How to Keep Children From Waking Up Too Early
For most parents the pitter patter of little feet running across the bedroom floor, followed by an energetic, "Good morning!" is both adorable and distressing at the same time. If your child rises before the sun, there are a few things that you can do to keep them sleeping a little bit longer.
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Instructions
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Reduce napping. When children wake too early in the morning, it is often because they are getting too much sleep during the day. If your child still takes an afternoon nap, consider eliminating it entirely or waking them after an hour.
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Plan afternoon activities. One of the best ways to ensure your child gets a good night's sleep is to offer late afternoon and evening activities, like walks and bike rides, that will tire them out before bedtime.
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Put them to bed an hour later. If your child is waking too early, you may want to adjust their bedtime by an hour or so. Most children will stay in bed an hour later in the morning for every extra hour that they are awake in the evening.
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Set an alarm clock. Even if your child wakes before the alarm sounds, you can create a rule that they have to play quietly in their room until the music starts or buzzer goes off.
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Create a restful environment. Check to see if your child's bedding and mattress are comfortable. Install room darkening blinds if your child seems to wake up as soon as the sun rises and make sure your child's night light is not too harsh.
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Maintain a consistent bedtime routine and schedule. Make sure that your child goes to bed at the same time every evening. It is also important to create a consistent nighttime routine, to eliminate unnecessary stress in your child.
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Tips & Warnings
Talk to your pediatrician to see how much sleep your child needs during a twenty four hour period and adjust nap times and bedtimes accordingly.
Maintain consistent bedtime and awaking time even on the weekends. Allowing children to stay up later on the weekends (or sleep in) may cause sleep difficulty during the week.
