How do I get my kids to sleep later in the morning?

Question

I have a one-year-old and a four-year-old. They both wake up before 6 AM -- usually 5:30 or 5:45.

They go to bed between 7 and 7:30 PM every night. They both have black out shades in their rooms. We've tried posting a "6:30 wake-up or no Wii" rule in the four-year-old's room, but it only worked for a few weeks. And, my four-year-old no longer naps, so by 4 PM, she is an emotional mess every day.

I'm exhausted! I need to sleep until 6:30 to feel well-rested. Any ideas to get them to sleep in later? HELP PLEASE!

Answer 1

Have you tried a later bedtime, maybe 8 or 8:30?

Answer 2

for some reason, I find that keeping kids up latter or skipping the nap just backfires and they end up being up at all hours of the night and get up just as early and are cranky the next day. so now keep to a strict bed time and it works wonders. I would let your 4 year old have a little nap a 3:30 and see what happens that night, he might sleep better. They do get up awful early...I feel for you. maybe have a rule that they have to stay in bed and play quietly  until 6:30, at least your 4 year old. Our 1 year old goes to bed 7:30 too, I would not go much latter than that. good luck.

Answer 3

Put them to bed later. And @ 4pm, though your 4yo doesn't nap, she should go lay down for some quiet time. Then keep them up til 8 or 8:30pm.

Otherwise adjust your sleep time.

Answer 4

Hi ya

I have just been through this with my 4 year old son, so i know how you are feeling!

What we did, and it worked really quickly, was put a baby gate at his door when he went to bed, and set an alarm for 6:30am. If he called out before then, we called back, only once, saying "Please be quiet and stay in your bed until the alarm goes off". After that you just ignore them. The first 2 days he cryed and tantrumed, but it has been working beautifuly since!!

Also, another key is to make bedtime EARLIER not later. Kids at there age need 12 hours sleep, and if shes not naping anymore, she will need that at night. Bedtime in out house is 6:30, lights out. We have a happy little boy all day as a result.

Hope this helps. Good luck!

Answer 5

You can try moving their bedtime later....8pm maybe.

You can also tell the 4 yr old to stay in bed....she can read books or do a quiet activity until 6:30. Put a digital clock in her room so she knows what time she can get up.

Also, making sure they are very active during the day helps. Plenty of exercise and outdoor play helps with sleeping.

I also give my 5 yr old a nap during the day. He doesn't sleep, but I do make him lay down for an hour every afternoon. He doesn't have to sleep, just lay down quietly to rest. That way he's not so cranky and emotional by the end of the day.

Answer 6

Not sure this will help, but try going to bed earlier yourself.  It looks like your little ones are early birds.  

My 15 month old has similar habits.  She's usually in bed between 7 and 7:30, and awake around 5:30.  I do find that if she stays up as she did last night until 8:15, she'll sleep in until 6 am...but I certainly won't force her to stay up if she's tired.

You can also try more calming activities in the evenings - bath, reading, board game (for the 4 year old) to encourage a slightly later bedtime with little hassle.

Good luck!