Special kind of lamp timer

May 8, 2022 5:20 AM

I'm looking for a special kind of lamp timer. My 12 year old kid has always struggled with sleeping and needs to have a small lamp on next to him to fall asleep. We turn it off with a remote after he falls asleep, but he usually wakes up and turns it back on. I would like a lamp timer that always turns off after an hour, and if it is turned back on, turns off again in an hour. Does that exist? Thanks!
posted by wurly to Home & Garden (9 answers total)

Probably more complexity than you want, but one option would be to use a wifi smart bulb (or socket adapter), a generic pushbutton and one of the home automation solutions to script it.
posted by snuffleupagus at 6:06 AM on May 8, 2022 [3 favorites]

I had a similar though to snuffleupagus. The Philips Hue motion sensors can be configured to turn lights off up to an hour after it has sensed motion. It wouldn't be the cheapeadt solution, but with a bulb, a hub and motion sensor you should be able to come pretty close to what you are looking for using off the shelf parts. Tossing it out there in case scripting your own solution is not an option.
posted by phil at 6:27 AM on May 8, 2022 [1 favorite]

Best answer: There are these types of timers that are meant for hair straighteners (so if you’re out of the house and wondering “did I really turn it off?” there’s a second level of security
posted by raccoon409 at 6:51 AM on May 8, 2022 [1 favorite]

I have a Wemo smart plug that has this exact feature. You set it up with your phone to turn off after X minutes. Once that’s done, you use a little button on the plug to turn it on, and it will always turn off after that delay.
posted by pocams at 7:10 AM on May 8, 2022 [2 favorites]

Best answer: I use this switch for the exact purpose you describe. It can be mounted on the wall like a regular light switch but can also just be kept on bedside table. It has buttons for 30 min, 1 hour , 2 hour etc and off. I would just color the one hour button w nail polish so he can identify it.
Requires a battery but I have never had to replace.
posted by canoehead at 7:35 AM on May 8, 2022 [4 favorites]

I have a bunch of Belkin Conserve sockets which do this exact thing without any need for complicated networking, etc. The product seems to be widely out of stock/ possibly discontinued, but you may be able to find one on Ebay or similar.
posted by Bardolph at 8:57 AM on May 8, 2022 [1 favorite]

Here is a product similar to the Belkin. While they probably tell you not to, you could use it on a nightstand with an extension cord.
posted by snuffleupagus at 2:48 PM on May 8, 2022

(The short and heavy "appliance cords" made for fridges and window ACs would be a good choice. Over-specified for the task -- the problem with extension cords is heating from resistance -- and less likely to move around due to weight. Don't use adapters to defeat grounding or polarization.)
posted by snuffleupagus at 6:44 PM on May 8, 2022

If the light is on all night, do they sleep well, or as well as can be expected? Maybe the solution is to just use a lower-wattage (or LED equivalent) bulb, so the light is dim enough to sleep by and yet bright enough to satisfy their need for a light to be on.

Has this been true for a number of years, or just recently? It could be puberty-related, too - teenagers are notorious for wanting to be up late, then sleep in late. I know I had the stay up late issue way back when (but so did Fred, Barney, Wilma and Betty so we were all late for the dino bus)
posted by TimHare at 7:21 AM on May 9, 2022