Visual clocks, or sometimes called ok-to-wake clocks, are one strategy a family can use to support their child’s sleep and their family sleep journey. This strategy can help set clear sleep guidelines for your child and when paired with other strategies, can help lessen bedtime battles and quiet time protests.  

We used a visual clock (used the GroClock) for a short period of time with our preschooler and then faded it out once he was consistent with the expectations. We will introduce it to our daughter (she has a Hatch Rest) if it seems we need it!

Now that my son is older, we use his Yoto player as a visual clock and alarm system for his morning routine.

What you’ll learn from this blog:

• What is a visual clock and how do they work
• What age can I introduce a visual clock
• Why use a visual clock for your toddler’s sleep
• How to use a visual clock to support your child’s sleep
• When and how to fade the visual clock

What is a visual clock and how do they work for toddler sleep

A visual clock is an external variable that signals information to your child. This style clock uses colours, symbols or images to represent different times of the day. With practice and boundaries, your child learns that when a specific colour (or visual stimuli) is present, then a specific action can occur. A helpful saying is “red means bed, green means go”. 

As humans, our behaviour can be influenced by external factors and in behavioural psychology, when we behave in specific ways in the presence or absence of stimuli, our behaviour is under stimulus control. A real life example for adults is, when we see a green light, we know to push the gas pedal and not the brake pedal. When we see a red light, we know to touch/hold the brake. Our behaviour of moving our foot is under stimulus control of the traffic light. For your toddler, we can gently shape their sleep behaviour (within reason and this is an important part of this strategy!) to perform based on the presence of specific cues (the colours of the visual clock). 

What age can I introduce a visual clock

Generally, a toddler around 2-years-old can begin to grasp the concept of a visual clock. Toddlers are learning the cause and effect of actions and reactions through play and interaction with others and this is why the coloured clock can be introduced. With consistent practice, they will be able to understand what limits are set for each colour. 

If you’re curious about some other developmental milestones for toddlers, here’s a little snapshot from a resource I acquired under supervision from Dr. Anya McLaren, a Pediatrician, Pediatric Respirologist and Sleep Medicine Doctor I’ve had the privilege of learning from.

Why use a visual clock for a child’s sleep

Visuals can be an effective strategy to communicate information to young children (and for them to communicate things to us!). Visuals can send a clear message that your child has a specific job to do, in the case of visual clocks, they signal it’s time for sleep or time for waking.

If you’re struggling with any of the following sleep challenges, you may consider introducing a visual clock to support your child’s sleep. 

• Early morning waking – If you have an early riser and you’ve worked on other variables that can impact this sleep challenge, it can be helpful to use the visual clock to communicate to your child that morning hasn’t happened yet and it’s still time for sleep or resting. For some children, they may not go back to sleep but they may play quietly in their room until the colour changes to signal morning and this is an appropriate response, too! 
• Time changes – During a time change (travel or not), a visual clock can be helpful to signal to your child that it’s not morning, despite their body clock telling them otherwise. Using a visual clock will help reset their circadian rhythm by encouraging them to get back to sleep till ‘morning’ happens. 
• 1-0 nap transition and quiet time – This is a huge transition for your child and they may not have much practice with independent play/quiet time activities. To prevent “is quiet time done yet?” being asked 25 times, consider adding a visual clock to signal to them the new routine and schedule. 
• Night wakings (within reason!) – If your child is having multiple night wakings, I would encourage you to analyze why they are happening. More details on the ‘why’ can be found here. If you’re confident it’s not a medical concern or timing issue, you may consider using a visual clock as a gentle reminder to them that it’s not morning and it’s still bedtime. If your child needs something, they will still signal to you and you respond accordingly. 

When to use a visual clock and when to fade it out

You can introduce a visual clock when your toddler is still in their crib or once they’ve transitioned to a big kid bed. Since your child doesn’t have to touch the clock to receive the information, so long as they can see the colours from their sleep position, it will be beneficial. 

If you’ve been using your visual clock for awhile and wondering when and how to get rid of it, let’s keep going. 

First off, there’s no set age you need to fade the clock out by. If it’s working well for your family, you can continue with it for as long as you want and need.

After many months, your child’s internal clock will likely be quite routined. Similar to how when we stay up past our usual bedtime, our body will begin to signal to us that we are tired (e.g., may feel colder, yawning, heavy eyes, etc.). This process will also occur for your child so regardless if their light is on or not, they will be cued by their internal clock it’s time for bed.

To fade out the visual clock, here are a few thoughts to consider and strategies to try:

1. Similar to how you can send a soother with a soother fairy, and they leave a small gift in return, you could adapt this method for your child also. Leave the clock out and a small new stuffy can be left in return. 
2. Another way to prepare your child is by using a calendar or countdown system (think paper ring chain) to show when the change is going to happen and signal that the change is going to happen on a specific day. Some children respond well to this advance notice, others may be more anxious about the change and not respond well to this method. You can use this strategy in conjunction with tip 1.
3. If you want to trial a more gradual approach, have the visual clock not turned on for bedtime and only on for morning wake. See how your child adapts to the change in bedtime clock. If they handle this ok, after a few weeks, you can take away the morning visual also. Continue to praise your child for the cooperation of bed timing and wake timing, maybe even adding an extra reward like a sticker when these revisions are made. 
4. You may consider pairing the visual clock with an analogue or digital clock with specific visual cues (an arrow on an analogue clock, or picture) to show them when it’s night and morning. This could look like a small digital clock on their bedtime, with a picture (see below for example) of the timing it needs to match and a checkmark. When your child is successful, provide them descriptive praise (e.g., “you stayed in bed till morning with your new clock, great job!”). Once they are adjusted to the new ‘typical’ clock, with or without support, you can remove the visual clock.
5. You can use a reward system when you make this transition, similar to how you may have used a system when you first introduced the visual clock. Reward the success, no reward (within reason and exceptions) if not successful. Some exceptions would be bathroom need, sickness, nightmare/sleep terror, etc. and these of course can be individualized to your child’s needs and parenting preferences. 

How to use a visual clock to support your toddler’s sleep

In order to prepare your child for the use of the clock and ensure success, consider the following tips:

1. Introduce the visual clock to your child. 

Show them the colours/symbols, show them how it will change at different times, what happens during each time, what they could earn when following the visual clock system. You could practice the use of the clock and make it fun by pretending to sleep and then waking up excitedly when the clock turns the morning colour. If you can control the colour from your smart phone (this is a feature on the hatch and yoto), you can trial turning the colour to green just before entering and providing them specific praise (e.g., “wow, your clock is green! time to get up!”)

2. Involve them and offer choice.

Give your toddler a choice of where they want the visual clock to be positioned in their room, what reward they want in the morning, what time they want the clock to change in the morning (give them reasonable time choices here – you set the boundary and they have choice within the limits you set).

3. Go slow!

At first introduction, especially if trying to correct an early morning wake-up, set realistic expectations. If your child currently wakes at 5:30am, it would be unrealistic to expect them to cooperate and play quietly till 7am. They will get frustrated and you will have challenging behaviour – not a fun way to start the day! Start with a short interval for independent time (e.g., 5 minutes) then slowly increase the expectations. This may look like you set their clock to go green at 5:35am, then adjust by 10-15 minutes every 2-3 days until you have a desired wake time, no challenging behaviour and confidence from your child. 

4. Stay consistent.

If you’ve set the clock for a specific time, hold that boundary. If you sometimes follow the wake time/visual clock and sometimes don’t, your child will be confused by the expectations and will learn the clock doesn’t mean anything. The message from the clock will be more powerful when used as consistently as possible, even on off-schedule days. For example, if you have to wake early one day for a trip, change the clock timing so that the message is always consistent – green means go. You will also want to incorporate the visual clock into their nap and quiet time routine. Check out the 1-to-0 nap transition blog here. 

5. Praise and rewards.

When your child is successful with the visual clock schedule, provide them descriptive verbal praise and maybe a small reward. For some children, a sticker is enough of a reward. You can eventually fade these rewards as your child becomes more familiar and confident with the routines. The process of positive reinforcement will help your child learn the expectations and be more likely to continue to demonstrate them. 

Toddlers and preschoolers love routine and clear boundaries. Young children thrive off predictability and having a visual clock as part of their bedtime routine will offer another level of support for them. It may take time for them to adjust to this new routine, but with practice and patience, your toddler sleep journey can be peaceful and enjoyable for everyone.

 

If you’ve been trying to use a visual clock for toddler sleep with little success, let’s connect on a support call. This custom consultation call will provide you clear guidance and individualized strategies to get your sleep journey heading in the right direction using a visual clock. If the crib to bed transition is on the horizon or not going well, check out this blog for some tips to support this part of the journey.

Wishing your family calm bedtimes and rested mornings.

Chelsea

Chelsea is Mom of 2 young kids and a Certified Baby Sleep Consultant supporting families within Hamilton and beyond. She has a Masters of Professional Education and over 10 years of professional experience supporting families in the community. She works collaboratively with families to empower them with the confidence and tools they need to reach their unique sleep goals. Hear from other rested families here and if you’re looking for step-by-step individualized support, book a free call with Chelsea here to discuss how she can support your family’s journey to more sleep.