HELP! Getting kids up for school AND to sleep early.

[Bren]

HI,

I just got a call from the school bus garage & DD11 is scheduled to catch the bus at 6:30 a.m. :help: . This child is NOT my morning child either....she is a slow starter (and so am I :santalol: ). DH may be able to take her in the morning, but she would still need to be up at 6:30 (which is a far cry better than out at the bus stop that time of morning). We started making the kids go to bed at 9:00 last week. DD is having a hard time falling asleep. Any tips? Do we just need to get in the routine? We have always been able to transition before school starts, but this is a drastic difference & school starts 8/18. DH woke her up this a.m. at 6:30, but she didn't make it out the bed until 7:10 (after many tears & grumblings on both our parts :thud: ). Any suggestions ? This middle school stuff is a whole new ball game for us. We live so close to the elementary school that the bus pick up is 8:35, so this a huge change.

BTW, DS8 gets up every day at 6:45 & is raring to go. I just stare at him in astonishment through my bleary half asleep eyes.

TIA for any input,

Bren :flower:

 

[teachermomof2]

What is the routine before bed? We try to have a quiet hour before bed. Shower/bath, snack, tv, read. Then it's to bed at 9. Does she have a lot to do in the morning?

We always lay everything out the night before, right down to socks and shoes, so we can just grab and go.

Are you waking her up now at the early time? That may help if she's not sleeping at 9. Then she can get into the sleep and waking routine.

Good luck,
Lisa

 

[Bren]

Lisa,

We have dinner, she takes a shower & we watch t.v./relax until 9:00, then it's off to bed. You may be on to something there...maybe I could have her go to her room a little earlier. She likes to do crossword puzzles with me, so maybe that would be more relaxing than t.v.

We do everything we can the night before...clothes laid out, table set for breakfast (and breakfast meal decided on), her lunch is packed except for the sandwich which I make while she gets ready. We keep the backpacks loaded by the door with any coats, umbrellas and school papers that need to be returned. Basically she needs to get up, eat, dress, brush her hair & teeth then she should be set to go. She does not wear make-up & isn't into doing her hair beyond brushing it out, so no dawdling due to vanity....I'm sure that will arrive around age 13 :rotflol: .

Today was our first day of waking her at 6:30. We did not know until yesterday just how early the bus schedule was. She has been getting up around 7:30-8:00 all summer. Since we started with the absolute 9:00 bedtime last week she has been getting up at 7:00-7:30. My youngest was sick last week so my plans to get her up didn't work so well. I was crashing with my sick son who had been up most the night several nights in a row. Hopefully the time we have left will be more productive & she will get in the groove.

Bren :flower:

 

[Ahorsesoul]

No pop or tea with caffeine. If she is having trouble falling to sleep, stop all drinks and medications with caffeine for a few weeks to see if that helps. She made need more sleep and an earlier bedtime. Too bad if the other kids stay up later, they get up on time. Keep the same bedtime and wake up times on the weekends.

You've done a great job of having their routines in place. Your kids are lucky to have you as their mother.

 

[luludou]

When my teens were a little bit younger (they are now 17 and 15 and now it's a bit harder), they went to bed at 9 and they had 15 minutes to read. They get up at 6:00 in the morning (we have to drive to the bus stop at 6:40).

 

[Cathymac]

My boys like to read or listen to a cd at bedtime...we let them read for 15 minutes or so, then it's lights out...with music low. Some kids can't sleep with any distractions, but it seems to work for ours. I used to do the same thing when I was a kid.

A friend just told me that she has been eating a few walnuts before bedtime...something in them is a natural sleep aid. She has fibromyalgia, so it's important for her to get plenty of rest...and the walnuts help. Her sister makes them into a "snack mix" with some cereal pieces, dried fruit and the nuts. She eats a small handful-probably a 1/4 cup or so-just before bed and sleeps like a rock, according to her. If nut allergies are not an issue, it might be worth a try!

 

[Ahorsesoul]

I'll have to try some walnuts. Sounds interesting.

 

[Grammyk]

The last pitcher of tea I make is drank at supper time. It is sleepy time de-caff. We are drinking it on ice now, but will be drinking it hot this winter. DH has to be at work an hour away at 5:45am, so bedtime is a real big deal at our house. Also, we keep lights low or off after supper, TV is turned down, so everyone has to set still to hear it. Good Luck.

 

[Jessica]

When I was in MS/HS, I always went to sleep with my radio on, which helped a lot!

So this is going to sound NUTS, but it works.... when I was in MS I was telling my teach that I couldn't stay awake, because I couldn't go to sleep the night before and was having problems going to sleep. Know what she said???? Tell your body to go to sleep.. (I know what you are thinking!) She started lie really still in bed...start with your toes...in your mind keep telling them to relax and go to sleep, you'll start to feel them really relaxing, move up to your legs, do the same thing, and continue to move your body. Chances are by the time you reach your waist/tummy your knocked out! :grin:

 

[InstantMom]

There is a great article on this topic on the Sept issue of Family Circle - just read it today. Bren, you sound like you have a great routine set-up - here are two hints that I picked up that might be helpful:

1. Make sure that your child is getting plenty of physical activity in the afternoon so their bodies actually feel tired when it's time for bed.

2. Offer bedtime snacks with L-tryptophan like cheese, bananas, or milk (I believe this is the protein that induces the annual turkey coma after Thanksgiving dinner).

Good luck - we'll be starting back to school next week and getting up at 6:30 a.m., so I do feel your pain!

 

[KimD]

We went thru this a couple of years ago. When we moved all my kids had to get on the bus/walk to school an hour earlier. Due to where we live my dd has to leave 10 mins before my younger kids get on thier bus. She starts school an hour before they do.

Things we did.
All have the same bed time.
DD gets up an 1/2 hour before other kids
We moved showers and baths to mornings it seems to wake them up easier.
Eating breakfast before getting ready for school
Mom be up way before them. (Not too easy since I tend to be a late sleeper.)

Towards the middle of the school year it was DD waking up way before me and telling me to get my butt out of bed she was already showered dressed and had breakfast.

You just have to remember the first few months will be hard on all but it does get easier. There were lots of mornings that I had to take dd to school so she wouldn't be late at the beginning and its only a 3 min. walk to the Jr. High since it is right next door to us. Its just walking across the sports field to get there. I will have to remind myself that next year when I have one in highschool that is a 10 min walk and one in the Jr. High. :rotflol:

 

[LadyEvenstar]

My DD8 finds help falling asleep at night with white noise such as a fan or window air conditioner. When the weather doesn not allow for that she uses nature sounds (the ocean, forest sounds, etc.) set to a low level. It seems to help her relax. I thought it was crazy when she asked for it but it really seems to work for her.

 

[Ahorsesoul]

I agree about the noise machine. I sleep with a fan going year around to cover up the house noise.

 

[Twinkle]

With DD starting Kindergarten- she will be getting up the same time BUT she is going to go from a 2 hour nap (which she sleeps most the time) at school to no nap and I am switching from being at work at 9 to 6 am- I told my husband both of us will be falling asleep early the first few months.

 

[HouseElf]

I have never understood why, when research has proven it not to be beneficial, high school starts often earlier then the elementary day. Teen’s body rhythms biologically change subtly during this time - they begin to stay up later and sleep in longer. With the sleep needed for 13 to 19 year olds being about 9 hours, we are fighting a difficult battle!

Some things that helps my teens:

1. Keep the room DARK when they are to be sleeping, not even an LED glow allowed. This helps the body produce its natural melatonin and sleep rhythm.
2. No electronics two hours before bed, and never in the bedroom! This allows the brain to do two things, begins to relax and become less stimulated, and makes a strong association of “sleep” to the bedroom, not “play”.
3. When it is morning, the room needs to be bright, turn on the lights!
4. Lay everything out the night before, everything packed in backpacks and ready to run out the door.

Good luck.
:leprechaun:

 

[Bren]

Thank you all for the wonderful advice & tips! She made it up today at 6:35 with no complaining (using her own alarm), so hopefully she will be ready to go by Monday. Getting up earlier is resetting her night time clock to be tired & fall asleep at 9:00. I am making note of the walnut snack for myself :haha: .

Having all you mom's who are going through the same thing or have "been there done that" is very comforting :grouphug: . Now can someone please tell me that she is going to be just fine her first day of middle school? I feel like I am sending her off to Kindergarten all over again :frown: :thud: :frown: . We just went to the open house last night & all her friends are in another class...I know she will make new friends, but I feel so sad for her. I am trying to remain positive & low key & so far she doesn't seem to be freaked out :flower: .

Bren :rnament:

 

[Ahorsesoul]

When my dd went to her first day of school, she had to ride the bus, parents weren't allowed. It seemed rather mean at the time but it did set the tone for the rest of her life. She could do scrary things without mom.