The Preschoolers Community Group is losing sleep. Their three-foot tall, two-footed, adorable alarm clocks are popping out of bed at the crack of dawn, or earlier. I feel their pain. When my son was 3, he woke up promptly at 6:03 every morning as if he had a job to head off to. By noon, he was cranky and spent which doesn’t work well since preschool ends at one o’clock.
So how do you keep your 3-year-old in bed until a reasonable time? Here’s what worked for us. I bought a digital clock with extra large numbers. I covered the minutes with paper and tape, lots and lots of tape so he couldn’t take it off. I instructed my son that until he saw a 7, he had to go back to bed. If he had to use the restroom, he should go, but unless the clock said 7, he needed to return to bed. I told him he should try to close his eyes and go back to sleep, but if that didn’t work, he should grab a book from his shelf and quietly read. When he saw a 7, he could get up and come knock on our door.
This tip has also been known to work for kids who don’t yet know numbers but who can match objects that look alike. Just draw a 7 on the paper used to cover the minutes and explain to the child that when the numbers match, he can get up for the day.
My son is 4 now and knows about the hours and minutes on a clock, so I’ve since removed the paper. But there’s more to the story; recently, we lost power during a thunderstorm and the clock in my son’s room was accidentally reset 15 minutes behind the actual time. The first morning, I didn’t notice, but the second morning my son knocked on our door promptly at 7:15 brought a sly smile to my face. Those extra 15 minutes are blissful. I’ll reset his clock to the right time….someday….
What are your tips for helping your preschooler get a full night’s sleep?