have it set to 6:30 as the time he can get up and play LEGO and 7 as the time he can come in and get us. MUCH better than what we used to deal with. Thinking this might come in handy with the 2nd.
Robin | Farewell, Stranger recently posted..Living in the Light
Twitter: LauraORourke
says:
I love that you have a Lego time! Ha!
Glad to hear of others who have had a positive experience with this kind of thing. People always seem wary when I first mention the product – like it probably won’t work with their kid. But then they try it and it helps out so much.
Laura recently posted..My Secret Sleep Weapon: A SleepBuddy Review and Giveaway
Twitter: joia
says:
We are usually awake between 5:00 and 6:00, but a 6:30 wakeup would be IDEAL.
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Twitter: mcarolyn
says:
We’re all over the place for wake up. Sometimes it’s 5am, sometimes it’s almost 8am. 7 would be ideal…even better if I could get the energy to get BEFORE Max and get ready in peace for a bit. :) I love the look of the sleep buddy, it would fit right in to my nursery!
Twitter: CDBoudreau
says:
I wake up around 5am.. every day. My body anticipates that my DD will be up soon. She wakes around 6-615am. Would love to sleep until 730… what a dream!
We do pretty good. Most days all of us are up between 7 and 7:30. I’d love for it to be a bit later on weekends though.
What a neat idea. Our first child started sleeping through the night right after our second was born. I’ve gone 4.5 years of being woken up constantly through the night. I would love for this to be the thing that gets my youngest sleeping through the night.
Twitter: meganrae1988
says:
We wake up at 7:40 everyday, but that’s likely to change soon because my second child is due in a month!
Twitter: corp2domestic
says:
I have been thinking of getting one of these…I think Nolan would really do well with it!
Natalie recently posted..Be Still My Heart…
My DD just turned 2 and already bedtime and sleep is becoming an issue. I could really use any help I can get :)
I would love anything to stop the 5:15 wake ups at my house! I would however need at least 2 for the toddlers! The baby is the best sleeper in the house!
Twitter: AlisonSWLee
says:
I think I’ll need one of these for #2 soon. He’s an early riser. Like, before-the-sun-comes-up-early. Need to research my options here in Malaysia!
Alison recently posted..Saying No
This looks like an awesome product! I would love to have it for my son who I think will be trying to get out of the crib before we know it. He’s up by 6 or 630 most mornings. That’s fine for the weekday. But, I’d love 7 on a weekend!
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Kiddo-free…but I still wake up between 6 and 7…even on weekends! Sometimes I wish my internal clock wasn’t so exact all of the time! I’ve been looking at Ready-to-Wake and Gro-clock for my niece (well, more for my sister because in 3 weeks she will have two babies…14 months apart) but I had never heard of Sleep Buddy!
It is wide and varied around here. Today all 3 kids slept until 6:45 and I felt like a million bucks. That should tell ya something :)
Aliza has been our early rise – most days she wakes shortly after 5am. BUT she just stopped napping last week, so she may start sleeping a little more at night (*fingers crosses*).
7am would be sleeping in. I’d probably panic ;)
beth@redandhoney recently posted..How to Avoid the Flu Shot: A Safe Natural Remedy
Twitter: insanemamacita
says:
I love our SleepBuddy system (I just did a review on my blog too)! It is an awesome product.
We still have the baby monitor in our youngest’s room and he wakes up before the clock goes off some days but he will just stay in his room and chat to himself until the light goes off. Although today he was yelling for me to come get him. LOL! I should not have told him that he could call and I would hear him on the monitor. My mistake!
Insane Mamacita recently posted..Oliver’s Labels Room-eez™ Growth Chart Review
Usually up between 6 – 7 depending on when the new baby wakes for her morning feeding.
Twitter: laceysgarden
says:
I have yet to find a happy medium. I need to be awake 24 hours a day because I need to be awake when all three members of my family are awake. My husband works nights so I would like to be awake when he comes home. My Dad is handicapped and he wants to be up at 5 am and my brother can only live in darkness so he is awake all night.. I would like to go to bed say at 2am and wake back up at 7am but my body won’t function at all..
Twitter: tarahcm
says:
My son is about to turn 2 and we will be moving him into a big boy bed this spring. This SleepBuddy would be great to start using during that transition!
Twitter: LauraORourke
says:
We found that it was really helpful to start using the SleepBuddy just before we transitioned from a crib to a big boy bed. It was like the first step in the transition so it wasn’t information overload when he moved to the bed. He already knew that the light meant sleep time. When the rail came down he knew to look for the light to tell him when to get out of bed.
Laura recently posted..My Secret Sleep Weapon: A SleepBuddy Review and Giveaway
Our girls do so well with their sleep clock too! They have one that is an owl that hoots and lights up when it’s okay to come out of their room.. I recommend sleep clicks to all our friends, too. Yours is much nicer though! Would love to have one.
Twitter: LauraORourke
says:
:) I love hearing more examples of how these products really help families!
Does your owl clock have to hoot? I think I like the subtleness of the SleepBuddy. My kids certainly don’t need an alarm clock. Sometimes they will sleep until 8 and that is just lovely. :)
Laura recently posted..My Secret Sleep Weapon: A SleepBuddy Review and Giveaway
This seems like such a great idea! I’d love to have this for my daughter!
Twitter: archaeolemur
says:
Ideally, when I’m not working, I would love to get up around 8:00-ish. Sadly, my son’s internal alarm goes off between 7 and 7:17 every day, no matter when he went to bed the night before. I think he could use some more sleep, but he, for some reason, doesn’t agree. I have been looking for a non-tacky looking clock for his room that woud tell him it was ok to get up, and this looks perfect!
Twitter: Fireslily
says:
My aunt’s kids have a terrible time sleeping when they should and I’ve been worried about what to do with my boy when he is a bit older. I’m glad I discovered that there is something like this to help.
We have a late schedule, so we wake up at 8 or 9, toddler included. But she’d really benefit from having a regular nap time.
This looks amazing! I have a funny feeling I will be struggling with my daughter to sleep the rest of her childhood. 8 months in and I’ve never slept more than 3 hours…
Catherine recently posted..Our Budget Friendly Wedding
I have seen Sleep Clocks in boutiques, defiantly something my little guy will have for when he is a toddler!!
I am also wondring if you have any advice on setting a nap schedule ? My little guy sleeps through the night on average 9 hours, however during the day fights naps like crazy. And I’m lucky if he naps for an hour. Usually a few 30-60 minute naps during the day.
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Twitter: LauraORourke
says:
Hey Mandy,
3-4 month old babies should be getting between 14 and 15 hours of sleep in a 25 hour period (according to this site: http://www.babycenter.com/0_how-much-sleep-does-your-child-need_7645.bc) That’s around 10-11 hours at night and 3-5 hours during the day. Those should be split up into two or three naps.
Each kid is different, really, so I can’t give you a one size fits all answer. We got both boys onto a nap schedule early on – though it probably took a little longer to get Cameron on one, maybe because I didn’t push it. I would just really start watching him for sleepy cues. Gavin, at 9 months, wakes up around 7:30, goes down to nap at 9:30 for a couple of hours. Then goes back down around 1:30 for an hour at least. He gets tired around 6:00pm or 6:30 and he goes to bed around 7 (though he does get woken up and kept up for a while by Cameron when he goes to bed).
So, watch for the sleep cues. Do the same night-routine you do with him to get ready for nap (unless you do baths, which might get a little much, lol). Feel free to nurse him to sleep. Swaddle. Get his room dark. And if he wakes up still tired, do it all over again. When we get off Gavin’s schedule, he will wake up from naps before he is ready so I will either let him play for a few minutes then put him back to bed, or just nurse him back to sleepy right then and there.
Good luck. Again, I emphasize, watch for his sleep cues and react. Hopefully a schedule will start to emerge.
Laura recently posted..My Secret Sleep Weapon: A SleepBuddy Review and Giveaway
I have been itching to get a sleep clock for Abby for months now. If I don’t win the giveaway, I’ll be buying one anyway!
Elisabeth recently posted..Denmark Adventures: The Last Days…
I would wake up at 9 am ..kids and job free that is… I never get to sleep in with kids haha
We have a tacky Winnie the Pooh alarm clock for Eli, but the sleep clock looks SO much nicer! I usually get up between 6 and 6:30, the same time as Eli. Theo won’t need a sleep clock, I have to go in and wake him up at 8:30 so he doesn’t ruin his nap. Not a morning person, that one.
Oh boy do we want to get one of these! Would be awesome to win one! Bed time is going pretty great at the moment and our toddler doesn’t wake too early, but I really think a sleep clock would do wonders for nap time.
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Twitter: lifeofk
says:
I wake up when the kids wake me up – usually around 7am. If it were just me, I’d wake around 9 or later! If I didn’t have to work I suppose…..
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Sleep? What’s sleep?
My 3.5 yr old used to be your ideal sleeper. Bed at 8, up around 9am (sometimes she’d even go until 10-10:30!!!) Now, she thinks 6 is a good wake up time, the rest of the house does NOT agree!!
I’d love to try this!!!! Scratch that…. I MUST HAVE ONE!!!!! :)
Twitter: catamo
says:
Sounds great. I like to try and get up at 6:30 for some me time before the mad rush starts at around 7
My two year old goes to sleep ok but wakes up way too early. She also has trouble with nap time. This would really help.
My two year old goes to sleep ok but wakes up way too early. She also has trouble with nap time. This would really help. If i don’t WIN! I will probably buy this product. What in your opinion is the best brand/value? Do you think the color light is more effective or the clock with a picture?
Twitter: dashoflove
says:
OMG I so need one of these for Cooper
Twitter: ceswynn
says:
I wake up usually an hour or two before noon. It would be nice if I could wake up at seven or eight in the morning.
Twitter: ceswynn
says:
I wake up usually an hour or two before noon. It would be nice if I could wake up at seven or eight in the morning. Thanks for the chance at winning this SleepBuddy.
Usually up before 6 would like to be up closer to 7 :)
I just heard about this in the last week, but think it is just what Rob and Amy need to help Natalie understand when it is time to sleep!
Oh I really need to get one of these! Great review Laura!
Twitter: LauraORourke
says:
Thanks Katie! If you are having a hard time finding this one where you are, I can suggest a few other great brands to try too. I think you’d really love it! Your oldest is probably nearing the age when we started Cam on his.
Laura recently posted..Poop Happens
We wake up between 5 and 6, but man would I love for her to sleep until 6:30 or 7!!
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Twitter: lauranerdette
says:
Would love to try this with my 15 month old in a few months. Glad to hear there is some hope ;)
This would be great for my 15 month old. We wake up around 7, but she wakes up a couple times during the night still.
7:30 AM, would like to wake up at 6AM