Getting a toddler to sleep later - The Green Light clock to the rescue!

If your toddler is an early riser, like many, there is hope. Dream on if you think the answer is teaching them to how to use the DVR remote so they can be safely entertained while you keep snoozing. We found the answer a year and a half ago or so in the 'green light.'

My three year old lives and well...sleeps by what she calls the 'green light.' I've caught her telling her baby dolls about the green light. I've even witnessed the daddy in her doll house setting the green light.  In other words: the green light rules in our house.

The actual name for it is is the Ok to Wake! Children's Alarm Clock and Nightlight.  Here's how it works: you simply pick the time in the morning (or nap) that it is okay for your child to wake up.  Set the clock and the wake up time. When the clock strikes 7am or whatever time, the clock will illuminate green...letting your child know it is okay to wake now and get out of bed.

When you first start using it, set the wake up time for about 15 minutes after your child is currently waking up. Then, gradually move the wake up time back until the desired time. It may take a few days for your child to understand the concept, but once they do they'll realize that if they wake up and the green light's not on they should either go back to sleep or at least stay quietly in bed. 

We have used the Okay to Wake clock almost exclusively for morning wake ups. However, if my daughter is giving me trouble at nap time I will set the clock for an acceptable time and say that at that time her nap can be over. Most times, by the time the light goes on she's fallen asleep anyway.

You can also set the light so it stays on for an extended period of time - if you don't, it goes off after 15 minutes. This presents a problem if say you set it for 7am and your child sleeps until 7:20. They will wake up and see the light is not on and may stay in bed. (Not that that's a bad thing, but when you're first trying to establish the clock make sure the light's on when the child wakes up.)

By the way, the clock also comes with a changeable pink front plate for girls who insist green just won't do!