How to Get Your Children up in the Morning
Enforce a routine., Adjust their sleep schedule., Get organized., Be encouraging during the wake-up process itself., Try moving breakfast to the car., Remove the arguments over clothes., Let them experience consequences for being stubborn.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Enforce a routine.
The most important thing for getting a child up and out of the house as quickly as possible in the morning is to make whatever you do a routine.
The child should be able to expect exactly what will happen and when.
They should be able to do things in the exact same order that they are used to doing them in.
This will keep them focused on what they’re doing and reduce the resistance that they put up.
If your child is old enough to talk, get them involved in planning the routine.
Ask them about what they need to do in the morning and how they think they should get ready.
This should open them up to the idea of a routine. -
Step 2: Adjust their sleep schedule.
One way to make your mornings less rushed is to adjust your child’s sleeping schedule.
Put them to sleep earlier and wake them up earlier.
This will buy you extra time in the morning so that you can more easily get them ready.
You can also try getting them up later and move your wake-up time a little earlier.
This will allow you to get completely ready before they even wake up.
Then you can completely focus on keeping the on track and helping them through their own morning routine.
Keep in mind that kids need more sleep than adults.
Kids should get at least 10 hours of sleep until they reach age
12.After age 12, they can be gradually reduced to an adult-style sleep schedule. , Organization is your best friend when it comes to getting your kids out the door in the morning.
The more organized you are, the less you’ll be running around like a chicken with your head cut off.
One great time-saver is to start getting as many things ready the night before.
This lets you just grab items and go and also cuts down on forgotten items.
Prepare backpacks with all homework and books, lunchboxes, breakfast, shoes and coats before bed and have them waiting at the door (with food items in the fridge).
Making a checklist can help a lot too.
Put a big list on the front door of all of the standard things that everyone needs to do to get ready in the morning.
Add a white board where people can write down special items that are outside the norm (like a class project or extra diapers). , However well-prepared your child is, waking up can be difficult, especially if your child is getting used to a newly enforced routine.
When it comes to your actual "first contact" in the morning, try a variety of techniques to see what your child responds to best:
Set an alarm clock.
It should have a noticeable ring, but not deafening.
Set it for the time they need to get up and put it by their bed.
Shake them a bit and say, "Rise and shine.
Time to get up!" or something like that.
Use their name and mention something specific (and ideally fun) that is going to happen that day, like an activity in a particular class.
Turn on a television or a radio loud enough that the talk will interrupt their sleep (but not so loud that its going to hurt their ears or annoy the neighbors).
Flick the lights on and off a few times (maybe even to the tune of a song).
Pull the cover off of them.
Help them out of bed, gently.
Remind them about breakfast.
Say "breakfast is on the table," and if possible offer a desired food. , Your kids need to eat breakfast but if your morning rush makes it hard to get them fed in time, try moving eating breakfast to the car.
This will force them to sit still while they eat and also buy you more time in the morning.
Just make sure to choose foods that are healthy and travel-friendly.
Try a piece of whole grain toast spread with a light amount of peanut butter (to avoid drips).
Place dried apricots on one side and then fold into a half-sandwich.
Serve it to them with a to-go cup of low-fat milk.
Another good breakfast option is the all-in-one muffin.
Add small chunks of scrambled egg, cooked bacon, and shreds of cheese to any cornbread muffin mix.
Bake as directed.
These are easy to just grab on the way out of the house if you make a batch for the whole week each Sunday. , A huge time sink in getting your child ready in the morning is the battle over what to wear.
There are two ways to deal with this.
If your child is older, simply move the choosing of the day’s outfit to the night before.
Have them pick out what they’re going to wear just before bedtime and enforce wearing that outfit when it’s time to get dressed.
If you have a younger child, give them the choice between two options in what they wear when you’re getting them dressed (the “choice” should cut down on arguments).
Don’t bend and give them any third option: they’re looking to gain the upper hand and control the situation so you need to communicate that that’s not going to happen.
You can also let small children throw together whatever crazy outfit they want to put on.
Stipulate only that it has to be appropriate to the weather. , Your toddler doesn’t want to put on their coat.
Your 10 year old doesn’t want to eat breakfast.
These are the common battles of every parent trying to get out of the house in the morning.
Instead of wasting a bunch of time fighting your child, let them experience consequences for these bad choices.
A little cold and a little hunger won’t hurt them, but it will help them learn that they suffer when they don’t do these basic things.
For example, let’s say your four year old doesn’t want to put on his shoes in the morning.
Let him walk out to the car without his shoes (sneaking an extra pair of socks into your purse).
His feet will get wet and he’ll be upset, very quickly learning that it’s better to put shoes on the suffer through the usual morning car ride with wet, cold feet. -
Step 3: Get organized.
-
Step 4: Be encouraging during the wake-up process itself.
-
Step 5: Try moving breakfast to the car.
-
Step 6: Remove the arguments over clothes.
-
Step 7: Let them experience consequences for being stubborn.
Detailed Guide
The most important thing for getting a child up and out of the house as quickly as possible in the morning is to make whatever you do a routine.
The child should be able to expect exactly what will happen and when.
They should be able to do things in the exact same order that they are used to doing them in.
This will keep them focused on what they’re doing and reduce the resistance that they put up.
If your child is old enough to talk, get them involved in planning the routine.
Ask them about what they need to do in the morning and how they think they should get ready.
This should open them up to the idea of a routine.
One way to make your mornings less rushed is to adjust your child’s sleeping schedule.
Put them to sleep earlier and wake them up earlier.
This will buy you extra time in the morning so that you can more easily get them ready.
You can also try getting them up later and move your wake-up time a little earlier.
This will allow you to get completely ready before they even wake up.
Then you can completely focus on keeping the on track and helping them through their own morning routine.
Keep in mind that kids need more sleep than adults.
Kids should get at least 10 hours of sleep until they reach age
12.After age 12, they can be gradually reduced to an adult-style sleep schedule. , Organization is your best friend when it comes to getting your kids out the door in the morning.
The more organized you are, the less you’ll be running around like a chicken with your head cut off.
One great time-saver is to start getting as many things ready the night before.
This lets you just grab items and go and also cuts down on forgotten items.
Prepare backpacks with all homework and books, lunchboxes, breakfast, shoes and coats before bed and have them waiting at the door (with food items in the fridge).
Making a checklist can help a lot too.
Put a big list on the front door of all of the standard things that everyone needs to do to get ready in the morning.
Add a white board where people can write down special items that are outside the norm (like a class project or extra diapers). , However well-prepared your child is, waking up can be difficult, especially if your child is getting used to a newly enforced routine.
When it comes to your actual "first contact" in the morning, try a variety of techniques to see what your child responds to best:
Set an alarm clock.
It should have a noticeable ring, but not deafening.
Set it for the time they need to get up and put it by their bed.
Shake them a bit and say, "Rise and shine.
Time to get up!" or something like that.
Use their name and mention something specific (and ideally fun) that is going to happen that day, like an activity in a particular class.
Turn on a television or a radio loud enough that the talk will interrupt their sleep (but not so loud that its going to hurt their ears or annoy the neighbors).
Flick the lights on and off a few times (maybe even to the tune of a song).
Pull the cover off of them.
Help them out of bed, gently.
Remind them about breakfast.
Say "breakfast is on the table," and if possible offer a desired food. , Your kids need to eat breakfast but if your morning rush makes it hard to get them fed in time, try moving eating breakfast to the car.
This will force them to sit still while they eat and also buy you more time in the morning.
Just make sure to choose foods that are healthy and travel-friendly.
Try a piece of whole grain toast spread with a light amount of peanut butter (to avoid drips).
Place dried apricots on one side and then fold into a half-sandwich.
Serve it to them with a to-go cup of low-fat milk.
Another good breakfast option is the all-in-one muffin.
Add small chunks of scrambled egg, cooked bacon, and shreds of cheese to any cornbread muffin mix.
Bake as directed.
These are easy to just grab on the way out of the house if you make a batch for the whole week each Sunday. , A huge time sink in getting your child ready in the morning is the battle over what to wear.
There are two ways to deal with this.
If your child is older, simply move the choosing of the day’s outfit to the night before.
Have them pick out what they’re going to wear just before bedtime and enforce wearing that outfit when it’s time to get dressed.
If you have a younger child, give them the choice between two options in what they wear when you’re getting them dressed (the “choice” should cut down on arguments).
Don’t bend and give them any third option: they’re looking to gain the upper hand and control the situation so you need to communicate that that’s not going to happen.
You can also let small children throw together whatever crazy outfit they want to put on.
Stipulate only that it has to be appropriate to the weather. , Your toddler doesn’t want to put on their coat.
Your 10 year old doesn’t want to eat breakfast.
These are the common battles of every parent trying to get out of the house in the morning.
Instead of wasting a bunch of time fighting your child, let them experience consequences for these bad choices.
A little cold and a little hunger won’t hurt them, but it will help them learn that they suffer when they don’t do these basic things.
For example, let’s say your four year old doesn’t want to put on his shoes in the morning.
Let him walk out to the car without his shoes (sneaking an extra pair of socks into your purse).
His feet will get wet and he’ll be upset, very quickly learning that it’s better to put shoes on the suffer through the usual morning car ride with wet, cold feet.
About the Author
Jeffrey Thomas
Committed to making lifestyle accessible and understandable for everyone.
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