The alarm rings…your morning routine kicks in! You plan to do as much housework as possible before your child wakes up, but no job at home is endless. In the middle of the work, you go into your child’s bedroom and say, “It’s morning, time to get up.” But, there’s no answer. After a while, you try again & say, “It’s time for your online school…please wake up or else you shall get delayed.” What your hear? Hmmm yeah waking up momma. Ten minutes later, you return from the kitchen and see that your child has fallen asleep again. It bothers you and your voice goes up, “Are you going to get up now…WAKE UP?” When the minutes pass and your child is still not out of bed, you tend to shout and pull off the blanket! And the real battle begins lol. The child wakes up…but GRUMPY!
Many a times you must have thought of ‘Why my child is so grumpy every day or at times…right? What are the ways to deal this situation?
Here are a few reasons on why a child is Grumpy or shows no interest in getting up in the morning-
a) Children may have developed more access to LED screens such as TVs and smartphones, which can blame their lack of sleep.
b) After a weekend or a long break like the summer holidays, leading to a challenging transition back to school.
c) Currently, children are attending school online i.e. sitting in their homes so when school reopens, kids may face a hard time getting off their bed, throw tantrums to get back to their routine!
d) Other reasons for waking up crying may arise due to kids teething issues, if the child is facing separation anxiety, just woken up from a nap, multiple diaper change at night, due to hunger incase sufficient meal not consumed before sleeping or if it’s their feed time thus leading to disrupt in sleep.
9 ways to deal with kid’s grumpy mornings –
- Sleep is important
Ensure your child is getting the right sleep. According to the National Sleep Foundation (NSF) here’s the total daily sleep a child (by age) needs-
Age Range | Recommended Hours of Sleep | |
| Newborn | 0-3 months old | 14-17 hours |
| Infant | 4-11 months old | 12-15 hours |
| Toddler | 1-2 years old | 11-14 hours |
| Preschool | 3-5 years old | 10-13 hours |
| School-age | 6-13 years old | 9-11 hours |
If you want your child to wake up happy, following this chart will help to create a calm and stress free mornings.
2. Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy wealthy and wise
I am sure everyone is well aware about this phrase! Make sure that your child goes to bed 30 minutes before his or her sleeping hour. This will give them time to listen to soothing music or read a book/listen to their favorite story or unwind. It will also give parents and kids time to discuss their day, good or funny moments they had that day, this will lead to a better parent-child bond!
3. Role Model
Following good habits at an early age will allow them to be a better person going forward.
The way parents conduct themselves, the routine they follow leaves a permanent impression on the subconscious mind of the child. Since children have a great deal of trust in their parents, they feel that everything that parents do or say is true and appropriate. Therefore, we need to be cognizant and guide them properly.
4. Say 5 Affirmative Sentences
Positive thinking statements are affirmation sentences expressed in a positive way. They help you maintain a positive state of mind, which contributes to a cheerful life.
Children can say different affirmative sentences every day along with some breathing exercises, you can also print positive sentences so they can read them out loud or even record them in your voice. Reciting affirmative statements will have a soothing and stimulating effect upon your child.
Likewise-
i) There is no one better to be than myself.
ii) My challenges help me grow.
iii) Today is going to be a great day.
iv) I believe in my goals and dreams.
v) Today I choose to think positive.
5. Boost Positive Energy
The secret of your child waking up with a smile can be the songs and poems you play for your child. Also, playing some motivational songs or making kids listen to Gayatri Mantra can help them feel relaxed and wake up happily. I keep my Alexa on a low volume and increase it gradually to wake my kiddo up. Then, the playlist goes on as per my kiddo’s favorite list:)
6. Prepare kids schedule a day prior
Be consistent and prepare them for the next day. Keep the next day schedule simple for children to follow, use a timer and keep the schedule chart in a location that is visible to children. This will allow your child to become self-sufficient and reduce anxiety on a particular day.
The daily schedule could include –Wake up Time, Bath Time, Breakfast time, Outdoor Time, Online School, Lunch Time, Study Time, Reading Time, Activity Time, Dinner Time, Sleep Time and so on…
7. Make their Waking Up fun
You can turn waking up into a game. This will eliminate early morning stress and encourage children to wake up. You may also wake them up by telling them the exciting things you will do that day. For instance- baking a cake; preparing pancakes, pizza and so on!
8. No Devices
Make sure that children do not watch before sleeping or immediately after waking up. Morning time is a great time to connect with you kids…have breakfast together and set things for the day.
9. Favorite Breakfast
Wake your child up with the smell of their favorite breakfast. Today, my kiddo woke up with the aroma of ‘Potato Peas Pattice’ hehe. For this, what I did is …took her plate close to her and said can you guess what this is? She immediately woke up and answered with a smile.
Conclusion-
Try out these simple tricks to wake up your kids. Also, once in a while it is absolutely fine for kids to sleep a little longer:) Do share if you have more ideas on waking up a grumpy child from their sleep!
Happy Sleeping & Waking!