How do you get a preschooler to wait in their room in the morning?
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Anonymous
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We have one of those ok to wake clocks, set to 7:30, that our DC had been respecting pretty well. As it gets lighter earlier, DC ignores the clock and wanders into our bedroom at 6:45-7. We tried later bedtime but that doesn’t work. They just end up getting up equally early and being more tired and cranky.
Has anyone successfully convinced their kid to let them sleep? (Kid is almost 4 so this feels developmentally appropriate- and our older one definitely followed the green clock at that age). |
Anonymous
| Child locks He can’t leave his room |
Anonymous
| Have you tried the usual behavioral incentives for positive reinforcement? Sticker chart and reward for every 2-3 days of compliance? |
Anonymous
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7:30 is really late. What time are they waking up? How long are you expecting them to stay in their room after waking? Do they have black out shades?
For context, I successfully used the okay to wake clock to get my 3 year old to stay in his room until 6. I can't imagine getting to sleep until 7:30. |
Anonymous
| Just get your lazy asses out of bed. |
Anonymous
OP here. We don’t want to scare him or make him cry (plus it would wake us up anyway). |
Anonymous
Hahaha sleep is really important for your health and your ability to be a good parent. I don’t subscribe to the American notion of chronic exhaustion as a necessary part of parenting (past the baby stage). |
Anonymous
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My kid will happily play in her room for 30-60 minutes if she wakes up early. But she's always been pretty great at solo play. She's got books, a dollhouse, some Little People structures, plus construction paper and crayons in her room, and will generally just get out one or more of these items to entertain herself until we come get her.
Occasionally she will get hungry before our normal wake up time (7 am) in which case she will come ask for breakfast. But then we just fix her a quick breakfast and go back to bed, especially on the weekend. She'll eat and then go play, and then usually come back out and eat a bit more with us when we get up. |
Anonymous
| We also have the clock go green at 7:30am. We tell her that she can do anything in her room, within reason, until the light turns green. (So can’t be like jumping off the bed or climbing the walls, but can play, read, color). She’s been happy with this but certainly does leave her room ay exactly 730 every day! |
Anonymous
| Our kids are up at 6-6:15am and always have been. They're currently 3 and 5 years old and 7:30am would be really unrealistic for them to wait in their beds. |
Anonymous
| You have an early riser. He's not going to obey the clock. Why does he have to stay in his room? |
Anonymous
| 6:45-7 is pretty good. How long is he up before he comes to your room. Maybe a yoto? |
Anonymous
Oh come on, don't turn the fact that kids wake up early into a dig on Americans. Super lazy argumentative ploy. |
Anonymous
+ 1 I have lupus and need 9-10 hours to avoid having a flare. You know how I get this? By going to sleep at 8:30. The morning isn't the only time to sleep. Get off your phone. |
Anonymous
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For my kids, 7:30am is unreasonable. I ask them to stay in their room until 7am. Sometimes they sleep later, but sometimes they are up at 6:30am, so 7am works. They get up at 6:30am for school, so it carries over into the weekends.
We just get up. Or let them watch a show on the iPad while we sleep a little more. It all depends on what we've got going on during the day. |