How much BEFORE your alarm clock to your kids wake you?

amother

Seafoam

Fri, Aug 12 2016, 10:16 am

kids wake me 2 hours before my alarm rings. I give them books and drinks, take them to bathroom and still they whine and fight.

it's so hard to be up at 6 when I don't have to be up before 8. what else can I do??

Stars

Fri, Aug 12 2016, 10:19 am

2-3 hours depending on the morning. We just play in my bed or more recently on the couch and then we have breakfast together.

flowerpower

Fri, Aug 12 2016, 10:23 am

Thats your life now. Get used to it. My kids used to wake between 4:30 and 6:00. It was hard. Now they don't wake me and occupy themselves. Age makes a difference.

HonesttoGod

Fri, Aug 12 2016, 10:30 am

I don't HAVE an alarm clock anymore.
Pointless to have it ring when my kids have been bouncing on my head for 2 hours.
They usually wake up between 5 and 6. Some days they need me up with thme other days they let me sleep until 7.

sky

Fri, Aug 12 2016, 10:42 am

No alarm clock here - but nursing baby and a bunch of kids climb into my bed every morning.
b'h I'm able to dose in and out of sleep while they jump around, hold the baby, fight, pick out their clothing and ask for advice. It for sure equals to an additional half hour of sleep every morning.

amother

Periwinkle

Fri, Aug 12 2016, 11:01 am

I don't even bother with an alarm anymore. It's not fun. I give my kids videos in the morning, don't care anymore what the experts says. I get my sleep, they're still precocious and brilliant, so it can't be that bad.

Tzutzie

Fri, Aug 12 2016, 11:06 am

I do set my alarm for the occasional suprise sleep in. But on most days my kids dance to the music of the alarm fully dresses and already eaten.....
They get up between 6 and 7. They are 3 yo and 17 mo.
My baby still wakes up twoce a night on average.
They go to sleep at 7:30. (I should move it back to 6:30 as they wake up the same time and are craycray mid day)
Pink fridge. How did you survive?????

amother

Seafoam

Fri, Aug 12 2016, 11:10 am

I'm so proud of you mamas that handle this so calmly. if I'm up two hours earlier than I need to be I tend to be more snappy and impatient. I work full time and I need my sleep.

saw50st8

Fri, Aug 12 2016, 11:25 am

If any kids are awake before me, there are big problems (but my alarm rings at 4:30).

Realistically, 8 am is too late to expect your kids to wake you up. Our rule is that kids have to be in bed until 6:30 unless they need the bathroom. If you have early risers, unless they are older, you need to be up with them.

I recommend going to bed earlier.

anonymrs

Fri, Aug 12 2016, 11:41 am

Who has alarm clocks when they have kids???

chocolatecake

Fri, Aug 12 2016, 11:51 am

My kids are my alarm clock. They get up sometime between 530-630. I am very lucky that dh watches them till he leaves the house at 650. Once Im on duty its feed breakfast run back to bed...break up a fight run back to bed...have kids jump on top of me in bed etc. Its not that its so peaceful and restful in bed but I usually dont actually start my day till 745...then I get myself up dressed etc.

amother

Wheat

Fri, Aug 12 2016, 12:22 pm

I was up very late last night preparing for shabbos and didn't have to be up till 8 but of course my kids woke me up well before that... Good thing my body is used to waking up early. I rarely sleep in anymore.

mha3484

Fri, Aug 12 2016, 12:26 pm

Usually a half an hour in either direction. I think my 5 year old has a sensor that tells him to wake up the second I go to the bathroom or take a shower.

He used to come in my bed which was a huge pain for lots of reasons so now if he wakes up early he will use the bathroom and go lay on the couch.

tichellady

Fri, Aug 12 2016, 1:47 pm

Op, how old are your kids?

gold21

Fri, Aug 12 2016, 4:48 pm

amother wrote:

I have allowed videos in the AM when I was super exhausted and needed the sleep. Works well when needed.

gold21

Fri, Aug 12 2016, 4:49 pm

saw50st8 wrote:

Most moms arent up late because theyre relaxing; theyre doing things that need to be done.

What time do u get to sleep so you can get up at 4:30?

Anyways, I dont have early-risers... the first is usually up at 7:30 AM.

amother

Black

Sun, Aug 14 2016, 7:15 am

I got my daughter a clock that lights up green at a specified time in the morning (we ahve it set for 7). From the age of 2, when she was still in a crib, she knew she couldn't call us and had to stay relatively quiet in her bed, talking or playing or singing to herself until the light is green. When we introduced it, we offered her a prize for every night that she didn't bother us the entire night until the light was green. It worked like a charm within just a few days. When we moved her to a bed, we told her she cannot come out of bed until the light is green and she is great about it! At 7 exactly, she comes out of her room and tells us she waited until the light was green. Sometimes before 7, I hear her talking or singing or playing by herself in bed. But she doesn't bother us until 7 each and every morning. We didn't start at 7, we built our way up - she got up at 6, so we did it a 6 for a few days. Then 6:05 for a few days, 6:10, 6:15, etc until we got to 7am. We told her if the clock is dark, then she should try and go back to sleep, and I believe she is actually sleeping until close to 7 am most days, because I rarely hear her before 6:50. At 3.5, I have a child who never bothers me before 7 am (except on rare occasions when she is sick, has a nightmare, etc, but she always goes back to her bed after). I don't think we could push it past 7, but I'm perfectly happy with 7 am (and on days where I want to go back to sleep for an hour, I have my daughter tuck me back in to bed and get my husband to be with her). Also, if she is really tired, she sometimes sleeps through, even though the clock is lit up, and gets up later at 7:30 or 8 (this is rare though). A solution like this could work really well for your kids, whether they are toddlers or school age kids.

Another important thing - make sure your children's rooms has blackout shades. Our daughter will wake up much earlier when even a little light comes through the blinds, so we have her room with blackout shades, so anytime she wakes up, it looks like night and it's easy for her to go back to sleep. If your kids wake up at 5:30 and see it's getting light in their room, they know it's morning and don't go back to sleep. Even if you use a nightlight, the key is to make sure they don't notice it's gotten lighter.

A third suggestion is try the 'sleep rules' from the book "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" by Dr. Marc Weissbluth - he has great suggestions for getting kids to go to bed and stay in bed (particularly for children preschool age and up, but also for younger kids). I find that these rules in conjunction with the clock work great too.

The clock I have is: https://www.amazon.com/OK-Wake.....HSBV4 There are several different companies that make some type of clock like this. The reason I like this one is because the light on the clock is off all night, and only lights up at the designated morning time (some clocks have a light all night, which changes in the morning, but I thought that would be disruptive).

amother

Pink

Sun, Aug 14 2016, 8:09 am

I get my kids completly ready for bed at night in pajamas ect and then they read books to themselves,color quietly anything that they can do without bothering me while I work until a little before 8:30. Whith room darkeners They dont wake up before 7:30, 8, they are all young so they start school 9:30. Some kids just need less hours of sleep so ajust bedtime accordingly

amother

Maroon

Sun, Aug 14 2016, 8:14 am

anonymrs wrote:

Who has alarm clocks when they have kids???

I actually do! My kids take after me if I llet them they could sleep till 12 in the summer but they go to sleep late. Even during school time they usually wouldn't get up until I woke them up.

imaima

Sun, Aug 14 2016, 9:38 am

amother wrote:

I'm so proud of you mamas that handle this so calmly. if I'm up two hours earlier than I need to be I tend to be more snappy and impatient. I work full time and I need my sleep.

Yes. That's why I go to sleep at a decent hour
havent set an alarm clock in ages.