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I'm exhausted

13

Comments

  • bestpud
    bestpud Posts: 11,048 Forumite
    This thread has brought back some memories!

    DD responded to a clock in her room and a sticker if she waited until she was told she could get up. When she's got a full chart she gets a pressie. She's still an early riser by many standards though - usually up by 6.30/7.00 - I think it's a personality thing. If it's any consloation, my son was the same but now he's a teen, he needs forcing out of bed!

    Fingers crossed you've managed to crack it already!
  • fannyadams
    fannyadams Posts: 1,752 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    I like the idea of a clock - they have an analogue (hands/face) clock and I have told them if the hands are over on the right hand side of the face then no gettin up, if on left hand side then maybe OK.
    Stickers might work - where can I get cheap stickers for this?

    Not quite sure how much earlier I can put him to bed as he goes down between 6.30-7pm.
    just in case you need to know:
    HWTHMBO - He Who Thinks He Must Be Obeyed (gained a promotion, we got Civil Partnered Thank you Steinfeld and Keidan)
    DS#1 - my twenty-five-year old son
    DS#2 - my twenty -one son
  • jellyhead
    jellyhead Posts: 21,555 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    if i put my child to sleep at 6.30 he'd be up at 4.30 - he sleeps for ten hours at night. i've heard that everyone else's children sleep for more than 12 hours, i always thought they were telling porkies :rotfl:
    52% tight
  • trippy
    trippy Posts: 539 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 100 Posts Combo Breaker
    Based on the advice in this book, our two now go to bed at 6! Our daughter didn't use to wake up early, instead we couldn't get her to go to sleep (she stayed in bed though) until 10pm! But I remember the advice for early wakers.
  • patchwork_cat
    patchwork_cat Posts: 5,874 Forumite
    I don't know if you can still get them but we used a bunny ears clock - the child can't get out of bed until bunny opens his eyes and his ears come up
    yes you can
    .http://www.gltc.co.uk/ProductDetails.aspx?language=en-GB&productID=G4001&CatID=Product&esource=GGG01
  • bestpud
    bestpud Posts: 11,048 Forumite
    We had the bunny clock at first but dh dropped it and broke an ear off! Just use an ordinary one now and works just as well. Probably depends on age though.

    For stickers we use a wipe clean week chart from Staples. It has four sections for each day of the week. The stickers are reusable and are supposed to be used to mark different activities or the weather - there are 12 of them and we just keep going until dd's got them all and then give prize and start again. I can't remember the exact cost but way less than a fiver (around £3 I think) and we've been happily using since xmas. Dd also draws on it with a white board pen.

    Failing that, Tesco or Woolworths amongst others sell sticky stars, like schools use. You get loads of them in a pack and they're fairly cheap. You could print the chart on the computer, in whatever character etc your little on likes.

    The Works, if there's one near you also have lots of stickers for £1.
  • Savvy_Sue
    Savvy_Sue Posts: 47,477 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Star chart?

    He could be wanting to wee.

    But he's probably bored ... when my eldest was 2 we used to scatter several jigsaw puzzles over his bedroom floor after he was asleep, and he couldn't bring himself to leave his room until he'd done them all. It held him up for a little while.

    Can he be persuaded to look at books or talk to his toys for a while?
    Signature removed for peace of mind
  • stardoman
    stardoman Posts: 233 Forumite
    Guess it wouldn't be the right thing to do in this day and age, but my mum used to leave a box of Ritz biscuits on the bottom of my bed for me to munch my way through when I woke up!!!

    Just wanted to agree with the other poster who said that if her children went to bed at 6:30pm they'd be up at 4:30pm. All 3 of my children sleep for 10 hours. Lots of my friends tell me how lucky I am when they find out that they get up at 8am (later in the holidays / weekends). However, they don't go to bed until 9pm and by the time they go to sleep its probably nearer 10pm. Even the baby, who is 1, goes to bed late. DS1 used to go to bed at 10pm until he was 3 (I worked full time and this was the only way I could spend plenty of time with him. I preferred him to sleep at the childminders).

    I think with most children you either get the mornings or the evenings. Its the rare child that lets you have both.

    Mandy.
  • fannyadams
    fannyadams Posts: 1,752 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    DS#1 is that one rare child - If he doesn't go to be by 7pm he is HELL the next day and will have to either have a nap in the day (not practical at school) or he'll have to go to bed at a more reasonable hour then next night. He will, if left sleep til 8am (I know we left him even though we'd put him to bed at 7pm on the dot).
    I left some books for him to look at yesterday (Saturday) morning but he woke up DS#1 to read them to him so DS#1 was not impressed!
    OK so we dropped DS#2s nap completely today and are waiting for the fireworks later, but it'll be worth it to see if he sleeps longer. He has now begun waking at 6am which is a bit more reasonable!
    thank you all for your advice it has been very very helpful. When I get a minute I'll be going to get the stickers for the star chart.
    I have one more week off sick and then I HAVE to go back - they're missing me!
    just in case you need to know:
    HWTHMBO - He Who Thinks He Must Be Obeyed (gained a promotion, we got Civil Partnered Thank you Steinfeld and Keidan)
    DS#1 - my twenty-five-year old son
    DS#2 - my twenty -one son
  • black-saturn
    black-saturn Posts: 13,937 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    Might not be of any help but when my daughters were going through this I decided to use the time more constructively. Instead of lying awake in bed I started getting up and getting on with the housework. Then by the time everyone else got up it was all done. Far more productive than lying in bed listening to kids talking.
    2008 Comping Challenge
    Won so far - £3010 Needed - £230
    Debt free since Oct 2004
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