I bought 2 of these when my baby was born, primarily for the nature sounds, which are great. However, BOTH broke within 6 months. The first started making CDs skip after 2 months, I actually went to the trouble and expense of sending it in for repair (I think they sent me a new one back). Then the other one went on the fritz--it just stops playing CDs in the middle, and sometimes starts skipping. Now the replacement one they sent is starting to skip when I play the nature sounds. What a piece of junk! SAVE YOUR MONEY!! DO NOT BUY!! (Oh, and yes, the clock face is way too bright--it lights up the whole room at night. I had to cover up the one in the baby's room.)