Toddler Alarm Clock?

[coquelicot]

I waited until just recently to do this with my 4 1/2-year-old, but I went the super-cheap route. Just took an old alarm clock, turned the volume quite low, and had the alarm go off at the desired time while playing a radio station. DD knows that she can't come out of her room until she hears the radio. If she's that tired, she'll sleep through the alarm (and if it's not a school or church morning, I let her sleep). She loves the idea so much that if I forget to set her alarm and come check on her the next morning, she tells me to turn on the radio, leave the room, and shut the door so she can come out on her own. Not sure how well this would work on a 2-year-old, but it could be a "first try" before having to resort to something more expensive.