As if we haven’t had to deal with enough in trying to get our children to go to sleep, just when we think we’ve cracked it they can suddenly throw us a curveball so wide we didn’t even see it coming; they refuse to wake up when we need them to, because it’s Winter, and it’s dark!
When it’s pitch black outside it can be very difficult to rouse a deeply sleeping child. But the school and working day doesn’t wait, alas, and we need to find some ways of making sure our children wake up and get up when they need to, feeling refreshed and rested.
Here are some suggestions for when the winter months play havoc with the morning wake-up routine.
- Put kids to bed a little earlier. This isn’t too difficult when it’s dark at 5pm. Unlike in the summer, when bed time is a real struggle while the sun is still up at 10 o’clock, it’s much easier to get an earlier night in the winter. And remember that in winter we need more sleep than in the summer. It’s a tiring season, so try to move your children’s bedtime a little earlier if you can.
- Open their curtains about twenty minutes before you want them to get up. It might not do much, but it could just rouse them that little bit before it’s really time to get up.
- Put the lights on in the room outside their bedroom, to lighten things a little. Again, it’s all about slowly bringing them round to waking up, when it’s so dark outside.
- Set an alarm a little earlier than you need, and let them have a little snooze before getting up. In the winter it’s harder to wake up and get up feeling ready for the bright, sunny day, so a few little false starts can ease the day in more gently.
Enough sleep is vital to keep coughs and colds at bay and to stay strong and healthy for the cold, draining months ahead.
And if it all seems a little doom and gloom, remember that the spring WILL COME round in a flash! And it will be warm and lovely again.