Difficult Awakenings: How to Wake Up Your Child

It can be a challenge to wake up your child in the morning. The best way is to be patient, say nice words, and cuddle them.

Waking up the kids in the morning can become a real chore for moms. Every morning that your child has to get up early, whether it’s for school, daycare, or to stay with a family member before you leave for work, it’s a challenge for you. Consequently, waking your child up in a pleasant way, without provoking complaints or a bad temper, is quite a feat. Here’s the step-by-step guide on how to wake up your child.

Most children have a hard time waking up, especially if they didn’t get enough sleep during the night. Therefore, it’s very important to be patient and loving. In addition, creating routines and good habits will improve the quality of their sleep and help them wake up with a good attitude the next morning. Take note of these recommendations!

Why is it hard for children to wake up?

If it’s often hard for adults to get out of bed, then it should be no surprise that it’s just as hard for children, if not harder, as they need much more time to move from sleep to reality. However, a good awakening is preceded by proper rest. To achieve this, you must establish routines that allow your child to get enough sleep. This way, the next day, they’ll start the day immediately and in good spirits. On the other hand, if they’re too lazy when they get up, they’re probably not getting the sleep they need.

According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM), a child between the ages of 1 and 12 should sleep 10 to 14 hours during the day and night (including naps). Therefore, it’s essential for little ones to get enough hours of sleep.

Good habits for your child to sleep well

Applying routines and including healthy habits will contribute to making it easier to wake up your child the next day. Here are some tips that you can apply.

Put your child to bed early

Going to bed early should be a priority for the whole family. If the child sees their parents go to bed early at night, they’ll do it too, and without complaining because they’ll take this on as a routine.

Maintain daily routines

In the same way, having a set time to wake up, eat, nap, and do homework will help to make both bedtime and waking up your child easier. Teach your child to implement nighttime routines such as the following:

1. Eating dinner
2. Brushing teeth
3. Reading a story
4. Going to bed

Also, encourage them to have their school bag and uniform ready so they won’t be in such a rush in the mornings.

Limit cell phone use

Using cell phones or tablets at night makes it difficult for children to fall asleep easily. The reason is that the light glare prevents the activation of melatonin, which is the sleep hormone. Therefore, limit the time your child spends in front of screens in the hours close to bedtime.

Buy an alarm clock

Buying an alarm clock for your child that will wake them up in a pleasant way will be a very good option to wake up your child easily. Be sure to place it at a distance where they have to get out of bed to turn it off. There are many models on the market, such as alarm clock lamps with radios and harmonious melodies to make waking up more pleasant.

A step-by-step guide to help you wake up your child

It is a mistake to wake up your child abruptly, as well as to give him/her more time to continue sleeping. For example, shouting, turning on the light suddenly or removing the sheets will only make your child more irritable.

If your child has a difficult awakening, the best thing to do is to caress him, cuddle him and talk to him nicely. Here is a step-by-step guide to wake him up.

1. Gently caress him

The best way to wake your up child is to talk to them nicely and caress them gently. Call them softly and whisper a few words in their ear to make them more willing to get up and in a better mood. Children need calmness and serenity to start the day.

2. Tell him you have a surprise for him

The second step to waking up your child is to speak nice words to them. A good option is to tell them that you have a surprise in store for them when they come home from school. Tell them that you’ll give them a prize for doing well and for getting up early to go to school.

3. Remind them that they have a big day ahead of them

Another trick that can be very helpful is to remind your child that they have a big day ahead of them. If there’s a special event at school, we should mention it to them so that they’re more inclined to get up. Talk to them about that game they have at school, the ballet class they like, and the delicious breakfast you prepared for them that’s waiting for them in the kitchen.

4. Let light into the room

Letting a little sunlight into the room will make the child feel better. Remember that biological rest is synchronized with sunlight, so this will help them wake up more easily. You can turn on the lamp in the room, but not abruptly. First, talk to them gently as we’ve already indicated.

5. Carry them in your arms

If, after having applied all the options to wake up your child, they still don’t want to get out of bed, you can cuddle them, hug them, and carry them in your arms. You can even “piggyback” them to the bathroom to get washed up and brush their teeth. This, besides cheering them up, will put them in a good mood at the moment.

On how to wake up your child in the morning…

In this article, we’ve given you some of the tools you need to know so that your child wakes up peacefully and on time every morning. Showing your love, hugging them, caressing them, talking to them nicely, and making him feel protected will always be your best options to make your little one wake up early and in a good mood.