Dawnlings — the bedtime clock starring their own toy

Their own teddy says goodnight.

Set up in minutes from the parent app, with no fiddly buttons or combinations to remember. Snap your child's favourite comfort toy in the app and it takes centre stage: waving goodnight, asleep on the moon all night, up with the sun. The clock stops being a rule and becomes their favourite thing.

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One story, every night

Little ones can't read a clock, but they can follow a story. Dawnlings shows them where the night has got to, from bedtime to breakfast. Shown here with Pip the dormouse, who comes with every clock; their own toy takes his place.

Bedtime

Pip winds down with them

For 20 minutes Pip waves goodnight, rubs sleepy eyes and yawns, while the screen slowly dims. It starts at bedtime by itself, or with one press of the button on the clock.

Overnight

The moon carries them through the night

The moon sets off at bedtime and glides slowly across the sky. Wake up at 5am? If it hasn't reached the sun yet, it's still sleepy time. The screen stays almost completely dark.

Morning

The sun says up you get

At wake-up time the sun rises, Pip wakes up and the screen turns bright yellow. That means it's OK to get out of bed.

Make it theirs

Set up in minutes from the parent app: Wi-Fi, bedtime, wake time. No fiddly buttons or combinations to remember, nothing on the clock for small hands to change.

Snap their comfort toy in the app, worn ears and all. It's drawn in the Dawnlings style in every pose the story needs: waving goodnight, rubbing sleepy eyes, yawning, asleep on the moon, awake in the morning. Nothing goes on the clock until it's approved by you.

It takes centre stage on the clock that night, and bedtime stars someone they already love.

Included with your founding clock. Later, new packs for birthdays, Christmas and the seasons.

Rather not use a photo? Pip the dormouse and the moon story come with every clock, free, and stay free.

Why a screen at all?

Because a colour can't tell a story, and a story is what a two-year-old can follow. A light says "not yet"; Dawnlings shows how much not yet, with a friend who went to sleep when they did.

And at night it barely counts as a screen: one dim moon on a black background at about 3% brightness, dimmer than most night lights, with nothing moving faster than the moon. No video, no games, no sound, no touch. You set how bright it gets.

Almost black at night

Overnight it shows one dim moon on a dark screen, with brightness you set yourself.

No microphone, no camera

There's nothing in it that can listen or watch. It only shows pictures.

Works without Wi-Fi

The night's times and pictures are stored on the clock, so bedtime still works if the internet drops.

You set it from your phone

Bedtime, wake time, wind-down length and brightness, changed from the sofa, not the bedroom.

Nothing to fiddle with

No touchscreen and no buttons a child can find, so the settings stay where you put them. Mains powered by USB-C, nothing to charge.

Made by a parent, tested every night

Dawnlings is made by Neil, a dad in Wiltshire, after one too many 5am "is it morning yet?"s. The first working clock has been on our own two-year-old's bedside every night since October 2026, and everything on this page is what it actually does.

It's a small, honest project: no reviews or star ratings until real families have used it, no invented numbers. Questions go to hello@dawnlings.com and a person answers.

Questions parents ask

What ages is it for?

About 2 to 6: children who can't read a clock yet but can follow a picture. Older ones use the parent view, which shows the time.

Isn't a screen in the bedroom a bad idea?

At night it shows one dim moon on a black background at about 3% brightness, dimmer than most night lights, and nothing moves faster than the moon does. No video, no games, no sound, no camera, no microphone, no touch. You choose how bright it is, and the bright yellow only comes at the time you set.

Does it need Wi-Fi or the app every night?

No. You set it up once from your phone; bedtime, wake time and the story live on the clock itself. If your Wi-Fi drops, bedtime still works.

Does it make a sound?

No, on purpose. There's no speaker. If white noise or a bedtime playlist is part of your routine, keep using it; Dawnlings is the picture, not the sound.

How does the toy thing actually work?

You snap the toy in the parent app. It's drawn in the Dawnlings style in every pose the story needs, you approve it in the app, and it downloads to the clock. The bunny at the top of this page is our daughter's, drawn exactly this way, and it's what her clock shows every night.

How much is it, and when?

The founding price is £79, with a year of Dawnlings Plus included. Join the waitlist and you'll get first word when founding pre-orders open; we'll give a date as soon as we honestly have one.

What's Dawnlings Plus, and what happens after the year?

Plus is the extras: new story and seasonal packs, and turning your child's own toy into the character. The clock itself, Pip, the moon story, the schedule and security updates are free for good and never need a subscription. If Plus lapses, packs you've already downloaded keep working.