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AIBU?

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Original poster

Gro-clocks are shit

55 replies

Alpineal87 · 08/02/2026 06:28

My 3 year old can’t give two shits whether sleepy cat is still asleep or not. Introducing this piece of crap to our mornings hasn’t given us any extra sleep past our usual 5am wake up call, it’s just given us the painful endurance test of keeping my youngest in his bedroom for an extra 60 minutes using various pointless distraction methods which descends into threats and bribery.
Absolute fucking waste of time and I’m dealing with it well.

OP posts:
chateauneufdupapa · 08/02/2026 06:32

I totally empathise. I’ve now accepted I can’t fight my 2.5 year old’s 5am internal alarm clock and I just go to bed really early to help counteract the pain, but it sucks. She wouldn’t give a fuck about a gro clock either!

dampmuddyandcold · 08/02/2026 06:36

I don’t think my two and a half year old is difficult as toddlers go but the idea of her paying attention to it is - well, it’s not going to happen.

I think it possibly can work with older children: my five year old just woke up and he’s gone back to bed to listen to his tinie box for a bit. But that’s just age and understanding.

Peonies12 · 08/02/2026 06:39

you have kids, you accept they’ll wake up when they want! They don’t know or care! Do later bedtime if you want later wake.

Original poster
Alpineal87 · 08/02/2026 06:40

Peonies12 · 08/02/2026 06:39

you have kids, you accept they’ll wake up when they want! They don’t know or care! Do later bedtime if you want later wake.

Oh yeah that works thanks for the suggestion it has never crossed my mind I will try it tonight and it’ll definitely work

OP posts:
Egglio · 08/02/2026 06:40

Too true, they were shit eighteen years ago and they are shit now.

They do sleep in eventually by the way.

dampmuddyandcold · 08/02/2026 06:41

Peonies12 · 08/02/2026 06:39

you have kids, you accept they’ll wake up when they want! They don’t know or care! Do later bedtime if you want later wake.

Ha that’s bollocks

WizardLizard86 · 08/02/2026 06:42

Peonies12 · 08/02/2026 06:39

you have kids, you accept they’ll wake up when they want! They don’t know or care! Do later bedtime if you want later wake.

Does his work, in your experience? All the kids I’ve known, and I’ve been a nanny for fifteen years so I’ve known a lot, including my own, wake up when they wake up regardless of what time they actually went to sleep.

OnlyFoolsnMothers · 08/02/2026 06:43

It never stopped my eldest waking up, but it stopped her waking us up. She knew she couldn’t go downstairs or expect us to go downstairs until the picture changed. I personally liked it but each to their own.

Overthebow · 08/02/2026 06:52

I think 3 is too young for grow clocks really, unless they have a personality that works with it. At that age they usually wake up and want to get up and start the day, and it’s not an unusual time. My 5 year old and 2 year old both still regularly wake up at 5am.

Londonrach1 · 08/02/2026 06:53

Yes. I sold on ours a week after I got it thinking someone else might have more luck

WizardLizard86 · 08/02/2026 06:58

Mine has one and we’ve had the odd occasion of success when he’s feeling in the mood to be compliant, so about once every two months, but mostly he just voices his frustration loudly that the owl isn’t yellow and WHY ISNT IT YELLOW yet. Sometimes he’ll get up and quietly go and do his drawing (it’s a flat so I don’t have to worry about him going downstairs)

He gets a very boring time of things of if I have to get up with him before 7 though. No tv, no entertainment, dimmed lights and quiet voices.

mentalblank · 08/02/2026 07:11

I agree OP - completely useless in my experience. Also badly designed because it's really hard (even for adults) to work out how many hours are left until the morning, so if they wake up in the night they don't know if it's midnight or 5am.

Thumbup · 08/02/2026 07:11

Worked a treat with both mine combined with black out

Ladybugheart · 08/02/2026 07:13

Agree op. Waste of money. We said it's yet another of those things that only work for the sort of gentle kids that gentle parenting works for 😂

ShetlandishMum · 08/02/2026 07:13

Toddlers are shit. End of story. Our teen is still in bed. Came out around noon yesterday.

Thumbup · 08/02/2026 07:14

Ladybugheart · 08/02/2026 07:13

Agree op. Waste of money. We said it's yet another of those things that only work for the sort of gentle kids that gentle parenting works for 😂

Ha! Your theory doesn’t stand with me! No way gentle parent and worked a treat

Bearbookagainandagain · 08/02/2026 07:22

We went for a much simpler model (big cloud is green or red).
We introduced it to our eldest when he was about 2.5, but it took 6 months for him to really start paying attention to it, and another 6 months for him to stick to the wake up time.
We really appreciate it now he's 4, and he keeps his younger sister in the room too. They can play but have to be quiet.

An hour is a long time at that age IMO. We started with 20 min after their natural wake up time, and pushed it back 10 min every few months.

PivotPivotmakingmargaritas · 08/02/2026 07:30

Mine worked but was a slow painful process I set it for green at 4.50 am the first time so when that first wake painful wake up occurred I cheered and shouted as much as I could at 5am as the clock was green ( apologies if it doesn’t work like this now - it’s been a while ) next week I set it for 5 am and cheered and shouted when it was green . Next week something like 5.05 and waited out 5 mins of crying out till we are able to get up at 5.05 am and then slowly each week pushed it back till 6am

My view it’s a bandaid on a graze not a suture on a deep cut it helps your parent with a visual even if you want to throw it over the fence

WhatNoRaisins · 08/02/2026 07:40

I got ours one winter when DC was freaked out that they couldn't tell the difference between the middle of the night and the dark morning. It solved that but I agree that it isn't going to make someone wake up later.

Theyneverknow · 08/02/2026 07:40

He obviously doesn’t understand the consent yet. When he does, it’s a godsend.

Have you practiced with him? waiting for it to turn yellow and model excitement/ model getting up out out bed etc

i still use one now for my 7 year old who can’t tell the time. I’ll be taking it in holiday too as it will help with jet lag/time confusion for them

Bushmillsbabe · 08/02/2026 07:42

It has worked well for both our girls, both as an encouragement to go to sleep and when to wake up. And they definitely aren't 'gentle parenting' types of children 🤣. They are also good as a night light.

Devilsmommy · 08/02/2026 07:43

Peonies12 · 08/02/2026 06:39

you have kids, you accept they’ll wake up when they want! They don’t know or care! Do later bedtime if you want later wake.

Do you honestly believe that's how it works? My 3.5 year old, if he goes to bed at 6pm or 9pm he's up at 5. OP I get it, mine wouldn't give a fuck about a clock either 😂

Wolowl · 08/02/2026 07:44

OnlyFoolsnMothers · 08/02/2026 06:43

It never stopped my eldest waking up, but it stopped her waking us up. She knew she couldn’t go downstairs or expect us to go downstairs until the picture changed. I personally liked it but each to their own.

Yeah same here. She's in her room until it wakes up regardless of when she wakes up. We have used it since she was 2ish & she's 3.5 now. It definitely serves a purpose here.

BeingATwatItsABingThing · 08/02/2026 07:45

Peonies12 · 08/02/2026 06:39

you have kids, you accept they’ll wake up when they want! They don’t know or care! Do later bedtime if you want later wake.

Hahahahahahahahahaha!!!

The only thing that sending my kids to bed later does is prolong the overtired, feral behaviour the night before and then they wake up even earlier!

BeingATwatItsABingThing · 08/02/2026 07:49

My DD1 was always a more compliant, easygoing toddler - the gro clock worked with her.

My DD2 was the opposite of a compliant, easygoing toddler and it in no way deterred her from waking up or coming into us. She didn’t care what colour the penguin was! She’s 5 now and luckily able to take herself downstairs and play.

DS is nearly 2 and wouldn’t give a flying fuck about a penguin saying it’s time to be asleep. He wakes up when he likes and demands our presence!