a birthday present in disquise

For the past few months, Declan's been waking up obnoxiously early. At first, he would come in our room and crawl in bed with us around 6, maybe 6:30am. Then he started going in the girls' room and waking them up around 6 (a full 55 minutes before their alarm goes off!). He would play with their toys or turn their radio up really loud. Every morning it's different. Sometimes, he sneaks in our room, takes my phone off the nightstand (which is my alarm, by the way) and takes it into our bathroom and plays on it. Until recently, the gate at the top of the stairs kept him upstairs. Well, now he has learned to climb over it (thanks to his older sisters), even in the dark. So, the gate which once was a safety feature, is now a death trap, as he is launching himself over it. At the top of the stairs. In the dark. The other morning, I heard him stirring around 5:15 am. I found him sitting downstairs, on the couch, in the dark, watching Diego on Netflix, on my iPad. There was also the morning I came downstairs to find four sticky popsicle wrappers on the kitchen floor. We have the security alarm set, so we'd know if he tried to open one of the doors. But still, the idea of him wandering around the house before we wake up, makes me more than a little nervous. I've tried taking things away when he comes out of his room before we come and get him. I've tried offering incentives. Jay even tried reasoning with him, but the "Sprinkels don't wake up early" argument isn't really getting through to him. I've thought of tying bells to his door knob, so at least I would wake up if he opens the door. The problem is, it would also wake up Finlay. I thought of telling him about the monster that only likes kids who wake up too early and then renting a Chewbacca costume and camping out outside his door. But he does really enjoy monsters, so that probably wouldn't work either. Also, it could go the other way and traumatize him for life. And that would be bad. You're probably wondering where I come up these ideas, but at 5 am, when all you want is another hour and a half of sleep, they totally make sense!

So, I've been doing some research on toddler alarm clocks. I'm thinking of giving him one for his birthday! Basically they are little clocks that illuminate when it's OK for your toddler to leave their room. The parent sets whatever time they choose and it's supposed to train them to sleep. Here are a few I found:

1. The Kid'Sleep Classic- ($39.99 on Amazon). The bottom bunny in bed stays illuminated all night until, in the morning it switches to the daytime bunny on his way to school. It got pretty good reviews. Most people complained about the fact that it had to be plugged in (no batteries) and it took a long time to set up.2. The OK to Wake! Owl with night-light and music- ($25.93 on Amazon). This one is more of a toy. They can cuddle with it and it's face glows green when it's time to wake up. It's kind of like a glow-worm baby with an alarm clock. The portable option of this one might work for some families, but I feel like it would get lost or he wouldn't remember to check inside his covers to see if this stuffed owl's face was glowing. But it is really cute!




3. The BabyZoo Alarm Clock for Children- ($39.99 on Amazon). This one is an actual clock, which I like. I feel like it has more longevity that way. He can practice learning to tell time once he's done needing the sleep-training part. You just set the clock and then the monkey's eyes open when it's OK for him to get up.

4. The Good Nite Lite- ($34.99 on Amazon). This one got really good reviews. It's simple, but apparently does the job. It changes from a moon at nighttime to a sun when it's time to wake up. It plugs into an outlet and doubles as a night light.



5. The OK to Wake! Children's Alarm Clock- ($25.46 on Amazon). This one is by the same company that makes the owl one, but it is more of a clock. It tells time and glows green at wake up time. Plus, it has interchangeable face plates, pink flower or green bug. Reviewers complained the nightlight wasn't very bright, it couldn't be plugged in, and the controls were easy for a child to change.


Based on the reviews, I'm thinking of going with the Good Nite Lite. I'm going to do a little more research. I'll let you know which one we go with, and more importantly, if it works!