How do you get a preschooler to wait in their room in the morning?
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Anonymous
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There are some bizarre people/attitudes around here.
OP, you have your answer— find a few activities for him to do in his room until you all get up. 7:30 is fine. |
Anonymous
This is even worse. You're going to let your kid sit in a pee soaked diaper so you can get an extra 30 minutes of sleep? |
Anonymous
| We deal with this too with our 3.5 year old. We have the mella clock and he just keeps waking up early anyways (set to 7am). I have just been repeating to him over and over that he needs to stay in his room so that everyone else can sleep and have energy to play with him. We made sure he has everything he needs (water, some stuffed animals to play with, access to bathroom). If he comes out we just try out best to ignore him. Sometimes he opens his door at 6am, walks around and see everyone is still asleep, and then goes back into his room to play or talk to himself. It is still annoying because he is loud and sometimes wakes everyone up and he is cranky from not sleeping enough, but at least he usually stays in his room. |
Anonymous
Of course. That's why diapers are absorbent. Otherwise why are you paying for an expensive diaper? |
Anonymous
| If kid is still in diaper, get him a pull up and fresh underwear ready so he can go to bathroom and change himself. If you want more snoozing time, try to encourage kid to be more independent. |
Anonymous
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I like to sleep. Dh and kids are morning people. Kids have been up before 6:30 all their lives. Now 4 and 8, they share a room and they have legos and a bunch of toys and books there and they don't bug me until 7 barring emergencies. My kids also know not to come downstairs (my room is on the 1st level) until they are dressed and faces washed.
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Anonymous
| We tried the mella clock with our 3.5 year old and it didn’t work for $#!t. He still ended up in our bed every night! |
Anonymous
| I have to agree for my kids, 7:30 is asking a lot and i personally wouldn't consider it reasonable. They wake between 6-6:30 so til 7 is fine but I think that's a reasonable time for a kid to be ready to get up. I also don't think it is ascribing to any assumption that parents be sleep deprived to be expected to get out of bed by 7... most professionals even without kids get up around that time. it's a pretty normal time to wake up on a weekday. On the weekend, if you want longer then turn on some tv. |
Anonymous
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I think 645/7 is reasonable for a preschooler personally. If he’s awake 45 mins feels like a long time to stay in his room.
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Anonymous
| Every family is different but as a data point, our 4 year old’s hatch turns green at 7:15 on weekdays and 8 on weekends. She’s allowed to come get us then but often chooses to play instead! Around 3.5, she could start reliably following the Hatch so we started sleeping later (as does she now— she grumbles if we need to get up before 7 for any reason now). She has everything she needs in her room (toys, Tonie, books, stuffed animals, water, little potty). We use blackout shades. It’s great for rest and peace of mind. It’s typical that young kids like to get up early, but it’s by no means necessary. |
Anonymous
| You need to get up earlier. |
Anonymous
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You need an immediate consequence for leaving the room. I would at first just try a "it's too early. You need to be in your room." followed by a silent walk back, close the door. Then a silent walk back, close the door with a "if you come out again, I'm going to have to lock the door". Then a third silent walk back and lock the door. Let the kid scream, you've gotta have boundaries. Then I'd try some positive reinforcement as well. Like, a sticker on the days that he doesn't come out at all. Once he learns it's pointless, he'll give up. But you have to be on it IMMEDIATELY. If he hangs out in your room for 2 mins or gets to climb in your bed, or gets a hug, or gets a conversation from you (even if it's an argument about getting out of bed) then he'll never learn.
My kid always stuck with his clock, but the first month after we took the side off the crib to turn it into a toddler bed (when he was about 3 or 3.5) we left the side of the crib leaning against the wall in the hallway and told him if he came out before the light was green, the side was going back on. And we would have too! Finally put it away after about a month when it was clear he would listen. |
Anonymous
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Blackout curtains.
If the light is getting him up, keep the room dark. 🤷🏻♀️ |
Anonymous
| …you get up. Kids don’t fit into perfectly set schedules! |
Anonymous
I'm the 16:06 poster and YES I forgot about this. Absolutely. 100% blackout. Our kid's ok to wake light turns on at 7:45 and he stays in bed no problem until then but there is no sunlight coming in. |