Alarm clocks for kids come in a wide range of styles and types. From cute cartoon characters to starry displays, many of these clocks are designed to help your child fall asleep peacefully and more. We’re going to be reviewing 12 of the best alarm clocks for kids that are currently available. We will also be covering several factors you should consider before making a purchasing decision in our buyer’s guide as well.
Best Alarm Clock For Kids Comparison Table
Product | Recommended Age | Power Source | Sleep Sounds | Night Light | Check Price |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
LittleHippo MELLA Editor's Choice | Preschool-age kids | 5V power adapter and battery backup | Yes | Yes | Check Price |
My Tot | Preschool-age kids | 5V power adapter and AA batteries backup | Yes | Yes | Check Price |
LEGO Minifigure | 6+ | 2 AAA batteries | No | No | Check Price |
eKids Branded Design | Older kids and adults | 5V power adapter and 3 AAA Batteries | No | Yes | Check Price |
Mirari OK To Wake! | Preschool-age kids | USB with AA battery backup | No | Yes | Check Price |
Mirari Teach Me Time! | Preschool-age kids | USB with AA battery backup | No | Yes | Check Price |
MOSCHE Sunrise | Older kids and adults | USB, 5V power adapter and 3 AAA batteries backup | No | Yes | Check Price |
MomKnows | Children of all ages | USB and 3 AA batteries | No | Yes | Check Price |
Guardians of the Galaxy | Preschool-age kids | 3 AA batteries | No | Yes | Check Price |
Peppa Pig Alarm Clock | 3+ | 2 AA Batteries | No | No | Check Price |
Plumeet | Older kids and adults | 2 AA batteries | No | Yes | Check Price |
Big Red Rooster | 2-7 | AC adaptor or 3 AA batteries | No | Yes | Check Price |
Best Alarm Clock For Kids Reviews
LittleHippo MELLA – Best Overall Alarm Clock for Kids
Now, this is a nice little product. The MELLA features a standard clock-like design language with the two little bumps protruding from the bottom, serving as legs. The face and chassis itself is circular and features an actual face above the time, adding that interactive element that kids love so much. It’s certainly not unique, but it’s nothing short of an awesome feature to help your kids take the clock a little more seriously. However, the execution is what matters here, and the graded LED ring around the inner facing goes a long way toward making this worth the price.
It’s worth noting that this product is actually a crowdfunded concept, which is probably why it receives raving reviews and performs so effectively. The combination of the beautiful ring and the facial patterns allows this clock to actually keep your kid in bed longer. That engagement is key, and it’s what many other manufacturers miss out on when designing just about anything for the little ones. Being easily distracted and highly impressionable makes it necessary to reach out and touch on more points inside the child’s field of awareness, which is what this product does so effectively.
Final Verdict
- Beautiful design language
- Well-conveyed facial expressions on the inner facing, which makes the clock effective and interactive for children
- Programmable nightlight function
- None
My Tot – Best Alarm Clock for Girls
Before you think that the price tag might be a little heavy-handed, keep in mind that this is much more than a simple alarm clock: It sings lullabies, tells bedtime stories, sets timers for activities, trains children on a sleep schedule, produces white noise to help them sleep and wakes them up to music instead of a jarring klaxon.
In total, there are 10 functions in this alarm-clock-that-does-way-more-than-just-wake-you-up, and the parent has the ability to program all of these functions with a desirable effect. It also incorporates a night light function just in case it didn’t already do everything that you expect of an alarm clock — that is, all of telling time and getting your kids rolling in the mornings before the bus swings by.
We’d like to emphasize that we wholeheartedly compliment the multifunctional nature of this device, and while the price is rather high if the alarm aspect is all you care about, it’s fully justified for the whole package.
The aesthetic is easy to appreciate if you have a small child for whom you’re making this investment, but older kids — think 7 and up — might find the infantile design off-putting. However, for what it is, it’s an excellently well-rounded package for a young one who’s just learning to get rolling in the mornings for preschool.
You can also plug this clock directly into a USB socket or USB adapter for wall outlets, meaning your old phone chargers will be compatible here.
Final Verdict
- Highly versatile: 10 functions, including a night light and custom parental controls
- Comforting design for younger children
- Nightlight shines in five custom colors to indicate when it’s time to sleep, wake up, eat and more
- A bit pricey if you’re just looking for a basic alarm clock
- The design and some of the features aren’t suited for children who are approaching their double digits
LEGO Branded Design – Best Alarm Clock For Boys
There’s a whole lineup of branded fictional character models that this clock can be purchased in. They’re all designed in LEGO’s iconic and simplistic language, meaning they won’t be full-blown action figures — “It’s time to clock these bad guys!” — but it’s the in thing right now.
Variations include:
- Batman
- Superman
- Ninjago
- Storm Trooper
- BulbBotz, and others.
Overall, these clocks are well-constructed and easy for your child to play with in confidence that it’ll still work by the end of the day. Of course, if little Emile or Suzy is the type to “Hulk smash” the clock in the mornings, we can’t impart much confidence there.
Concerning functionality, well, there’s a reason we started off with the design: There’s not much else to talk about here. Without discounts, this could be a rather expensive investment although each figure stands at about 10 inches tall with movable arms and legs. There’s a snooze and basic alarm function, and the whole package is covered with a two-year warranty.
Final Verdict
- Iconic branded LEGO figurine design with movable arms and legs
- Features alarm and snooze
- None
Mirari OK To Wake! – Best Alarm Clock For Kindergarten
This Tamagotchi throwback clock animates cute expressions where the clock “face” is and serves multiple functions on the side to form a well-rounded product. The price is reasonable for a clock that does the color-changing night light gig well in addition to snooze and nap timer functions. The lights, of course, are programmable by parents to help the child know when it’s okay to tuck in and hop out of bed. Overall, it’s a convenient little package that fills the basics without breaking the bank.
The facial expressions on the OK to Wake! are the most defining feature in this product, and they serve to make the clock more fun and interactive for the child. Chances are that a boring adult alarm clock won’t command the attention and willingness that this one does, which means that your child may actually stay in bed when you tell them to.
In addition, you can plug this clock into the wall with a USB cable and use two AA batteries as a backup plan when all else fails.
Users find that while this product works well after setup, getting it to that point can be a pain because of the button layout. Also, if you don’t happen to have the batteries installed when it loses power, you have to reprogram every element of it all over again.
Final Verdict
- Affordable multifunctional clock that sticks to the most important basics
- Programmable night light that signals activity cues for the child
- Adorable clock face makes this a fun and interactive product
- Setup and programming can be a pain
Mirari Teach Me Time! – Best Toddler Alarm Clock
Mirari has a simple design going for this clock, which features a dual digital and analog clock face that’s shown on a back-lit monochrome screen. The two programming buttons on the bottom aim to complement the innocuous and rounded design while trying to make it simple for parents to program this product to work as intended.
It does the usual that you’d expect from a child’s clock: gentle alarm, programmable and multi-color night light, and a handful of learning games to help with telling time. Of course, there’s a snooze function thrown in to make it “like Mom and Dad’s clock“, which could add an element of fun.
Final Verdict
- Provides basic multifunctionality, including a programmable night light
- Learning games help the child read and understand time
- Quite pricey for what you get
- Doesn’t include a wall converter for the USB plug
eKids Branded Design – Best Alarm Clock For Teenagers
This docking phone charger and music player is also quite the nifty little machine for waking your child up. The integrated charging port is USB, so if you’re using an iPhone, you’ll need an adapter to make the most of it. There’s a 3.5mm headphone jack on this little box, so there’s no need to blast music out loud while reading or drawing. On the other hand, the speaker itself is at least as nice as it can get for the price; this isn’t exactly a Sennheiser, but it’ll do, Donkey.
Naturally, any music-based alarm clock of this standing will intuitively have a function that allows the child to fall asleep to music of their choosing with an auto-shutoff function. With all the superstardom of musical goodness to fall out and wake up with, there’s not much else that you’re getting here, but that’s okay: The branded design of this clock means your child can get it in the theme of their favorite fictional character with Captain America, Minnie Mouse, Hello Kitty, Jack Skellington, Star Wars and others to choose from. Rock out!
Final Verdict
- Quality speaker system to play music
- Auto-shutoff and alarm functions allow the child to fall asleep and wake up to music of their choosing
- Docking station allows them to set up their wireless smart device for charging and conveying music
- Comes in one of many branded designs
- The charging port only supports Android handsets, but you can use an adapter to make it work with iPhone
MOSCHE Sunrise – Best Kids Alarm Clock Radio
Who says that all children’s clocks have to be cutesy and childish? This one features a more contemporary and adult design language while incorporating an FM radio function in addition to six natural sounds. These include birds, forests, waves, gentle beeping and more. The outer ring of the clock face features an LED that can change color based on how it’s programmed, and overall, we have to compliment the general aesthetic of this clock. Heck, us adults should probably pick one of these up!
The night lights are actually powerful enough to light the room up somewhat although we don’t think that this will make an adequate replacement for a proper desk lamp when the child reads.
The main problem to look out for is less to do with the features and functionality; it’s the fact that many of these units end up dead on arrival.
Final Verdict
- Beautiful contemporary design language
- Bright LED ring that can be programmed to specific colors for certain activities and times of the day
- “Sunrise simulation” mode allows your child to wake up gently
- Includes FM radio and natural sounds to facilitate the gentle waking process
- Some units end up dead on arrival
MomKnows – Best Alarm Clock For 5 Year Old
Our question is, does Mom really know? Apparently, she does with the Galaxy Clock, which projects soothing star patterns on the ceiling to help the child sink into a sleep of cosmic proportions. Okay, that’s probably stretching it some, but it does make for an interesting product at least. Giving your child something to fix their eyes on while they’re tucked in could help them pass out more quickly and soundly, which is what we all want at the end of a long day, right?
Also included is a white noise generator and a relaxing night light function to help with middle-of-the-night visits for water or the toilet. It’s a fairly simple product with a conventional egg-shaped aesthetic — nothing too fancy or far out.
Unfortunately, like many children’s clocks, you’re expected to separately purchase an adapter to hook this clock into the wall for power. We’re still not sure why any manufacturer would think that this is a good idea, but if you’re one of the lucky ones who has a USB wall adapter laying around, consider using it here.
Final Verdict
- Unique projection feature that gives your child something to affix their gaze on while they’re tucked in, helping them drift off
- Includes a night light and white noise function
- Doesn’t include a USB wall adapter
Big Red Rooster Alarm Clock – Best Sleap Trainer
Oh, the irony. A company called Big Red Rooster made a little brown dog as the basis for their children’s alarm clock design. Okay, that’s not entirely relevant, but we thought it was amusing nonetheless. There’s more to this offering than just a cute puppy dog with the time displayed on the front; there are two alarms, a nap timer and a dual-tone glow function for the orb on the front.
This is supposed to help train kids on when to sleep and when to get up although we instinctively feel that it’s not as effective as the manufacturer wants us to think.
Final Verdict
- Endearing puppy design is fun and child-friendly
- Dual-tone ball glow function that works as a night light or to help train the child on when to sleep
- The program controls are locked away so only the parent can modify the functions
- It casts a bit of cheap feel not only in aesthetics but also function
Guardians of the Galaxy – Best Alarm Clock For 7 Year Old
Your child’s favorite fictional character can make their appearance on this clock, which is branded with an iconic heading and a stylish design to boot. The buttons and screen are stylized to help encourage that “cool” thematic factor.
There are several brands to choose from including Doc McStuffins, Spiderman, Guardians of the Galaxy and more. It’s hard sending your child to bed with a boring alarm clock; who wants to wake up to that? When you roll over Monday morning to the hazy sounds of an alarm, you want to see that determined trash panda staring back at you with all the grit and determination of a 4th-grader who’s ready to fall asleep again in class.
There’s a night light built in with an added sleep timer function that can change the color and brightness in accordance with bedtime. Aside from that, there’s not much else to make this a multifunctional offering for the young’ns, and there’s nothing wrong with that.
Final Verdict
- Stylish and cool design on the buttons and chassis
- Integrates a night light function with a sleep timer
- Relatively inexpensive
- Small and cumbersome buttons
- Only one kind of alarm
Peppa Pig Alarm Clock – Best Simple Model
Turning the iconic front-cover character of a children’s show into an alarm clock seems like a sound enough idea to just work. With Prevail’s Peppa Pig alarm clock, you have a solid product that sticks to the basics with the Peppa Pig theme as the wake-up call and an endearing design to encourage sleep.
We think this is a bit expensive considering the absolute bottom-line basic nature of this product, but if your kid is a fan of the show and character, it could be well worth the investment.
Final Verdict
- Simple and endearing Peppa Pig design for kids who are fans of the show and the character
- Straightforward and easy to use
- It’s a bit expensive for the incredibly limited functionality
Plumeet – Most Affordable Choice
Plumeet delivers on a rather simple design here: Instead of the fancy spherical or Mickey Mouse-looking varieties, this is a simple cube with a square clock face that simply tells you the time, date and alarm.
It’s uncomplicated, inexpensive and colorful. We’d think that the chosen color will probably be overpowering since there’s no coordination between the chassis and the screen, but perhaps uniformity is what you and your child prefer.
There are three colors to choose from:
- Neon green
- Hot pink
- Deep purple
The small size is another credit to this clock’s design. You can count on the inbuilt alarm to be gentle, and there’s a snooze function in addition.
Unfortunately, you’ll have to run this sucker off two AA batteries since there’s no way to plug it into the wall. That might not be so bad since there’s not a whole lot for this clock to do with said battery power, making it relatively efficient compared to other offerings on this list.
Final Verdict
- Simple design
- Compact
- It just does what you expect it to — no complicated knobs or dials
- Inexpensive
- The uniform color scheme from the screen to the chassis could be an eyesore
Best Alarm Clock For Kids Buyer’s Guide
When searching for the best alarm clocks for your kids, there is a wide range of things that you should carefully consider first. With factors ranging from safety to style, each of these factors will be broken down into greater detail below. By following our guide, you can make the best purchasing decision for both you and your child.
Safety First
The most important factor to consider first when shopping for an alarm clock for your kid is safety. To determine what alarm clock is best for your kid, you should take into account their age.
For most alarm clocks, they come with a recommended age rating to help parents make an informed purchasing decision. Always look for this rating whenever possible to give you a good idea what age the product is designed for.
When purchasing an alarm clock for toddlers and other young children, you will often find that the battery compartments are secured via a screw. While these screws can be a bit of a pain to remove when changing batteries, they are there for the added protection of your child to keep them from accessing the battery compartment.
For alarm clocks that are powered via an electrical cable, always make sure to secure it correctly. Common tips include securing excess cable length and placing it out of reach of small children. This can help reduce the likelihood of accidental strangulation and more.
Moving Onto Style
Now that safety has been addressed, it’s time to move onto the style portion of our guide. When shopping for an alarm clock, you should carefully consider any relevant style choices your child may have.
For younger kids, they tend to gravitate to products that depict characters from popular television shows and movies. These products are easy to spot and almost always are an instant hit with most kids. As for color themes, bright colors tend to work best when dealing with younger children.
For kids that are nearing the teenage years, functionality begins to play more of a role as their tastes begin to mature. You should talk with your kid to find out the types of colors and patterns they like best. As a kid reaches the teenage stage, they can begin taking on a more active role in decorating their rooms. By asking them about their preferences, you can be sure you are picking out the most suitable product to fit their unique needs.
Additional Features
Nightlight mode
For many alarm clocks, they come with additional features that can be very beneficial to your children. One of the most common features you will find in many models is a nightlight mode. This feature is particularly useful for children who are afraid of the dark or who suffer from night terrors.
The type of nightlight feature will vary from model to model. Many of the ones covered on our list have overhead displays that feature star patterns and more. While these types of displays can be relaxing for many children, others may find it to be too distracting. Only you know your child’s sleeping habits best. Keep those habits in mind when considering alarm clocks with this type of feature.
Battery vs Electric
Another feature that you should carefully consider when shopping for alarm clocks is the prospective benefits of battery vs electric alarm clocks. With the battery-powered variety, they work seamlessly throughout the night even in periods where the electricity may falter. This can be very beneficial for areas that suffer from brownouts and more.
On the other hand, electrical alarm clocks do not require you to frequently replace batteries. For alarm clocks that have overhead displays and nightlight functionality, you’re likely better to stick with electrical clocks to reduce the need for replacement batteries.
For the best of both worlds, you may want to consider electric clocks with battery backups. While these clocks will cost a bit more initially, they provide the best of both worlds in terms of dependability as well as convenience. These clock types are the least likely to suffer accidental resets due to power failure.
Conclusion
By taking your child’s interests and personality traits in mind, you can easily find the best kids alarm clock for them. Remember to focus on the three areas we outlined in our buying guide to help you make the best purchasing decision possible. With just a bit of time and careful consideration, you should have the perfect clock for them.
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