Parenting Tips: 11 Ways To Wake Up Kids Early The Right Way!

The process of getting children up and running can be super frustrating. Yelling at them for not waking up on time is often futile, as they might eventually ignore the yelling and want to stay in bed longer. That's not a healthy relationship, is it?

Is It Okay To Let My Child Sleep In?

A healthy sleeping pattern is essential for your child's physical and mental development. For this reason, you should teach your child good sleeping habits. This will indirectly serve as an efficient method of waking your children in the morning.

By waking your child up early each morning, you will be able to keep their mind and body refreshed and rejuvenated. They will be more focused and happier as a result of this, which will improve their health. However, there are times when children wake up before they have had sufficient sleep [1].

Sleep Hours And Your Child's Age

As a parent, you are responsible for knowing how much time your child requires sound sleep. This depends on the child's age. It may be helpful to discuss this with your paediatrician so you can receive professional advice.

Children aged from 6 to 11 need at least 10 to 11 hours of sleep each night, while children aged between 12 and 18 require at least nine hours a night [2].

The best way to get kids up early is to have a good sleeping pattern [3]. You can ensure that your children adhere to a regular schedule in order to keep their biological clock functioning properly. When determining how to make your children wake up early, you should devise a plan and follow a schedule.

Ways To Wake Up Kids Early

You can wake up a child for school in more effective ways than shouting, turning off the fan, or pulling off the duvet. The school schedule, your family schedule, and the comfort level of your child are a few of the factors that need to be considered as a parent.

The following are some ways to get kids up early based on all of these factors:

1. Plan early

Transitioning from a relaxed summer season to a hectic school schedule is not easy for parents, and it is even more challenging for children. If you wish to have a smooth morning, you should start planning early. Make your child aware at least one week in advance. This is one of the ways to get kids up early.

2. Create a routine

The concept of having a routine bedtime and wake-up time every day, including the weekends, will be helpful. Including a simple check-list for them to follow in the morning will help to establish a routine and discipline them [4].

3. Establish the ideal bedtime for your child

Children need a lot of sleep. As aforementioned, kids from 6 to 11 need at least 10 to 11 hours of sleep each night, while children between 12 and 18 require at least nine hours a night. You can determine your child's bedtime accordingly [5].

As an example, your teen child should be asleep by 10 PM if she needs to get up at 7 in the morning so that she can get dressed for school. It is also useful for kids on weekends to maintain a similar sleep and wake time - within an hour or two.

4. Give small bribes

Making sure that your children sleep early is one of the best ways to ensure that they wake up early. There will be times when they cannot adapt to the schedule that you have determined for them. In these circumstances, small bribes can be effective. Be cautious in using this method and do not make it a habit.

Here is a step-by-step guide to teach your child to sleep alone

5. Take advantage of every morning

If you let your child go to bed with a positive expectation for the morning, this will work effectively as one of the ways to get them up early. It is a joint effort within the family, where everyone is involved. You should also consider the child's mental and physical health when determining how to make him or her wake up early.

6. Keep the child's sleep quality high

For children to wake up on time, they should get enough good quality sleep. Noise, snoring siblings or parents, too much light, going to bed too late, temperature, bedding, overexertion, screen time before bedtime, a diet high in caffeine and sugar near bedtime, and night terrors affect children's sleep quality. Sleeping in a safe and comfortable environment is essential for children [6].

Here are a few more tips parents can consider to wake kids up early:

• Ensure that you begin the day on a positive note.
• It is a good idea to prepare something that smells delicious to get them out of the bed.
• Animals are a great way to wake up a child - they are also enjoyable for them and put them in a positive mood immediately after waking up [7].
• Make sure the kids turn off all their electronics before going to sleep.
• Ensure that your child's bedroom is comfortable, dark, and quiet.

On A Final Note....

Dear parents, when all measures fail, children must cope with the natural consequences of sleeping in and being late. In the end, parents get frustrated trying to prevent their kids from facing consequences and eventually yell and punish them.

So, it's better to let kids deal with the consequences of being late now and then since it helps them learn about consequences. In the end, most kids will wake up on time when they see these consequences.