Does any one have any suggestions on how to get a 3 1/2 year old to stay in bed/sleep past 5:00 a.m?
Thanks for all the suggestions! We tried a sticker chart-worked for a few days, but after he got his 1st reward, he really didn't care anymore. We already had dark curtains in his room. What finally worked is letting him have a "sleepover" with my 5 year old (who sleeps until 6:30). He knows he has to wait until Alex tells him he can get up. He still gets up early, but 6, 6:15 is much better than 5:30.
My lil boy is 2 years old and he gets up at like 6am so don't feel bad. I usually put some toys in his room and lock the doors to his room so he can't get out and mess with stuff in the rest of the house while I'm sleeping or sometimes my fiancee will fix him breakfast, put him in his high chair and pop in a movie he likes to watch.
We had to convert a black blanket into curtains. It's a miracle the kids now get up at 8 or 9!!! They are in better moods too.
I guess some questions are: what time do they go to bed, how many and how long of naps do they take, how much activity do they do during the day? My 2 year old takes about 2 hour nap during the day and spends most of the rest of the day outside playing. She and my 6 year old go to bed at 8, probably asleep at 8:30 and they get up around 6:30. Let me know about the questions above and i'll try to help. It took us a long time to get this schedule down and it works sooooooo well now!
My friend gave her 2 1/2 year old a digital clock, put tape over the minutes and taught him the number 7. He can't get out of bed in the morning until the clock has the number 7 on it. It's been working pretty well.
Have you tried a rewards chart? Give him a sticker or a check mark every time he doesn't wake you up in the morning. Then give him some kind of prize (can be very little) if he makes it through the week with 7 stickers. You may not be able to keep him in bed, but you can have him play quietly, he's old enough now!
