If you have a little Thomas the Tank Engine fan that likes to wake you up early, the Thomas Go Glow Clock by Worlds Apart is a fun bedside accessory, though setting an exact wake-up time may not always work.
As the mum of a Thomas-mad 3-year-old, I was really interested in the Worlds Apart Thomas Go Glow Clock. Arron is an early riser and with hopes of lingering under my duvet for an extra half an hour, I was all set to put the Thomas Go Glow Clock through its paces.
The Thomas Go Glow Clock is set on a green circular base with a train track design. Thomas' face forms the clock face, which (rather oddly) doesn’t have hands. One arrow points to the time, while a blue line shows where the clock is set to 'wake up'. You press the button on top to set the sleep mode, and the sleepy Thomas slides around. Once the desired time is reached, the clock face revolves again to show wide-awake Thomas.
You can find the clock at places like Mothercare, Argos and Toys R Us.
What we love
The Go Glow Clock from Worlds Apart comes in characters such as Dora, Cars, In the Night Garden and Disney Princesses as well as Thomas, so it can be an incentive if your child is already keen on them.
Setting the sleep mode is simple - press the button and the face slides around to sleepy Thomas.
Also, the gentle glow of the nightlight is useful.
What to watch out for
The time and alarm are fiddly to set and difficult to get an accurate setting. Actually, in my experience it’s rather hit and miss if you get the alarm and the time you want to coincide. Like other clocks of its ilk, the Thomas Go Glow Clock works on a 12-hour setting, so say if your child goes to bed before 7pm, and you want them to wake at 7am, you'll have to go into their room and reset it once they've gone to sleep.
Arron has tried a couple of other clocks of this type, and I can’t say they really work for him. Maybe my child just doesn’t get them! He was very excited about sending Thomas to sleep, but them just wanted to turn the buttons on the back to make him wake up!
I would prefer a clock that has hands, so that even if Arron doesn’t really 'get' the idea of staying in bed until Thomas wakes up, he could be using the clock to learn to tell the time.
Who is the Worlds Apart Thomas Go Glow Clock best for?
Thomas the Tank Engine fans.
MadeForMums verdict
The Worlds Apart Thomas Go Glow Clock has the added incentive of a character your child knows and loves, but it can be hard to set accurately. The lack of proper clock hands means its life span can be quite short, as it’s not of use once your child’s older and learning to tell the time.
