Waking up in the Morning for School

Have you zeroed in on her diet ? Maybe she needs more iron and protein, which would give her more energy, and she wouldn't be quite so tired ??

Sleep needs are interesting -- I have one who used to sleep 10 hours per night, even in high school, and our youngest gets about 6 to 7 hours, and I can't convince her that 8 would be better. She has just NEVER slept well.

The only other thing I can suggest is really wierd -- try waking her sooner rather than later -- give her a first call or something, allow her to rest in that in-between state, then get her up 10 to 15 minutes later. She might simply go back into a zonked sleep, but if she stays awake adn just rests, she may wake up enough while in bed to get out of bed and be more alert as she gets ready ?

Oh, yeah, there's one other idea -- my sister used to put her son to bed wearing his clothes for school the next day. He was just so un-functional in the mornings that it was easier than having a fight or hassle in the morning when she, too, needed to get out to work. She figured she could roll him out, give him food for breakfast and send him down the driveway to get on the bus -- and somewhere in the process, he'd eventually come to full alert.

I, too, was wondering if she was getting too much sleep and was going to recommend a later bedtime.

I was also going to suggest (and perhaps you already do this) getting as much ready the night before as you/she can. Pick out clothes, pack up books, etc. I don't remember too much about elem school, but in high school if I knew there was a lot to do, that made me not want to get out of bed. I didn't like being faced with so many tasks to start off the day. I wonder if she is experiencing something similar.

My kids (ages 4 and 5) are morning kids so waking up isn't our issue, but they don't want to take care of business if they don't do it as soon as they wake up. So our schedule is wake up, potty, dress, eat (I set a timer for this otherwise they will spend an hour on breakfast), brush teeth, brush hair. We start to gather backpacks and put on shoes and coats 10 minutes before they need to be out the door.

You might want to try something like posting the morning routine along with a reward/consequence system to reinforce your rules. Remind your daughter of it when she wakes. Maybe make her first task one in which she has to leave her room to get her moving. Maybe use a timer to help keep her on track. Use a firm but calm voice when talking to her in the morning.

Have you talked to her teacher? I wonder if she could impress upon your daughter about how she needs to be responsible for getting ready in the morning so she can get to school on time and what the consequences will be if she is late?

Good luck to you!

With having four kids this may not help but my six year old takes a 'power nap' when he gets home from school for about 15-30 minutes and then gets up to do his homework. His bedtime is 9 pm but he usually lays in bed and reads before falling asleep. This is the best system for him so far!

It could be that they are getting too much sleep, try letting them go to bed at 8:00/8:30 for a week or so. If they are easier to get up in the morning...even a little bit then you know they are getting too much sleep and you will need to adjust their time a bit more. I know I am not a morning person but if I oversleep it is all but impossible for me to wake up. It has been that way my whole life. Anyway, it is a suggestion. Good luck!

Hi R.,

Have you sat down and asked her, "what are you thinking about before you get up in the morning?"

"What is the hardest thing for you?"

"What do you think needs to happent to make things right so you can get up and dress yourself for school?"

"What do you need?"

"What would you suggest to have a consequence for not getting up and dressing yourself for school?"

Work with your daughter to see how both of you can work together to make things right.

Hope this helps. D.

Hi R.,
When you find out what works with your daughter, please let me know! My 8 1/2 yr old has given us a hard time from day one when it comes to getting ready for school. She's in bed by 9 every night. Since we live literally a football field's distance from the school, we let her "sleep in" until about 7:15 in the a.m. to be at school by 8:45. The problem with our daughter isn't that she won't get up. She gets up. The problem with her is that she just will not get ready for us. We've timed her, threatened her, punished her, attempted rewarding her and even bribing her. I hate fighting in the mornings with her and try super hard not to do it, but 9/10, a fight will break out during the week...almost every morning. I've also talked to other parents at school who have daughters around ours' age and every story is the same: it's a fight to get the girls ready in the mornings. If you find something that works for you, please let me know! Best of luck!

Has she always been hard to get up, or is this a new thing? If it's new, it may be stress, and you need to find out what is bothering her.

I agree that it could be too much sleep. Try waking her up a little earlier or having her go to bed later and see if that helps.

Definitely establish a routine in the evening and morning. Maybe buy her a cute alarm clock, teach her how to turn it on and off. Put it on the other side of the room from her bed, so she has to get out of bed to turn it off.

Give her something to look forward to in the morning that she can have if she gets up willingly. Maybe let her choose her own breakfast cereal, buy her a couple of new school outfits, or let her do something fun in the morning, like read aloud to her, let her spend a short time doing a computer game, etc.

When you say you've tried rewards, how long have you tried them. You need to try it for a long enough time to see if it works, several days at least. I would also add a negative if she doesn't get up. Just make sure it is something you are willing to enforce.

One thing I do with my girls, if they don't get up or are running late, I make them get up 15 minutes earlier the next morning. They will eventually get the picture that if they get them selves up and get ready on time, they can sleep longer.

I have an 18 year old that is still hard to get up, but she finally learned, because I didn't wake her up a few mornings and she had to pay the consequences of being late to work. Now she rarely has to be told to get up.

I have a son that is the same way. I know bathing at night is traditional, but one night we just did not have time for a bath, so I bathed him in the morning and he was an entirely different child. Now we do bathes in the morning all the time. All I have to do is say sweetie your bath is ready and its going to get cold if you don't hurry up and get in there and he is up and in the tub at no time. Yes, this takes a little more time in the morning but I just let him enjoy his bath while I am getting ready and it seems to work. Some mornings we are actually out of the house faster with having to give a bath then we would be if I had to fight to get him up. Hope this helps a little.

Does she sleep well at night? My daughter is asthmatic and will spend part of the night coughing and keeping her awake. Some kids do require more sleep.
If she is in an asthma flare - I have found it best to let - or encourage her take a nap when she comes home from school - (she is now a senior in high school- so her schedule is different every day). 20 or 30 minutes can make the world of difference. She gets up at 5:30 AM each morning -- now if you can find a way to shorten her shower time and getting herself "together" we'd be great.
She is now driving to school a few days a week and those days she likes to poke around before leaving. lol

Dear R.,
There is one of two issues going on with your daughter. If she is 6.5 yrs. old and has a hard time getting up in the morning, sugar, salicylates, caffeinse or other food additives could be a problem. If she has had antibiotics more that 4 times in one year....it could be the same problem. Usually, a higher protein diet could help....using whole grains could help. If she has had antibiotics more than 4 times in one year, she has a yeast build up in her colon which is very difficult. Probiotics will help but, she has an energy loss because of the yeast buld up. Sugar, salicylates (which act like caffeine on a child) could put her system in overload (if this is a possibility, look into the Feingold Diet - it works. Food coloring, simple carbohydrates deplete her energy. Also, she could be going through a growth spirt and you might need to give her food supplements and more protein. I sell and have used Shaklee products for over 25 years and like them because they use 3rd party outsourcing for their purity and efficacy.
If this is a food sensitivity condition, you might want to contact Better Health USA 1-800-810-3902. They are very helpful and will be able to give you the test results that you need to get her on the right track, if this is a health issue.
If your daughter is playing games, maybe she just needs more of your attention. I think she might want a little more of the mother-daughter relationship - make her feel important...Saturday afternoon lunch and talking...what does she think...places she would like to go and do. Little girls are so smart....little guys are loves.... but little girls are very gifted and sensitive to you, Mom. Don't ever lose it.
Enjoy,
E.

I agree with the possibility of too much sleep... but my youngest ALWAYS hated getting up and still does at 22! Or is she really going to sleep at 7:30 and laying awake to a much later time?

Please don't ever threaten anything you are not willing to follow through on - like no more school. What will you do if she says okay? That is not an option.

Just like bedtime routines to help kids get to bed, lots of kids need morning routines to get them going. Establish a morning routine. Turn on the light and give her 10 minutes. Then out of bed, eat breakfast, brush teeth, get dressed, make bed, etc. Because she is in first grade create the routine with her and approach it as problem solving. She needs to part of the solution or it won't work. Tell her it is something she will have to do forever - get up and get going whether it is school or a job. You need her help in solving the problem. Then hold her to it. Write the routine out so she can check it off. You will need to support her for a while, then once you wake her up eventually the rest should come along.

Best of luck.

Some of my daughters are the same way. There is not much i do but reminders every few minutes to get out of bed. I know that is not much help. What i really wanted to tell you was i am the same way. I have never been a morning person. I truly think you cannot grow out of it. My daughters and i would sleep all day if we could. (not goo, i know) I always admire the people that can pop up and be cheery :)

Have you tried the "pre-waking" technique show on Supernanny? My son is 6 and it was a real struggle to get him UP this year when he started first grade. What I do is go in to the room, put a light on, gently wake him & tell him it's time to get up. Then I leave the room. I go back in 10 minutes. Usually he's awake by then & I just need to get him OUT of bed...using this has made my mornings go much smoother. He, too, hates to dress himself. Still don't know what to do about that. I only have one to get ready though.