Tommee Tippee Groclock review

The full review

The Groclock (originally from The Gro Company, now sold under the Tommee Tippee brand) is the sleep clock most UK parents have heard of. At night the face is blue with Ollie the owl asleep; as morning approaches the stars disappear, and at wake-up time it turns yellow with Ollie awake.

You can set separate weekday, weekend and nap wake times, switch on an optional digital clock face (handy when they start learning to tell the time), dim the display or turn it off, and add an optional audible alarm for later school mornings. It runs from the mains via a 1.8m USB cable.

Owners rate it well, at 4.5 out of 5 from 42 reviews at John Lewis, and Mumsnet named it the best night light for toddlers. The consistent complaint is set-up: Mumsnet's reviewers found programming the times a bit over-complicated, so keep the instructions somewhere safe.

It's mains-only, and John Lewis notes the USB plug isn't included. Tommee Tippee rates it from 12 months, though other makers suggest sleep trainers work best from about two, when children start to recognise colours.