Is it possible for a night owl to become a morning person?

[Anonymous]

I have honestly felt one of the worst things for me since becoming a parent is morning. I am NOT a morning person. It is just tough to not only wake up before I want to but to wake up abruptly (the 2 yo little miss is a whirlwind). I like to sleep later and wake slowly to the day. Things are ok right now (only ok b/c of the weekends I want sleeping in). She sleeps until 745/800. But we are moving to her big girl bed in another week or two and everyone has me freaked out that she is going to start waking much earlier. Having thought those days were behind me, I am freaking out.

So, I guess my questions are can I ever become a morning person? Can mornings ever be easier? Any recovered night owls?
I truly can barely function in the morning and wake up pissed off b/c I'm up and up so abruptly. I try to be as pleasant as I can but it is hard.

As a tangent, anyone who had kids maintain their sleep schedule after the big bed transition?

[Anonymous]

i'm still suffering and my dd is 4. i never really reformed. i was just miserable often. i tried everything--including prescription sleep aids--to try to switch. imho, the best shot you have is

1. no caffeine ever
2. forcing yourself to the same early to bed, early to rise schedule for EVERY single day

[Anonymous]

Same situation, but my oldest is 6. I manage better now than I did a few years ago (my kids sleep better at night, and maybe I need less sleep as I get older!). But given the chance, i.e. a grandparent around to play with the kids in the morning, I go back to my old ways in an instant.

[Anonymous]

This is why whatever deity in which you believe invented weekends. You keep some snacks in cabinets down low, send them off to the playroom, and sleep in. My parents did this when I was a kid basically, oh, for forever. I have many fond memories of eating icecream for breakfast and watching Saturday morning cartoons when I was a kid. It being the modern age, my kids can't turn on the plasma and the cable without help, so they do dramatic play in the playroom instead, and eat multigrain fruit and granola bars.

It is possible to adjust but I find that any little set back can easily knock you off your morning game if you realy are a nightowl (DH and I both qualify).

[Anonymous]

Trust me (OP here) I am looking forward to that, PP. But she is too and still too young, imo (in another year, maybe). Also, she's a bit clingy now and would know where I was/would want me.

Thanks for the commiseration all. I was hoping for a magic cure-all.

Any of your kids NOT wake earlier or stick to napping when moved to the bigger bed??

[Anonymous]

Yes! Before kids, I was a serious night owl. I never went to bed before 12, 12:30 and I didn't get out of bed until 8am. Kids changed that. They have an early bedtime and wake up early (6:30ish). So I learned to go to be earlier. It took a long time, but I now usually go to bed around 10 which is when I used to get my second wind. And, I wake up at 5:30 to get a run in before the kids are up and at em'! It took a long time, like four years, but it can be done.

[Anonymous]

I'm with you OP and not I have not found the solution and it is very high on the list of things I would change about myself if I could. I am torn between wanting my kids to sleep in (for my comfort) v. not wanting them to because I don't want them to be night owls.

That said, here has what has worked for me -- my kids get up between 7:45 and 8:45 and I've been told I'm very "lucky." Room relatively dark (no black out shades, but it has shades).

Milk in bottom shelf of fridge -- at 3 son learned how to get up, get it himself and take it back to bed and often this is what he needs to go back to sleep for another hour. He knows he can't get it until it's light out so I'll often hear him at 6:30 or 7 going into get the milk. This is much preferred to what he used to do which is was come into our room whining. Prior to this we used to just give him the milk in his crib at 6:00 or so and he'd often fall right back to sleep.

Finally, my kids know I am slow to wake up. In the a.m. they eat breakfast with Dad and then he brings me the kids and a cup of coffee and I lay in bed with them and drink my coffee and read books with them and cuddle until 9:00 or 9:30. Almost turning me into a morning person.

[Anonymous]

OP, you will NEVER be a morning person.
Take it from a night owl. Just grope through the morning and paint a smile on your face.

[Anonymous]

I've been a night owl my whole life. The early mornings with my first were total torture. Once he was around three, I used to leave the TV on the Disney channel with the idea that maybe, just maybe, he would go downstairs and watch tv in the morning until I woke up but he would never go for that. Now he sleeps in really, really late and DC2 is up at dawn. It is somehow less painful now but I am looking forward to my old schedule someday -- sleeping from 2 a.m. to 10 a.m. is ideal.

[Anonymous]

Let me just add a positive spin to this ...

Both my kids have always been early risers, regardless of when they go to bed. We're talking up by 6:00 every single day. They also don't need a lot of sleep. I, on the other hand, do like more sleep and like to wake up slowly.

Now they are both in school and I have to say that my mornings are so much easier than my friends who have to drag their kids out of bed every morning for school. My kids have time to read and play before school and eat a leisurely breakfast. I'm also starting to appreciate the fact that they don't need tons of sleep -- homework and sports are already sucking up huge amounts of time in the evening.

So if you can make it through these early years, you might learn to love the fact that you have early risers!

[Anonymous]

OMG - you get to sleep until 7:45!! Wow - I suddenly remember a time when I thought that was early. Now, it's sleeping in.

I am not a morning person and my son is now getting up at 6am. Actually 5:50 am. It is murder. My poor son's memories of mornings with mommy will be "it's so early, mommy's so tired". We actually heard him tell his stuffed animal the other day "I love you, but I'm too tired to play right now"

I love my son to death, but what I miss most is not only sleeping until I actually wake up naturally, but being able to go down in my PJs and leisurely drink a cup of coffee. Only 16 more years and he's off to college right?

Why aren't I in bed?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm with you OP and not I have not found the solution and it is very high on the list of things I would change about myself if I could. I am torn between wanting my kids to sleep in (for my comfort) v. not wanting them to because I don't want them to be night owls.

That said, here has what has worked for me -- my kids get up between 7:45 and 8:45 and I've been told I'm very "lucky." Room relatively dark (no black out shades, but it has shades).

Milk in bottom shelf of fridge -- at 3 son learned how to get up, get it himself and take it back to bed and often this is what he needs to go back to sleep for another hour. He knows he can't get it until it's light out so I'll often hear him at 6:30 or 7 going into get the milk. This is much preferred to what he used to do which is was come into our room whining. Prior to this we used to just give him the milk in his crib at 6:00 or so and he'd often fall right back to sleep.

Finally, my kids know I am slow to wake up. In the a.m. they eat breakfast with Dad and then he brings me the kids and a cup of coffee and I lay in bed with them and drink my coffee and read books with them and cuddle until 9:00 or 9:30. Almost turning me into a morning person.

OMG. Your DH not only gets up, but feeds the kids and brings you coffee in bed. I've never been a marriage wrecker, but I may just have to try to steal your husband

[Anonymous]

I stopped watching TV and got rid of cable.It would keep me up too late.

[Anonymous]

Oh i hear you. I work as a nanny and intentionally only work evening hours. I've already decided when I have kids I want a nanny every day from 7/8am until noon!

Assuming morning help isn't an option for you I'd say try giving up caffeine. Don't eat past 9/10pm (at all..even snacks). Exercise early in the day (chasing kids not included in this!) and force yourself to bed early (midnight or earlier) every single night. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

I wish! Night owl, who knows she should be sleeping right now, and is instead hanging here aimlessly....