Alarm clocks for all ages

Good Morning America did an expose on alarm clocks for all ages this morning which got me thinking. I haven't owned an alarm clock since I was in college as I am just naturally an early riser. While most of the rest of you peeps are sleeping, 4 am generally finds me in my hot tub with coffee cup #1. If I do manage to sleep until 5 am, I have 6 alarm clocks (in the form of dogs) telling me they're hungry so, see, I have no need for an official alarm clock but that doesn't mean you don't need one. And, to add one more natural alarm to the mix, I put bells on my Mom's walker so I can hear her get up at night (brilliant idea if you're a caregiver and want to keep track of your charge. I tried to put the bells directly on her but she wasn't having it....).

Regardless, I've searched high and low and have identified some of the coolest alarm clocks for all ages. Keep reading.

My six alarm clocks are in the picture. Who's missing is my cat who is the loudest of the crew at 5 am - you'd think no one ever ate around here!

Updated 05MAR13

The OK to Wake alarm clock is just a brilliant invention for tired parents as it teaches children to stay in bed until the correct color appears. The alarm clock glows green when it's ok for the child to get out of bed - is that too cool, or what? I'm seriously thinking about getting one for my elderly Mom who can no longer always see her regular alarm clock and sometimes rises at, oh 2 am for her "morning" coffee (Note to audience: she generally gets it - what other pleasures does a 94 year old really have?).

Everyone knows that teenagers sleep the sleep of the dead so the below alarm clock doesn'tjust sound an alarm, it sounds an 85 decibel alarm! And, on top of that, the Wake Assure alarm clock shakes the bed, flashes a light and does everything except shout "GET UP, YOU LAZY $%$^^!" into their ear.

Now, this one had me just rolling. When the alarm sounds, a helicopter takes off and flies around the room. You might be thinking "wow, that's kinda cool but what else?" Well, the helicopter has a key on it that the sleeper must get up and retrieve in order to turn off the alarm. I would really like to see a video of this thing in action.

I've become a huge fan of the newer alarm clocks that hold iPods or MP3 players. Here are some of the best ones on the market.

As my mom has aged (she's 94), her eyesight has failed. Thankfully, her sense of humor is still intact...

I had a challenge though finding a good alarm clock which she could easily read. Enter the Dynamic Living Oversized 16-inch X 7.5-inch Digital Led Calendar Wall Clock. This alarm clock has the largest of numbers and, as a bonus, there's a calendar readout with the day, month and year.

This is a great clock and would be a great gift for a senior citizen. To see other great gifts for senior citizens, click the blue link in this sentence.

I really like the projection alarm clock which puts the time on a wall or ceiling but my mom found it annoying. Oh well. Live and learn.

Do you have a favorite alarm clock I should feature here? Even if you don't, I'd love to hear your comments on the lens.