Groclock alternative: a sleep trainer clock app
If you are looking for a Groclock alternative in Singapore, you are probably not looking for another clock. The things parents say about the Groclock on Mumsnet, the UK parents' forum, are about the box: it is fiddly to set, it loses the time when it is unplugged, it is bright, and not every two-year-old takes to it. A toddler sleep trainer on a tablet answers most of that, and the Groclock still wins on one thing. Here is the honest comparison.
What parents say about the Groclock
From threads on Mumsnet, a UK parents' forum, that we read on 12 November 2026:
- It is fiddly to set up. Settings live on the clock’s buttons, so a change means standing by the bed.
- It loses the time of day if it is switched off at the plug, and the night and nap settings are easy to mix up, so it can wake at the wrong time.
- It is bright at night for some children, though it can be dimmed.
- Children take to it at different ages: some just after two, some nearer two and a half, and some not at all.
Those are parents' reports, not ours, and plenty of families are happy with it. It costs nothing to run, and it does not need a tablet. In a home where a helper or a grandparent does some of the bedtimes, a clock set on its own buttons also means each of them has to know the buttons.
The comparison
Facts about the Groclock were checked on 12 November 2026 from Tommee Tippee’s own pages. We could not confirm a current price for it from a shop in Singapore that day, so none is given: prices vary by shop, so check before you buy. Facts change too. Snoozaroo is not affiliated with Tommee Tippee.
| Tommee Tippee Groclock | Snoozaroo | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A plug-in clock with a picture face: stars at night, morning at the time you set | A tablet or phone app with a pal, six stars and a sunrise |
| Price | Varies by shop; check before you buy | Free; Plus from S$3.98 a month, S$26.98 a year or S$59.98 once |
| Set from your phone | No, on the clock itself | Yes, every grown-up’s phone, with Plus |
| Change it at night without going in | No | Yes, with Plus, while the app is open on the screen |
| The same plan whoever is home | Set on the clock; a change means using its buttons | The saved times run on the screen; a helper or grandparent only needs the PIN |
| Routine activities | No | Brush teeth, bath, read a book and more, with Plus |
| Naps | A second wake time | Yes, each with its own stars |
| Devices | One clock, in one room | Any Android tablet or phone your family already has, with iPad coming later |
| Works without a tablet | Yes | No |
Where each one wins: the Groclock needs no tablet and no app, and nothing on it can be bought. Snoozaroo wins when you want to change things from your phone, when more than one grown-up does bedtime, and when you want the bedtime routine on the same screen.
What it costs in practice
A Groclock is a one-off purchase. Snoozaroo’s sleep trainer is free, and the things that make it more than a clock are in Plus: S$3.98 a month, S$26.98 a year or S$59.98 once, with 14 days free in the app and no card. Prices are set in Google Play and may change; you always see the current price before you pay.
Moving from a Groclock
Keep the same bedtime and wake time your child already knows, and put the tablet where the clock was. Show them the pal and the six stars at bedtime, and the sun in the morning, with the same words you used before, and make sure every grown-up who does bedtime uses the same words.
Questions
Does Snoozaroo work on a Groclock?
No. It is an app for an Android tablet or phone, with iPad coming later.
Is a tablet screen worse for sleep than a Groclock’s face?
The night scene is dark, dim and still, and the brightness is yours to set. What it does and does not claim is on screens and sleep.
From what age?
For Snoozaroo we say from about two and a half, with most children understanding it by three. Under that, the stars and the pal are still a calm bedtime signal; the “OK to get up” part comes with age.
Can my helper or my parents use it when I am at work?
Yes. The saved times run on the screen itself, and the grown-up controls on the screen sit behind the family PIN. With Plus, a helper or grandparent can have the carer role and see the live view on their own phone.
Two children share a room. Does it suit that?
The night scene is dark and still, sounds start quiet under a cap you can lower, and on Android the app’s quiet mode asks other apps to hold their notifications for each sleep. Clock alarms set on the tablet still ring, and Snoozaroo cannot promise that no other app will ever make a sound.
Can grandparents use it at their house, or on a trip to Malaysia?
Yes. Take the tablet, or set up a second screen there, and keep home times or switch to the new time zone from the next sleep.
Can I try it without paying?
Yes. The sleep trainer is free, and every new family gets 14 days of Plus with no card.