Getting Kids out of Bed

Wakie, wakie, eggs and bakie! Parents use a ton of creative ways to get kids out of bed in the morning. From the smell of a yummy breakfast to goofy and fun morning routines, parents and kids continue to wage the age old getting-out-of-bed battle in homes across the world. Here are some tips to make mornings easier for you and your child.

Bedtime Routine

One of the most important elements to getting your kids out of bed each morning is a sound bedtime routine. Whether you're dealing with preschoolers or kindergartners, making sure that your child gets enough sleep is key to getting him out of bed. After all, you probably growl at the rising sun too if you haven't gotten enough shut eye. Make sure that your child goes to bed at roughly the same time every night and that he arises at about the same time every morning (yes, even on weekends and vacations). A good bedtime/wake routine helps the body adjust and actually promotes good sleep. Make bedtime fun by creating a bedtime routine chart to set your expectations of what your child should do each night.

Morning Routine

Kids who seem to drag themselves out of bed every morning can make things harder on everyone. If you have to repeatedly return to your child's room to wake him up or make sure that he hasn't drifted back to the land of nod, you're likely to be unable to do what you need to do to get out the door. If Junior doesn't bound out of bed at the first call, you may need to initiate a 15-minute rule, as in bedtime the night before is 15 minutes earlier for every time you have to re-wake him.

Big Kid Morning Routines

Preschool and kindergarten-aged kids can get themselves out of bed. There are several fun alarm clocks on the market (including the ingenious "wakie, wakie…" alarm) that may inspire your child to rise and shine. Shop for the clock together and help him set the alarm each and every night. Of course, you'll have to double check to make sure that the alarm works, but kids who use alarms learn responsibility.

Morning Fun for Kids

Mornings are often so busy that kids and parents have little time to interact beyond a quick kiss before running out the door. But, if you can manage just five minutes each morning at wake-up time, your child may actually look forward to sunup. Parents who initiate a fun morning wakeup routine not only get to spend some quality morning time with their kids, but they give little ones something to actually look forward to in the A.M.

If All Else Fails with a Morning Routine…

Some kids just aren't morning people. No matter how hard you try or how imaginative you become, some kids are just absolute morning monsters. These kids may respond to behavior modification methods such as charting. Work with your child to make a fun routine chart. Make it colorful and cut out stickers or magazine pictures to decorate. Have your little sleeper place a check mark or sticker on each day that he manages to make it out of the sack without a battle. After an agreed-upon number of successful morning wakeups, treat him to a special reward.