To buy a product aimed at 2-3 yr olds for DSS (6)?

[spg1983]

DSS stays with us every Fri and Sat night. DH and I are both full-time teachers so term time is pretty full-on.

DSS is lovely but has always been a very early riser. Normally he'll wake up before 6 and we've imposed a rule of not coming into our room before 7am, where he sits on our bed and watches TV whilst we snooze. We live in a 3 storey house so am not happy for him to go to lounge on his own and watch TV 2 floors below us, and he has no TV in his room - we don't want to change this.

In the past, he's been good at either settling himself back down to sleep or playing quietly until 7am when we go and check on him and bring him upstairs but recently he's really struggled with time, waking up earlier and also not settling back down to sleep - he is getting very tired and it's taking it's toll on all of us.

I've heard of a "gro-clock" which has some great reviews with people saying it's helped their child to adapt to more sensible timings and helped them to understand it's still "sleep time" without waking up the rest of the family. However I've not seen it reviewed by people with children older than 4. WIBU to buy it anyway and give it a go? Mornings are horrible at the moment with DSS up at crazy-o-clock, I'm struggling with sleep anyway at 6.5 months pregnant and by the evening DSS is flagging by 5pm and DH and I are finding it hard to stay awake too!

[spg1983]

Oops...forgot to explain - apparently the clock displays a "night-time" face and a "day-time" face and the child can tell when it's time to get up by checking which face is displayed - parents set the time the face switches from night to day.

[MrsCantSayAnything]

My DD is 8 and she wants a Spongebob Pirate ship for Christmas. I have no doubt they're meant for 5 year old's but I'm getting her one!

Yanbu

[CrapBag]

Does he not tell the time? Can you not put a clock in his room and show him where 7 o clock, or later is and that is the time he is allowed out of his room?

My DS is 4 and can see what 7 o clock is as thats his bedtime. If not then you could use the gro clock, it will change from night to day so he will know thats when he can come in to you.

[picnicbasketcase]

It sounds like a really good idea, personally is take no notice of the age thing.

[GoldPlatedNineDoors]

Get him a digital clock?

[crazygracieuk]

I'd get a digital clock or something like put fairy lights on a timer to signify wake up time.

[TessDurbeyfield]

My 5 year old still has one, though we did get it at 2, and always has it on at night, in fact won't go away without it, and will still follow the day/night rule. I am thinking of giving it to my 2 yr o,d now and getting the 5 yr old the onaroo clock which has a proper clock so may be less babyish

[spg1983]

No, he can't tell the time without help just yet. We have tried with putting a digital clock in his room but he struggled with it - firstly thinking that if there's a "7" displayed anywhere then it must be 7am, but also when he wakes up it's like his brain is not quite as awake as his body...like many of us I guess!! He is getting better at time but cannot seem to comprehend it so early in the morning and without adult support.

[spg1983]

He was running in to our room every 5 minutes with the digital clock for us to check it so it kind of defeated the object of "don't come upstairs until x o'clock!"

Looking at the gro-clock, apparently the newest version also displays the time in digital format so maybe it could help him to recognise time as well as giving a definitive "yes/no" answer to whether or not it's time to get up?

[greensnail]

We just have a normal lamp set on a time switch for our dds, they know they're not allowed to get up until the light comes on. Works just as well as a gro-clock but is cheaper. DDs are aged 2 and 3 though, would a grown up alarm clock be better for a 6 year old?

[spg1983]

Thanks green, the only reason I'm reluctant to go down the alarm clock route is that I really don't want to set an alarm for weekends unless we have to be out somewhere and it's time-sensitive. What if the alarm woke him if (magically) his body decided he needed a lie-in one day?

[oldraver]

DS is 7 just after Christmas and he still uses his Glo-Clock as otherwise he would get up earlier and earlier each day. The clock changes always throw him as well.

I think you can also get a lamp that gently simulates daybreak

[spg1983]

I really don't mind about the fact it's maybe not the cheapest option that's been mentioned...I'm willing to pay whatever it takes just to get some sleep! On a serious note though, I'd really like to encourage DSS to get as much sleep as possible ASAP because I don't want him to be losing sleep especially when baby arrives.

[mrskeithrichards]

Why not just get up or let him snuggle in with you?

[lightrain]

Just get one - they're not expensive. Asda was the cheapest place I found, about £15.

[mrskeithrichards]

What time does he get up at home?

[poocatcherchampion]

It sounds like a good idea to me. You can always use it for your baby once he/she arrives.

[IneedAsockamnesty]

Yanbu to get one at all. Perhaps you could also try something like this www.amazon.co.uk/FIRST-LAPTOP-COMPUTER-FOR-KIDS/dp/B009EUMKT6/ref=sr_1_2?s=kids&ie=UTF8&qid=1353359760&sr=1-2&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21 to entertain him in his room before getting up time.

But it's not you who should be dealing with this in the mornings your dh should be getting up with him and you should be having nice lay ins.

[IneedAsockamnesty]

www.amazon.co.uk/FIRST-LAPTOP-COMPUTER-FOR-KIDS/dp/B009EUMKT6/ref=sr_1_2?s=kids&ie=UTF8&qid=1353359760&sr=1-2&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21

[spg1983]

mrskeith we have had him in with us but he's so wriggly and just wants to chat and pretty much do anything but sleep, plus with my maternity pillow we are struggling for room in bed with just me and DH in there!

We have tried getting up with him in turns but like I said earlier it's just unsustainable for all of us - DH and I can get through the tiredness but DSS is literally in tears by 5/6 pm as he's so tired and emotional. I was interested in the gro-clock as I just think that it's a pity that DSS is often missing out on parties/family occasions etc through not having the energy to get through it. If the clock could "train" him to go 7-7 instead of 5-5 then I just feel (rightly or wrongly) that it'd be better for all of us. DSS is up at 6:30 ish at home but they're all school mornings so he has to be up at that time anyway.

Sorry if any of that sounds harsh, I just want the best for him and hate seeing him getting so wound up in the evenings and not getting the best out of DH and I in the mornings :(

[spg1983]

Thanks sock, that looks good.

I think DSS gets quite tired out by school so wakes up earlier on Sun/Mon mornings after having had a more relaxing Sat/Sun.

[Blatherskite]

DS has had a groclock since he was about 2 - admittedly probably a very old version now - my one warning would be that the clocks (or ours at least) is very bright even on it's lowest setting and it took DS a while to adjust to sleeping with it on as it was brighter than most night lights. We had a few nights of disturbed sleep as the light was keeping him up.

You can get non-light up ones that look like bunnies that open their eyes and lift their ears when it's time to get up but I was warned off those at the time because the 'click' of the eyes opening was enough to wake a child and any accidental lie ins were being ruined by the clock.

I'd be very tempted with some fun shaped fairy lights on a timer switch if I were doing it again. Very low light and no noise.

[Chrysanthemum5]

My DCs have one of these, they are 8 and 5. They find it great for letting them know when it is time to get up. If it works then why not?

[spg1983]

Ok, I think that the newer version of the clock has been sorted with regard to the brightness of the light but DSS won't sleep without a nightlight - could we replace the nightlight with the clock maybe? I guess we'd have to turn it away from him but I think it could still work?

[Blatherskite]

You definitely wouldn't need a nightlight and the clock. They said they'd resolved the brightness with our version and it was still way too bright. We tried all sorts but you can't really cover the face with much as they need to see the sun/moon to know if it's time to get up.

If he has a night light anyway then I think you'll be fine with it though.