Toddler not caring about toddler clock? Here's what to do!
- Melody Patton
- Mar 25
- 4 min read
You've seen the suggestion online to use a toddler clock to get them to stay in bed until a certain time, but you've discovered (quite quickly) that your toddler doesn't care about the clock (GASP).
So, how do we get a toddler to care about a clock?
Well, I'm glad you asked!
1) Talk about the clock, and not at bedtime
I don't know if you've discovered this yet, but bedtime can be a stressful time (oh, just me??).
If we are wanting to work on changes relating to the routine, or how your child falls asleep, then we need to start talking about it when we don't feel the pressure of the evening.
Talk about bedtime during car rides, during dinner, during 1:1 playtime, etc.
Start talking about the changes you will work together on, and why.
Your child may be young, but their brains absorb a lot so don't underestimate this conversation!
When I was going through a spurt of challenging bedtimes with my kids, we had many car conversations about it and it helped soooo much!
I also ask clients of toddlers and older children to start talking to their kids about the bedtime changes we will make.
Kids typically don't like being surprised by new boundaries so let's give them a chance and talk to them about it.
2) Pick out the right clock: think warm colours!
There are a lot of kid clocks on the market (thanks Amazon!) but it's also a bit overwhelming.
I used the GroClock.
Pros: The Sun and stars are cute, and don't use numbers so they can be used with young children.
The blue light on the stars can be turned all the way off.
Cons: The creators used a blue light for the stars, which I'm not a fan of, but at least you can turn them off.
I have to look at a YouTube video each time I want to adjust it because there are only 3 buttons!
Some other suggestions would be the Hatch!
It can be controlled from a smartphone and it has many warm-colored options.
It's a bit on the higher price point, so that may be a con for some. The 2nd generation is about $90 Canadian and it goes up from there.
Amazon has many, many options, and so here's what I look for:
Warm-coloured options (avoiding blue, and green type colours)
Variable settings such as dimmer options, and nap and morning alarms (colour change)
The option to have the 'night light' be turned off completely
Easy (ish) to use
Things I avoid:
Light show/projectors
Only blue or green lights
Stimulating light sequences
3) Have a strategy to deal with getting out of bed/leaving the room
So, you've talked with your toddler about the new bedtime/morning boundaries, you've purchased a toddler clock and showed them the colours they are watching for, and now what??
You're going to want to pick a strategy!
This is very dependent on each family and child situation, but I tend to use either a Stay in the Room method or do Check-ins.
Stay in the Room:
You sit in a chair until your child falls asleep, and move the chair further and further away each night.
Eventually, you get up in the hallway and move towards check-ins.
Leave & Check
You put your child to bed and do check-ins from the door that gets opened a crack.
We do these check-ins in intervals of 10-15 minutes.
Bedtime Rules:
To help encourage our children, and give them clear direction, I have 2 bedtime rules with toddlers:
1- Lay down
2- Stay quiet
As much as we want to say 'go to sleep', falling asleep is passive, and we can't control it (but can you imagine! That would be awesome!).
So we give them instructions based on what they can choose to do.
Consequences:
The term consequence is a bit strong for me, rather it's a way to communicate the boundary to our kids.
If they don't feel like following the bedtime rules (lay down and stay quiet), then you as the parent leave the room for 1 minute (yes, you may have to hold the door closed).
Return to the room, calmly put your child back to bed, and remind them of the bedtime rules.
Repeat as needed.
It's very effective and allows us to stay calm, and not engage in negotiations.
And that's the thing.
If we don't put all of this together, our children won't care about the clock, because why should they?
Night wake-ups:
For night wake-ups if they stay in their room, but are crying out for you, after a short delay, repeat the same strategy as bedtime.
Repeat bedtime rules, and close the door if needed for 1 minute.
When you go to your child in the night, you need to point out that it's not morning (meaning the clock colour hasn't turned to the specific morning colour), and that it's time to 1) lay down 2) stay quiet.
4) Early morning strategy: set the clock early!
Continuing off of the nighttime strategy, if your child wakes up early before the clock turns, then we need to reference the clock and keep them in their room until it's 'morning'.
Pro-tip:
If your child is waking at ungodly hours, and you'd like them to sleep til 7 am, setting the clock for 7 am is setting everyone up for failure.
Let's say your child is waking up at 5:15 am.
Set the clock initially for 5:15 am.
Why?
Because it will give them a bit of dopamine (reward!) hit, and get them excited that they made it until the clock turned the morning colour.
Slowly, over time, we can push the time back by 5-10 minutes to help them increase their patience with the clock and sleep past their usual wake-up time.
Works so well!
If you've been dealing with toddler sleep challenges for a while now, let's talk!
My clients are parents just like you who are needing more consistency, a strategy and better bedtimes.
My clients see improvements really quickly and appreciate the expert strategies and eyes on their child's progress.
To get more information, book a quick 15-minute call with me to find out more.
Click below!
Here for you,
Melody Patton
Σχόλια