We set it up while getting super excited to teach Alyssa that she doesn't get to "wake up" just because she is awake...especially at 5am. My request was for a 'green light' at 9am but that seemed a little too late to make her lay around waiting so we went with a 7:30am compromise. So, at 7:30 the body of the clock goes from a dim yellow nightlight mode glow to a "Green Light!! Momma, it's GREEN LIGHT!"
Now, fair warning, there is another clock out there that has a naptime feature (meaning it will do the 'green light' for naps also) and I *thought* that this one had it as well. They are easy to differentiate as one has a flower or alien face plate and this one looks like a clock. Clearly I was comparing the two much too often and mixed them up because the Teach Me Time Clock by American Innovative does NOT have a nap feature. This turned out to be perfectly okay for us but while setting it up I was bummed. Truly though, the dual display feature of both analog and digital clocks is AWESOME and totally makes it up to me. It has features that teach your child time by reading the clock to them if they hit one of the feet--don't worry, this talking feature can be turned off in the 'hidden' back panel meant just for parents ('hidden' because Alyssa opened that on day one).
We have had this clock for a few weeks now and she has done remarkably well with it. There have been two instances where she would call for me before 'green light' and not lay back down or quietly read after being reminded of the clock. Of course she hasn't stopped calling for me in the morning if she is up before the light changes but the 'green light' reminder is usually enough to get Momma a few more minutes of peace before the announcement is shouted from her door, "Green Light! MOMMA! GREEN LIGHT, Momma!!"
Yes, I do laugh nearly every morning when she is practically bouncing with excitement because her clock shows her when she can get up. It is a fun way to wake up with a toddler. We don't have the alarm clock feature set, we have the talking feature turned off, and we set it to dual display mode so she can read both clocks as her TV shows teach her how to tell time way before I thought we could even try! (Yes, one day Papa was in her room at 7pm and she told him he couldn't come out until "8 o'clock". "Papa, it not 8 o'clock. It 7 o'clock!" He asked her how she knew it was 7 and she showed him the big hand being (very) close to the top of the clock and the little hand at the 7...Can we say stunned?? I'd bank on Umizoomi for that one...so sometime in the next year we will probably turn on the talking feature so she can learn a little more time telling with her own clock. For now we just work on the full hours for fun.
**This post was not written at any request beyond my own love of a product that we purchased of our own choices. I love this clock and recommend it for any parent who wants a visual option for their kids to know when it is okay to get up.**
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