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Suggestions for making mornings less of a battle?

QueSrahQueSrah member
in D.C. Area Babies

Over the summer, DD would wake up between 6:30 and 7 and mostly entertain herself until it was time to get her up at 7.  I would bring her a cup with maybe 10 Cheerios because she was starving, dress her, give her meds and a more snack of Cheerios and/or milk (that might come to the car) and we're out the door around 7:15.

Now that the sun is up later, I'm waking her up at 7 to get going and she's not really cooperative.  She stopped eating the bedroom Os months ago, so that's not part of the equation anymore.  I turn on the hall light 5 or 10 minutes before 7 to get some extra light in her room, hang out in her room for a minute or two while she's in her crib before I grab her, and still we have 10 minutes of sobbing and flailing to change the diaper and clothes because she's not ready to be up.  Once we get downstairs and she starts eating something she's more cooperative (though she still tries to deny the food half the time, so I'm not sure she's as starving as I assume she is).  We moved her bedtime 15 minutes earlier recently to help her get enough sleep, since we're waking her up 15-30 minutes before she'd wake up on her own.

Other than trying to wake her up with food again, any suggestions for making mornings less painful?  Leaving later in the morning so she can sleep in isn't really an option, since it's the only way I can set my schedule so that I'm home more than half an hour before she's asleep.

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Re: Suggestions for making mornings less of a battle?

  • kastlekastle member
    Could you put a lamp on a time to turn on at 6:30?  I don't know much about what works for babies other than my own, but I have seen (adult) alarm clocks that primarily function on using light to wake you up.
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  • tracy042206tracy042206
    Can you get her dressed downstairs?  Maybe give her some milk or O's and get her set up on the couch or other comfy place while you do a few things and let her wake up on her own a little? My niece needs time and space like this to wake up and start the day.  Maggie just doesn;t want to get out bed in the mornings but Molly is always ready to go even if I wake her up out of a deep sleep.
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  • SofkaSofka

    we bring in a warm (straw) cup of milk to DD

     

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  • northernvabridenorthernvabride member
    DD#1, who is 3, has turned into a teenager in this regard, and always tells me to get out of her room, she wants to sleep for 10 more minutes (and then 3 more minutes, 2 more minutes, and 1 more minutes).  So what I have to do is go in earlier than I usually would, so that after the 10 minutes (and 3,2 and 1 minutes), it is the time I originally would have gone in to wake her. 
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  • CandKmommaCandKmomma

    Can you let her wake up on her own?  Turn on the hall light like 30 minutes earlier that way she can start to hear movement in the house and naturally start to wake up. 

    If you are open to tv (gasp) let her watch a little with the cheerios/sippy while you get ready. 

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  • MrsPhilDunphyMrsPhilDunphy
    This is along the lines of food obviously, but the very, very first thing we do is hand C a sippy of milk while he's in his crib. He loooves milk so it makes the waking up business easier. DH usually does the morning routine and says that he opens the curtains in C's room, hands him the milk and lets him chillax and flop around in his crib for about ten more minutes before attempting to get him out.
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  • DCtoLowcountryDCtoLowcountry

    We take DS downstairs in his jammies and he gets milk followed by breakfast. The only time we change him first is if he's wet.

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  • QueSrahQueSrah member

    I'll try turning on the lights earlier.  Occasionally this backfires and she wants my attention while I'm still in the midst of getting dressed (and once she's up, "my" time is over).  Maybe we can find a happy medium...

    And I'll give a shot at food first thing again.  It worked for a long time, so maybe that phase is back.

    I'm not against tv, but we don't have one upstairs and I can't have her downstairs alone while I'm upstairs getting dressed.

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  • ArtslvrArtslvr

    My DD #2 would sleep until 8 if she could, so our 6:30 wake up time for her is NOT acceptable.

    We turn the lights on a few minutes before 6:30, go in at 6:30, scoop her up and carry her to the breakfast table, plop her in her chair where she sits there with her eyes half closed like she was out drinking until 4 am (one of these days I need to snap a photo), and then wrap her with a blanket because no matter the temperature in the house she always says she's cold when she wakes up.  We have the morning news on TV in the kitchen so she sort of stares at that, and we put a bowl of yogurt in front of her.  She takes like 20 minutes to eat said yogurt, but in the meantime we bustle around her getting DD #1 and DS ready to get out of the door.

    Like pp said, it's like waking up a teenager.  "I don't WANT to get up!"

    I guess I don't really have any suggestions, just empathy.  Stick out tongue

    Wife, Musician, Fed, WW-er, and Mom of three little kids - not necessarily in that order.
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