Q: Can Any Alarm Clock Clobber My Child’s ADHD in the Morning?

Does your child sleep through their alarm? Push Snooze countless times? Resist all wake-up calls? Read on for the best alarm clock recommendations for sleepy ADHD brains in the morning.

This Dear ADHD Family Coach® column was originally written for ADDitude Magazine.

Q: “My daughter uses Google for her alarm every morning but sleeps through it. Does a digital or analog alarm clock work better for kids with ADHD? Is there a particular brand or model that you would recommend?” – ADHDMom

Hi ADHDMom!

We know through research and personal experience that children with ADHD have difficulty waking up and becoming alert and motivated. I also hear frequently about children and teens with ADHD who use Google as their morning wake-up call and sleep right through it. So, yes, it’s time to sound the alarm!

Here are a few ideas for choosing the optimum alarm clock.

1. Pick one that has extra loud bells or buzzers. No soothing music or sounds for the morning.
2. Avoid ones with unlimited snooze features or that play music. In my experience, the music tends to become white noise that lulls your child back to sleep.
3. Also, the nightstand is the worst spot for an alarm clock. I advise placing several clocks in different spots around the room – each one set for one to two minutes apart. This will force your daughter to get out of bed to turn them off and keep her from crawling back under the covers. Odds are that once she is out of bed, she will get moving.

[Read:Our Child’s Problems Waking Up Make Our Mornings Miserable]

Here are my two favorite alarm clocks to recommend.

CLOCKY: It’s the only alarm clock that jumps off your nightstand and runs away beeping loudly so you are forced to get out of bed to chase it. And the best part is that you can only snooze it once. I send one of these to all my college coaching clients.

RUGGIE : When the Ruggie alarm goes off in the morning, you can only silence it by placing two feet firmly on the memory foam mat for a minimum of three seconds. The mat includes a display for setting the clocks and alarm times, and for choosing one of the various types of alarm sounds pre-loaded with the mat.

Are you sensing a theme here? I have found that the most effective alarms are those that require you to get OUT of bed to silence.

Good Luck!

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