Daughter Will Need to Get up SUPER Early This Year Before School!!

Start the early schedule now and gradually work into it. My daughter, who is divorced, had to be a work AT 6 AM, so she had to get up really early to get dressed and my grandson ready for daycare. Daycare dropped him off at school. She got off at 3 each day, but he did not get home from school until after 4 and came home so tired. She started putting him to bed at 7:30 after supper and a warm bath. She got all of his clean clothes, and back pack organized with homework etc the night before. His clothes were easy to mix and match as well as white socks. It has worked out fine for them and helps to keep all of their stuff (purse, backpack, jackets ) by the front door!

Believe me I feel your pain.
My daughter has been getting up about 645 for hte past 5 years - I would drop her off right around the corner from the house and head off to work. Her daycare was wonderful and fed a hot breakfast and a wonderful balanced lunch along with promoting brushing teeth after each meal..... - now however, she starts kindergarten in two weeks and I have to still be at work NLT 730 - Her new schoolopens at 700am and I will be dropping her off - she will eat breakfast at our house because I dont think she will want to eat at the school... - in order to get her to eat breakfast I have already started her routine - I wake her up at 6am - turn her TV on in her bedroom and bring her breakfast in bed. She eats, drinks and wakes up to her cartoons. She sets her clothes out the night before so all she has to do is get dressed and brush her teeth.
We have been working on it for the last 2 weeks - and she is doing really good. I have to admit it helps me as well... I get up earlier and find time to get on my Gazelle for a quick workout in the morning while I watch the news and I fix her pickup snack and my lunch for work. I find it saves me time, gets me more organized and I feel better...
I will say though -I didnt start her at 6am - I slowly built her into it by turning the her wake up time back 15 minutes each week to let her get at least semi-adjusted.
Good luck - and have faith in your daughter - with a bit on encouragement she will handle it with flying colors.
I told my girl momma needed her help to get things done in the morning - if she could get herself ready momma could get everything else ready. I have also encouraged chores - small ones around hte house for the evening - like sheputs her dishes in the sink and feeds the cat and helps keep her own room clean and brushes her teeth at night without momma having to tell her too... and she has an alarm at night that says its time to get ready for bed....

I agree with Karen start now working on that earlier morning routine... Put up some black out shades (I always used a quilt) in her room, cause it will be really bright at night. She may need to make her goal get in bed at 7:30 so that she is actually asleep by 8:00. A sound machine will help block outside noises.. like other children still playing..

In the afternoon, she is going to be wiped out. Will she have time to rest? Cause then she will also need to get her homework done and you will need to work on spelling words with her. When you pick up your daughter on Monday afternoons, be excited about hearing "what are this weeks words?!!!" Have her call them out to you in the car..Make mistakes so she can correct you.
Maybe make spelling words a fun time by using "scrabble letters", "Doodle pad", "Bathtub paint" chalk board, as well as the usual just calling them out. ..I used to prepare dinner and my daughter would sit in the kitchen while I called them out to her..

Also have her lay out her clothing.. Try to only purchase one color socks in the future so she does not worry about not having matching socks.

For lunches, try to decide on the weekends when she will be eating at school and when will she take lunches. Have her decide what she wants and have her make her own lunches the night before.

Keep all of her school stuff next to the front door. We had a bench for our daughter. She kept her lunch box and back pack there, Her jacket, sweater also, all through the school year. I also made her responsible for giving me all of the correspondence from school. I taped all of the schedules to the inside of our front door. It was the best way for all of us to keep up with all of it.

Keep all of those envelopes that come with junk mail to use to send money or correspondence back to the school.. I just scratched out the info on the front and always wrote my daughters name, teachers name and what the money or note was for.. I made sure my daughter knew it was up to her to get that back to school.

My mom worked and actually left early and before us, so we had to get up extra early too. We adjusted, it just made us more organized.

That is a tough schedule for a little girl. I would see if there are any neighbors who would be willing to have you leave your girl with them before school, and she can ride to school with them. If you pay them, it would be a beneficial arrangement, and easier on your daughter.

My husband and I both have to be at work very early. Our daughter (2 1/2) usually gets up between 5:00-5:30am and is at the daycare by 6:00am. Granted, she does get to take a nap while at daycare, but she'll still be on this schedule when she starts school in a few years. I think your daughter will be fine... She may be a little tired the first few days, but I think she'll adjust. Good luck! :)

Hi A.-

My only suggestion is to start her on the new routine now rather than waiting for school to start. Whatever time she is waking up now, start waking her up 15-30 minutes earlier each morning until she is getting up at her new time. Also, each childs needs for sleep are different however, my son has gone to bed at 8 in both K and 1st grade and woke up at 7. If he needed to be up at 6 (or perhaps earlier) to be to daycare by 6:30 he would have to go to bed at 7:00 or 7:30 at least.

Good luck,
K.