As parents, there is a lot to consider when choosing the best alarm clock for our children. Is our child a heavy sleeper? Will they snooze the alarm? Are they capable of reading analog time?
I want to help you get the most bang for your buck by finding a kid-friendly alarm clock to help your children tell time, wake up on time, and regulate their habits.
I tested 12 alarm clocks for kids and found LittleHippo’s Mella Alarm Clock to be the best overall.
LittleHippo’s Mella Alarm Clock has a very pleasing design that your child will feel attracted to. And the fact that it will glow yellow a few minutes before wake-up time will provide a soft wakening for your kid.
But if this isn’t the best alarm clock for your child, I have selected a few other choices for different ages, an alarm clock that is also a star projector, and a solution for those that like to hit the snooze button too many times.
I dug deep in the alarm clock trenches to find timepieces that check each box for what’s important in a kids alarm clock, so keep reading to get to know them.
These awesome kid alarm clocks are tried and true and will win over fellow parents and kids alike.
Best Overall
At the moment, LittleHippo’s Mella alarm clock is our favorite clock for kids on the market. This precious alarm clock is a #1 Best Seller on Amazon. It’s obvious why, with its cute design and pleasing color options. Its happy little face makes it seem like an anthropomorphic buddy you want to be with all day.
Mella is available in four color options: Tropical Teal, Blush Pink, Bright Purple, and Arctic Blue. Your color choice only refers to Mella’s adorable nubby feet but is an important one nonetheless as it changes the vibe. A light ring around its face glows in six different colors, including a blue-green gradient and its playful expressions are sure to steal your child’s heart.
Mella uses colors and expressions to help your children develop a healthy sleep schedule. When it glows yellow, it’s almost time to wake up. A short while later, Mello will glow green signaling that it’s time to get out of bed.
Best of all, if you use a battery (CR2032), Mella will preserve the memory settings. That means you won’t have to reprogram it every time it’s plugged in again! Having dual power sources means your child can take it with them, whether on a trip to grandma’s house or a family vacation.
Pros:
Extremely cute, made from safe and high-quality materials, highly rated, FCC, CE, RoHS, CA, REACH, and CPSIA approved
Cons:
Needs to be plugged in for full functionality
Best Affordable
PEAKEEP’s Smart Night Light is an all-around great deal. It comes in five different colors—mint green, black, blue, pink, and white. The clock face is large, and the LCD screen is easy to read, even from across a room. You’ll be able to see the time, even in darkness, due to a built-in ambient light sensor that triggers when turned on.
The LCD screen displays the current time, alarm, and temperature indoors. (Perfect for those times when you want to know why it’s so hot/cold but don’t have your phone on you!) The clock operates on three AAA batteries (not included) and is extremely easy to figure out.
Pros: Simple design, uses common batteries, great color choices
Cons: Quality control issues mean you might end up with a lemon.
Best for Young Children
Skip Hop’s Toddler Sleep Training Clock is perfect for young children, especially those learning to sleep independently. This adorable cloud works as part clock, part night light. There’s a digital clock located at the bottom should your child need to know what time it is. Otherwise, it primarily works using color-coding to train your child to know when it’s time to sleep or when it’s okay to wake up.
Its simple design is pleasing to the eye and gives toddlers a certain level of autonomy.
Pros: Easy for children to understand
Cons: Digital clock is located on the bottom of the device
Best for Elementary-aged Children
My Tot Clock is perfect for elementary school-aged children who are just learning to tell time. Its fun design makes it look more like a toy than a learning tool, which will spark your child’s interest. This kids alarm clock is eye-catching, fun, and practical to boot!
The standard color is white, but it has changeable faceplates to compliment your child’s likes. The light-up face shows both analog and digital time, which helps your little one learn how to read time both ways. Reading an analog clock is undoubtedly a skill nowadays, and it’s a good one for children to have.
Not only does My Tot Clock help your child learn to tell time, but it plays bedtime stories, lullabies, and even white noise! It also illuminates five colors to help your child get on a schedule. Blue means bedtime, while yellow means it’s time to wake up. Light cyan blue is for nap time, green means it’s playtime, and red is for when your child feels overwhelmed and needs a moment of quiet.
Pros: Easy to set up, appealing to children, lots of features, easy for kids to carry around
Cons: Extra faceplates are sold separately, sounds might be annoying for parents
- Best for Middle Schoolers
Middle School is a tough time, when your child is leaving childhood and beginning their journey to adulthood. Paladone’s PlayStation 4 Alarm Clock is exactly what it sounds like—an alarm clock that looks like a PlayStation controller. It bridges the gap between youth and adulthood, much like puberty.
The clock is powered by USB (Miro USB to USB) and has a large, easily read display. It was awarded “Best Geeky Gift 2021” by Pop Insider. The directional pad on the left adjusts the time, while the X and O buttons are intended to set the time, date, and alarm, respectively.
Pros: Fun design, easy to use, officially licensed
Cons: The alarm is quiet
Best for Teens
Teens always seem to be on their phones, whether for fun or school. The fact is that they’re very attached to their smart devices. The WITTI – BEDDI alarm clock with night light features three USB charging ports for your teen’s tablet, phone, and smartwatch. The convenience of having all their devices in one place means that they can get up and go when they wake up.
The bottom of the clock features a mood light night light that gives off a pleasant glow. The light has options for white light or color-changing. And, perhaps best of all, the clock has a built-in battery backup so that the clock won’t blip out during a power outage.
Pros: Backup battery, night light, USB ports
Cons: USB ports do not support fast charging
- Best for Sleep Regulation
Struggling with sleep is no joke. It can detrimentally affect your child’s mood and cognitive function no matter how old they are.
JALL’s Wake Up Light alarm clock simulates the sunrise, gradually lighting up to 100% brightness within 30 minutes of the alarm. (It’s possible to change the duration to 10 or 20 minutes.) The sunrise simulation feature is ideal for children who have darker rooms or live in states that don’t get a lot of sunlight.
In addition, it can be used as a night light with seven different colors and 20 brightness levels to choose from. The built-in FM Radio means that your child can start their day listening to their favorite music.
No one is a fan of startling or annoying alarms. The Wake Up Light has seven alarm sounds to choose from, including soothing piano music.
Pros: Sunrise simulation, multi-function includes radio and night light, various pleasing alarm sounds
Cons: Doesn’t come with a wall adapter, no option for using batteries
Best for Star Projection
If you’re looking for the best star projector clock, you don’t have to type “discovery projection alarm clock star kids” in your search bar because we’ve got you covered. This Digital Star Projection LCD Alarm Clock projects star-shaped light beams on the wall. Unlike other projectors, which show realistic galaxies that can be overwhelming for children, this clock projects a familiar star shape that kids know and love.
The projection changes colors to create a magical starscape that will help kids feel restful and soothe them to sleep comfortably. In addition, the clock plays six different nature-inspired sounds that you can set on a timer.
The clock face shows the date, year, temperature (in Fahrenheit or Celcius), current time, and your alarm timer. There are four different alarm tones for your child to choose from—if they want, they can alternate the tones every day!
The Discovery Kids Color Changing Digital Star Projection LCD Alarm Clock runs on three AA batteries, which need to be purchased separately.
Pros: Cute and fun for kids to use, comforting light helps lull kids to sleep
Cons: Uses a lot of battery life
Best for Light Sleepers
If you have a light sleeper in your house, you know that a bumblebee flying on the next street is loud enough to wake them up. The Betus Non-Ticking Robot Alarm Clock won’t disturb your kid’s sleep. You don’t have to worry about constant ticking noises keeping your child awake or waking them up in the middle of the night.
Betus comes in three colors—a classic ruby red, modern white, or bright yellow. Like an old-school travel clock, the controls are knobs located at the back. An on/off switch activates (or deactivates) the alarm. The clock takes two AAA batteries, which need to be bought separately.
Betus’s eyes light up in coordination with the alarm’s beeping, which sounds like an old-school travel alarm clock. He has clips at the end of his hands that are perfect for leaving reminders, like “Don’t forget to do the dishes!”
Pros: Charming appearance, convenient clips for notes, pleasant alarm sound
Cons: Analog-only clock
Best for Heavy Sleepers
Some people are heavy sleepers; that’s true whether they’re kids or adults. Do you find that you have to wake your child repeatedly, even resorting to pulling their blanket off to wake them up? If those statements ring true, you’ll love PiLife 3’s Mini Non-Ticking Analog Alarm Clock.
This super cute alarm clock has large, easy-to-read numbers and runs on upgraded quartz movement. Even better, it only uses one AA battery to run! The twin-bell alarm is loud enough to wake even the heaviest sleeper. Unlike traditional twin-bell clocks, this one has a backlight button, making it easy for you to check what time it is even in the dark.
Pros: Charming old-school appearance, can wake the heaviest sleeper
Cons: Analog-only clock
Best with Radio
When it comes to kids alarm clock radios, it’s best if you can find one that’s multipurpose. Acoucou’s multi-functional clock is a night light, Bluetooth speaker, alarm, and features touch control.
This device is great for any age. It can be used as a bedside lamp for babies, a Bluetooth speaker for your teen, or even ambient lighting for any other room in the house. The clock runs on a lithium-ion battery, which is provided.
Pros: Stylish, easy to use, multi-purpose
Cons: The clock is set to a 24-hour time display
Best for Alarm Snoozers
If your child hits the snooze button as often as they breathe, Clocky is what you’re looking for because it’ll wake up the whole family. Clocky is an alarm clock that lets you snooze it just once (for up to 8 minutes.) After that, all bets are off, and Clocky will take off rolling! It changes courses at random, so it’s not easy to catch, and the alarm is very loud.
Because of Clocky’s clever design, your snoozer must wake up to turn the alarm off. Chasing Clocky around to catch it gets the blood pumping and will wake up even the deepest sleeper—because they have no choice but to get up and go!
Pros: Guaranteed to wake you up, allows for a one-time snooze
Cons: Annoying
Buying Guide
Shopping can be as frustrating as it is fun. While many aspects of shopping for an alarm clock for your family are up to personal taste, there are a few factors that you must consider before clicking “buy now.”
- Analog or Digital? This might not seem like a big deal, but many children aren’t taught to read analog clocks anymore or don’t retain the information.
- Battery or Power Adapter? Battery-powered clocks will save on electrical costs, but the trade-off is what you spend buying batteries.
- Clock or Multi-function device? Many clocks do more than tell time. While it may be more costly to buy a multi-purpose device upfront, it’ll be cheaper to buy the device you want in the long run.
- Be sure to read reviews and the return policy before buying any item.
Final Verdict
It truly depends on what you’re looking for in order to find the best kids alarm clock. However, in our experience, the best clock overall was LittleHippo’s Mella alarm clock. The cute clock has a variety of functions and is appealing for any age, from 0 to 99! It also has a slew of reassuring certifications and is made out of safe materials.
Just click the link above to get LittleHippo’s Mella alarm clock.
