My five year old gives me a hard time getting dressed in general and for school. I limited her to two choices this morning so she was not overwhelmed. She still gave her a hard time. Often times she will make a choice then not like how it feels on herself. Do I need to have her try on all her clothes to make sure she is happy? It's frustrating when getting dressed any day is a battle.
We also have a baby now and Alyssa, my oldest insists on coming downstairs when the baby gets up at 5:30. I DO NOT make her get up that early. If I didn't have to get up, I wouldn't myself! Sometimes she falls back to sleep but it's rare. Her bus does not come until about 8:35. I allow one tv show and then she must get dressed. It can be 7:00 and the bus isn't coming for an hour and a half! She doesn't know what to do with herself for that time period.
When I am not busy with the baby, I read to Alyssa, she colors or does Kinder activities in a workbook. What other suggestions do you have to keep her busy before it's time to leave for the bus? Thank you.
Please see the bottom of "What Happened."
Thank you for responses. For the record, I do not make my five year old get up with myself and the baby. I have been encouraging her to stay in her bed. She refuses to stay upstairs in her room when no one is upstairs. Sometimes she falls back to sleep on the couch. My husband works nights so he isn't home when we wake up. Alyssa has a bookcase of books and toys. She will NOT stay upstairs. The only time she stays upstairs is if her dad is upstairs with her. It's not worth a battle that early in the morning. Someone asked where my time goes. I mentioned that I have a six month old now. A baby needs attention and if I put her on the floor (a comforter as we have no carpeting) I do have to watch her. She is rolling these days.
The best advice I read is to have Alyssa try on the outfit she wants to wear the night before and do not allow her to change her mind that morning. As for a clock, she has one in her room. I always tell her she needs to stay in her bed until at least 6 am. That rarely works when her dad is not home.
When Alyssa was in daycare from 2 1/2 until 5, she had to get up between 5:45 and 6:15 the latest when I had to be at work at 7:35. Now she has the opportunity to sleep but I cannot force her to.
I wish school started by 8:10 as it starts too late when she gets up so early. Alyssa goes to bed at 8:00 pm every night. She has been getting up so early for years, not just because of the change with a sibling.
I do try to multitask when I can by feeding the baby and reading to her. One day I hid sight words around the room to find as a scavenger hunt. She also has Kinder workbooks that she likes to do with cutting and pasting activities.
Pick her clothes the night ahead of time.
Can she stay up later if she is getting up that early? Or let her watch more than one show, put out coloring activities, play with her, etc.
Have her get dressed in her school clothes before bed the night before. That way when she wakes up, she's ready to go.
(Added: if she has clothing that she dislikes for real comfort reasons, get rid of those things. My kids both hate sweatshirts/pants and sweaters, for example, so there is no point in having them in the house. If they get them as gifts, we exchange them or give them away.)
If she is waking up at 5:30, send her back to bed. She can't come downstairs with you. Tell her she does not have to sleep, but she does have to lay there in the dark and be quiet until whatever time you would typically get her up. Chances are that she will eventually fall back asleep. Letting her be up and watch tv started a habit that you have to break now, so it may take awhile.
Why in the world would your 5 year old get up at 5:30 when the bus comes at 8:30??
She should need about 30inutes to eat, get dressed, brush teeth & hair & OUT the door. I wouldn't be looking for activities to fill the time, I'd be insisting she sleeps later.
Clothes that don't "feel" right? Donate !
Clothes that always "feel" right? Buy more!
Let her pick her others out the night before.
why does she have to come downstairs when the baby gets up? let her sleep!
your schedule and set-up is clearly not working well for alyssa. and you seem to be struggling with setting good boundaries for her yet having unrealistic expectations.
upstairs is not another neighborhood. that's the first thing i'd change. she's 5, not a toddler. she can certainly handle making her way downstairs when she wakes up, and that kills two birds with one stone- a less grumpy kid, and less empty time to fill.
as for the getting dressed, that's easy. the one tv show takes place after she gets dressed. period. decline this battle. if she wants to spend her free time in the morning going through her wardrobe that's fine, but she must be dressed and ready before she gets any tv or reading time, and whatever selections she discarded must be put away.
alyssa sounds like a very smart child. but she too is figuring out how to deal with all the changes. trust her more, and simply decline the battles.
khairete
S.
A.,
You keep asking questions about this same problem. It is astonishing to me that you cannot figure out a way to fix this. Find a warm, quiet place for your daughter to sleep where she doesn't feel "alone upstairs" and she will sleep longer in the morning. It is that simple.
I don't know the layout of your house, the true temperament of your daughter or exactly how you are dealing with this issue that you seem to believe is unsolvable. I do know that this is a small thing in the world of raising kids. As parents we've all dealt with early waking children, musical beds and lack of sleep. I assure you it gets a lot harder as they grow up and the problems are not so simple.
Solve this problem and move on. This phase will pass, you will find a solution and then there will be another hurdle to jump, that's just being a Mom. Good luck!
Why does she have to get up when the baby gets up? Maybe if you let her stay in bed and sleep longer she wouldn't be so cranky.
Also not sure why you are limiting her TV time in the morning. She goes to school all day, what's wrong with her relaxing with some TV? And if you tie it in to getting dressed (TV stays off until she's fully dressed) then that solves that problem.
No tv until she is dressed and completely ready to go, period! So if she wants to change that outfit eight times sounds like she has plenty of time to do so in the morning.
I would also work on getting her to sleep in later. Wow, my kids would love to be able to sleep in until seven or later. They get up, get dressed and groomed, eat breakfast, pack their lunch, brush teeth and are out the door in thirty minutes.
If she wakes up at 5:30, get her a clock and tell her she can't come downstairs until it reads 6:45 or even 7:30, AND she has to be dressed when she gets there...she can play alone in her room for an hour or so...
She is five and doesn't have to be supervised every waking moment. Unless there is something you have left out.
Do you make her get up at 5:30 when the baby wakes up? Why on earth do you do that? She needs her sleep. There is no reason to get up at 5:30 when a bus runs at 8:35. When you have THAT much lag time, you are asking for issues. A child her age needs structure.
She needs to sleep later then get up and follow a schedule.
"When I have time I read to her". Where is all of YOUR time going? Alyssa needs you too... play with her, listen to her, engage her.
It sounds like you need to better balance your schedule and not require your 5 yr old to make adjustments that fit your needs.
As for the clothes, make it about her... her choices. So what if she does not match one day.. Let her make some choices for herself. She is going through enough with the changes in her life right now.
Call me crazy, but it seems that the morning is full of time and not enough activities, and the afternoon is short with too little time and a tired kid. So, change it up! When a little kid gets home from kindergarten, the LAST thin you want to do is homework! Have a healthy snack and go outside to play, with the baby in the stroller and with a blanket on top if necessary. Take a break from the structure of her long school day. Yes, if you can make most of the dinner earlier in the day, that's great. Let her help you set the table and put the dinner out, then take her plate to the sink/dishwasher. Then have quiet time before bed. This is when she can do the optional workbooks or search for sight words, or she can maybe watch a tv show while you bathe the baby and put her to bed, then have "big girl time."
In the morning, I get that she wants to be with you, and from your past posts of her being jealous of the baby, of course she's not going back to sleep! So why can't she do her homework in the morning? If at sue point she starts sleeping later, you can shift that around, but for now and until it doesn't work, do it in the morning. She's doing workbooks anyway or you are hiding sight words - so just make this homework time. Don't worry about her not finishing. Honestly, nothing terrible will happen if she doesn't do her work one day because she was fooling around - she will have to explain to the teacher that she procrastinated, and the teacher will take care of it. I doubt it will happen a second time.
I agree that the baby needs to go in a little "pen" or a pack & play - you cannot be watching a rolling/crawling/cruising baby all the time. So why can't the baby be on the floor in your older daughter's room while you supervise the outfit selection? Set a very visible timer, and your daughter has to be dressed (including hanging up the castoffs) before the timer runs out. When time is up, you go downstairs. If she continues to fool around, oh well, she goes to school in her pajamas! Believe me, that will only happen once! When my son didn't want to get his act together to make the bus, I nagged for a while and then rethought my position. I told him, "Fine, we'll go to school when you are ready. Remember that kids who arrive late have to stop in the office first, where you can explain to Mrs. X the principal why you didn't think it was important to get dressed for school." That was all I had to say. (I wasn't making him do this, it as presented as "school policy for check-in".)
I wouldn't put the TV on until she is dressed and has her homework done. If she wants to read, great! Encourage that! I've seen little foam kiddy-sized chairs that unfold (sort of like a simplified convertible couch) where a child who doesn't want to be in bed can sack out and drop off for a nap. That might be a good investment.
But don't be afraid to do activities with your older daughter where the baby just watches. A nature walk with the baby in the stroller is great. Play catch while the baby watches and give the baby a squishy ball to handle at the same time. Compliment your older child if she tosses a soft ball (gently!) to the baby or shows her a beautiful leaf she found. Can you bike ride by putting the baby in a seat on your bike and then putting your older child on her own? Put both kids in a wagon so they learn to "share" you? Find a playground with an infant swing and things for your older child?
I think your many questions on this topic and telling you, and us, that you need to make some schedule changes - sometimes we get in a rut about "homework has to be done after school" and "baths must be at night", and we remember having the first child downstairs all morning and think we have to do it that way with 2 kids. And we forget we have the power to move things around.
why does she have to come down at 5:30? Let her sleep. She needs more sleep. I would do the whole picking out the outfit thing the night before and lay it out. when the baby gets up whisk it right out of the room and down stairs. then about 7 go up and get the older one. dressed, downstairs for breakfast, teeth brushed and make sure the bookbag etc is by the door and then and only then does the tv come on. not before any of those other things. does she like to do something on the computer, ipad etc? that could be the time for the screen time as a treat after she is ready to go.
Have her choose (try on) what to wear the night before and she can lay these things out for the next day.
No changing her mind in the morning.
If things are laid out the night before she has no reason to open a drawer or closet to even look at other things in the morning.
"my oldest has to come downstairs when the baby gets up at 5:30".
Why?
Is she waking up on her own and coming down?
Or are you waking her to have her come down?
Maybe a later bedtime will have her sleeping a little later in the morning.
In the morning, breakfast comes first, then getting dressed, THEN tv show.
If she's dawdling around getting dressed, she'll miss her tv show.
It's a natural consequence and it's all under her control to work it out.
Additional:
Ok! I get it - she's getting herself up so she's not upstairs alone.
Although our son never woke up before he had to, he never liked being anywhere where there wasn't any people - he didn't like being alone - for the longest time.
She will out grow it eventually.
Maybe you could set up a sleeping bag in a quiet spot downstairs and she could catch some more sleep before getting ready for school.
1. She should stick with her choice. You don't need to "make sure she's happy." She needs to get dressed.
2. She doesn't need to get up at 0530 with the baby. Leave her in bed sleeping until 0735.
3. One TV show, get dressed, watch another TV show until the bus comes. She'll be fine.
ETA: I agree with Jill. Toss the clothes that are uncomfortable. If she constantly hates the shirts or pants with the weird seams, or the itchy tags, don't get those shirts anymore. And remove all the tags. I've learned over the years that, no matter how cool the outfit looks, if it "feels funny," my boy won't wear it. Ever. So I started paying attention to which ones he refused to wear and didn't spend my money on them anymore.
ETA2: How does Alyssa refuse to stay upstairs if she's asleep?
Why does she have to get up with the baby? Let her sleep in a little longer and your problem is solved. Also, put up a daily schedule and get a digital clock. Up at 7:00. Watch show from 7:00 to 7:30, eat breakfast- 7:30-745. Get dressed, brush teeth, etc. This might add to a little more structure in the morning. Hope this helps.
For the "how the clothes feel" issue...is it that clothes that she can wear comfortably one day are on the "I don't like this" list the next day? Or are there consistently some items that she doesn't mind and others that she does? If it's the latter, then put away (or give away) the clothes that she consistently doesn't feel great in so that you can not worry about those anymore and are left with just clothes where she likes how they feel. Lots of kids are sensitive to how clothes feel - I was doing a school spirit wear sale last week and saw many kids trying on t-shirts and sweatshirts that looked nice on them only to have them on the verge of a meltdown over too short, too long, hem too tight, not tight enough, sleeves too short or too long or too loose or too tight, etc. I think for kids who have meltdowns over everything that touches them, this issue becomes pretty obvious at a young age but when it's intermittent, it can go unnoticed. I noticed that one of my boys only regularly wears half of his clothes and finally asked why he's not wearing his cargo shorts and collared shirts and for whatever reason, he's in a phase where how those feel bug him, so he keeps wearing the same athletic shorts and soft t-shirts over and over.
Also why does she have to come downstairs at early? Does she wake up and want to come down? Or do you wake her? Can she stay in bed and sleep, or if she wakes up on her own at that time because she hears you up, can you bring the baby upstairs and feed her there and have your older child go back to sleep for a bit? That might help your mornings go more smoothly.
Put Alyssa to bed later! When my kids were that age, I wished they were the types who slept 11 or 12 hours but they didn't so to avoid the early mornings, they didn't go to bed before 9;00. We travel to different time zones every summer and often spring break and kids adapt so quickly it astonishes me. Maybe it'll be a night or two but she will. She's sleeping 9.5 hours which is pretty normal. So put her to bed at 9:00 and she'll get up at 6:30. The time change is coming which is going to make this more challenging. Soon she'll be getting up at 4:30. But you will have her adjust her internal clock, right? If she can do it when standard time changes, she can do it other times too. That'll help a lot of this... For the clothes, do you let her pick to begin with? I think at that age I did within reason. Not worth the battles. And some clothes I loved but they hated for some reason so I said forget those clothes. You will never look back other than picture day and care what she wore when she was 5. So let her wear the same comfortable things over and over. That should help too.
Like so many others, I wondered about why Alyssa "has" to come downstairs at 5:30. Others have noted that she should be allowed to sleep long beyond that and not get up with you and the baby; I think you'll repeat that "She rarely falls back to sleep." That's not a reason to make her get on up, or to let her get up if it's what she wants.
If she is up at 5:30 due to being awakened by the noise of you and the baby getting up for an early feeding, please figure out how not to wake her (if you get up only when the baby cries to be fed, set your alarm to get up a little earlier than baby's usual waking time so you get baby up before any crying starts). If Alyssa wakes anyway, insist from now on that she stay in bed even if she does have trouble falling back asleep. She needs to learn (1) to do as you say when it comes to getting up and (2) to soothe herself or just remain in her room.
Keep a big stack of picture books she likes by her bed and tell her it is OK to "read" in bed at that time if she can't sleep, but she cannot get up and watch TV or play with toys, period.
Bear this in mind: The baby's schedule is going to change, change and change again, and soon. Your baby eventually won't be up at 5:30 every day. When the baby's schedule changes, what happens with Alyssa? Does she always have to get up when baby does, if it's earlier, later, whatever? She needs more consistent times than a baby's schedule will give her....Alyssa's in school and needs her own schedule, not one that is tied to what baby's feeding or sleep schedule is. That's harder on you for sure, but there is no need for her to "have" to get up because baby is up, and if she is wakeful, she needs to be taught to get back in bed until a set time, period.
Get her an alarm clock in her room (not the kind that is old-fashioned and goes tick tock because that will only keep her awake). She can't get out of bed until it goes off but if she wakes and it's light enough she can look at her picture books. Get a bunch of cheap used ones at a thrift store so she has ones she hasn't seen before.
Of course she doesn't know what to do with herself for an hour and a half that early in the morning. At her age, kids need more adult guidance than you're able to give her just then, her since you're occupied at that time with an infant.
I bet the dressing issues will start to resolve themselves once she is getting a lot more sleep in the mornings. The battle over clothing is possibly a power struggle and a big bid to get mom's attention in the mornings, since she knows you are focused on the baby and not on her. Nip it now by not having her up so early or expecting her to entertain herself for so long in the mornings. You can do it with some additional planning, new books and a firm line that it's fine and fun to stay in bed.
Let her sleep in. Why does she have to come down when the baby wakes up? The LAST thing you need is an over-tired child.
If she's waking up when the baby wakes up, you may need to rethink the sleeping arrangements because lack of sleep is seriously bad for anyone and worse for kids.
Re. the clothes - I like the idea of having her involved in picking them out. But also pay attention to the kinds of "it feels bad" things she's mentioning. If it's the same kind of sensory thing, then it may actually be a sensory thing - some kids can't do tags or seams so check that out to see if it's really the case.
What do you mean by she "has to come downstairs when the baby gets up at 5:30"? She decides to come downstairs or you make her come downstairs? If it is a matter of her waking up too early and then having nothing to do you need to give her a later bedtime so she will sleep later in the morning. As for the clothes, I would stop giving choices for now. Just tell her what to wear, and if it is new clothes she hasn't worn before have her try them on ahead of time. Of course, with all the extra time she has in the morning, I suppose she could be trying on all of her clothes then.
Play doe, coloring, drawing, or any other kind of arts and crafts. My daughters also loved to read. If your daughter doesn't know how you could teach her. I taught my youngest how to read when she was 4yo using the book "teach your child to read in 100 easy lessons". It took about 15 minutes per day and by day 60 she could read any easy reader. By kindergarten she was reading chapter books,
Does she come downstairs because the baby is up or because that's when she needs to get ready for school? If she doesn't really need to be up then, I would let her sleep, as being sleepy = being cranky. More sleep may help her not be so aggravated by her clothes. You also say she doesn't know what to do with that time, so she might as well sleep if she's not eating, getting dressed, or putting her backpack together. My DD is allowed cartoons (Disney Jr.) if she eats and gets dressed timely.
What you might also try is getting her buy-in with clothes. I have an app on my phone that gives me the weather for this area. We look at that, then decide if it's long or short pants/shirt day, and weather or not she'll need a jacket. If she truly doesn't want socks, I put a pair in her backpack or she can take them off at school if she puts them on at home. Many times she'll get out the door and realize I was right. If she wants to dress weird, as long as it's clean and appropriate for they day or weather (no fancy dress on Art day), I let it go.
You might also think about whether or not she does this to get your attention, since you have to then deal with her vs the baby. Or you are doing other things (can the dishes wait til she's on the bus?) She may not consciously do so, but I would try the trick of catching her being good. I would also try getting her involved. Maybe matching tupperware lids or entertaining the baby or coloring a holiday themed page or making a paper craft (http://www.bestcoloringpagesforkids.com/turtle-coloring-p... or http://www.dltk-kids.com/type/paper.htm)
You can also do a schedule and/or use a timer. She can lounge in her PJs til x time, but then she needs to get dressed, eat breakfast, etc. Have her help you with her morning schedule, let her decorate it, and put it where she can see it.
A.,
ETA: Regarding your SWH, it is understandable since her school schedule has changed now that she's in Kindergarten, why she is waking so early. She is used to her previous schedule. It's going to take some time to get her on her new Kindergarten time schedule. You're correct in that you can't "force her" to sleep, but you CAN help guide her to better sleep habits.
Do whatever it takes to help her during this adjustment period. Don't just give up and believe she'll never sleep past 5:30. It will just take some time. You have to persist in guiding her and training her to her new sleep schedule because the 9 1/2 hours she is getting is NOT enough sleep for a child that age. Generally, children this age sleep 11-13 hours.
Some things you can do would be to stay upstairs, feeding, changing, and dressing the baby until she falls asleep again. Have tasks you can do upstairs so you can still get things done while helping her feel secure. If she knows you are upstairs, she may have an easier time falling back to sleep.
Allowing tv that early is bad idea because it's an incentive for her to get up and watch. I get that it is convenient because it keeps her occupied while you take care of the baby, but it's reinforcing her getting out of bed early and setting up a bad habit. Take that out of the equation and help her to learn that 5:30 a.m is still sleeping time.
Use rewards (special trip to park of her choice, extra story time, etc.) for each day she stays in bed until 6:00, and then keep extending the time until she is sleeping longer.
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ORIGINAL:
Why does your 5 year-old have to get up at 5:30??? Please, stop that now!
Sleep is fundamentally important for children and for their developing brains.
She needs to be sleeping at 5:30!
If she is waking with the baby, teach/train her to go back to sleep. Do not allow her to get up and watch tv! That's starting a bad habit that will be hard to break later.
If they share a room, and you are feeding the baby in that room, feed the baby in your room to let your daughter go back to sleep. Move the nursing chair into your room, or better yet, move the crib temporarily to get your daughter back into proper sleep habits. She could easily be sleeping until 7:30, and then have an hour to wake up, get dressed, eat, brush teeth, and be ready to go to the bus stop.
Giving you a "hard time" with getting dressed could be the result of many things--- such as a 5 year-old asserting preferences, a child who is a little out of sorts adjusting to a new baby, or a child who is irritable because she is chronically tired. Have her make her choice of clothes the evening before, like after dinner (NOT right before bedtime, but earlier than that. You don't want this cutting into the bedtime routine). If she feels the need, she can try the clothes on then and test them. Set them aside, and you're all ready to go for the morning routine.
Please correct this habit now. With each new school year, she will have more academic demands that will require a well-rested mind and body for school success.
Best to you and your family.
J. F.
Pick out clothes the night before and make sure she makes most of the choice of what she wears. Find a spot in her room where she can put her clothes to wear the next day. Sounds like she needs more control.
For the mornings, put a clock in her room and tell her not to get up until after 7am. I had to start doing that with my kids around age 5. They understood and liked that they could look at the clock and get up when it was time. Even if she wakes up early, she can look at books or play quietly in her bed until 7am. She might start falling back to sleep if you have her stay in bed. If she fights you on it, start a reward system and give her a point for each morning she stays in bed. If she makes it all week, reward her with a small toy or a fun activity with you.
2 suggestions. For the baby, can you set up some gates around the blanket? Maybe set up a play pen so you are not having to worry so much about the baby on the floor?
Could your daughter stay up 1 hour later? just shift her bed time.
Does your daughter get a lot of outside play in the afternoons and evening? Since you are not working, is there a way for you to sit outside in the afternoons and let your daughter play out there after she completes her homework? After dinner in the evenings let your daughter play outside after dinner?
Even better your husband could ride bikes with her or all of you go for a walk, or you all sit outside while she runs jumps, swings and plays. Then bring her inside have him give her a really good warm, quiet bath and then a story? Could be she has a lot of pent up energy.
Our daughter did not require as much sleep as the average child. As she got older we made a deal with her that she could stay up as late as she wanted, BUT, she had to be able to get up in the morning, get dressed and continue to function and make good grades at school. This worked for her. It is still a bt early for your daughter to set her own bed time, but in the future if she can handle it, this may need to be considered.
You do have a room for your infant upstairs? Maybe things will change once the baby is up there. Your daughter is feeling lonely up there and feels like she is missing out on time with all of you.
She still does not understand that infants need different type of care, but this is not going to last forever.
Why does the baby get up for the day that early? Is that just when it's hungry and wants to wake up?
I'd tell her it's not time to come downstairs and to go lay back in bed. She's old enough to read a digital clock. Tell her she can come downstairs at 6 or 6:30. Then she can stay in her room until then and go back to sleep or play or anything.
Otherwise why take the baby downstairs? Give them a bottle upstairs and don't bring either of them downstairs at all. Put the baby back to bed.
As for her waking up so early, she's sleeping nearly 10 hours and at that age that's enough for some. I'd rather have her sleep in the morning a bit later so I'd put her to bed later, baby too so they would sleep a little later.
I wouldn't like your life....I would rather get up at 7 or 7:30 with her bus schedule and get her dressed before anything. She is probably is lingering and taking her time to get your attention. I got the kids dressed at that time by being in the room with them and staying on them. My choice of course but the kids were ready for school every morning on time then they got to watch all the TV they wanted until it was time to get to school.
You as the mom need to set up a daily schedule for the house. You get up at X time, Alyssa gets up at Y and the, baby whenever.
Plan for you and Alyssa in the morning. Put her to bed later. Have the clothes put out the night before no argument. What is out is what you wear. End of story. My aunt would put the clothes out the night before and I would put them on for the day. Of course this was back in the 50s and there was no argument of what to wear daily as they were only three or four items for the whole week not a ton of things to choose from.
You also need a routine for when you and the baby are home. That includes the daily chores of housekeeping and preparing meals. When Alyssa gets home, you and the baby all go out for some fresh air. It will make everybody sleep better. Take a walk to the park or around several blocks. If there is a trike, have Alyssa peddle the whole time for exercise.
When you guys get home, dinner should be about done and all can have a meal together. Hubby should be up or nearly up so that he can join you all for the meal.
Routines are what make life easier to navigate. We adjust as needed and continue to use. Good luck to you.
Also some kids have personalities that are clingy over ones that are independent and curious. Sounds like you have a clingy child and she needs you more and you have to build in a few factors of one on one time so she does not feel like she is replaced.
the other S.
I had more ideas until I read your SWH. The fact that she got up for day-
care so early for a long time could contribute to her early rising. Most
likely she is a morning person instead of a night owl.
Here are some ideas I thought of:
-have her try on outfit the night before then leave it laid out.
-Can you tell exactly what is waking her up? The baby crying (do they
share a room?)? Is her door open? Is it the hub-bub of you getting the
baby? Is hubby asleep or going to sleep at that time? If he's gone, he's
one less person making noise. Can you close her door? Not all the way
but most of the way so she doesn't hear you moving about?
-Have the baby things ready downstairs so you can just quickly grab baby
cudling her on the way downstairs & get her changed/fed downstairs.
Things to have ready downstairs (burp cloth, extra onsie, wipes, paci,
diapers etc.).
-If she insists on getting up w/you & going downstairs, leave lights dim or
very low. don't turn on the bright ones. Don't turn on the tv. Read to her
quietly while you feed the baby as she lays against you while lying on the couch w/a blanket for extra rest.
-Then to keep her busy before the bus comes, have her color, watch a
cartoon, have her pretend to feed "her" baby like mom. Just re-read your
post. Let her watch 2 or 3 cartoons if you need to keep her busy so she
will let you be tending to the baby/getting ready for the day etc. It's really
not much & she can rest before school.
-Have her help you get things ready. Ask her to put your shoes by the front door, get her sibling's blanket, have her make a stickered sheet of
paper for her teacher, have her get some extra snacks to put in her lunch.
-Keep lights, tv on low so the morning is low key & fairly quiet. Helps to
start the day off right. No Iron Maiden blasting in the morning (inserted
for levity. Hope you smile. ;)
-Tell yourself something positive to start the day off right & 3 things you are thankful for. Then send her off to the bus with a big hug & kiss! Morning birds are hard to deal with.....just as night owls are. Best wishes
to you for some good ideas here mama!
It can be overwhelming when trying to juggle more than one child especially when you're more than likely exhausted yourself. Hugs to you. :) I have three little ones and it's rare that I don't have a headache by 8:00am due to getting everyone and our new puppy ready and out the door on time. My oldest daughter has sensory processing issues and getting her dressed in the morning was extremely difficult until I decided to pick and choose my battles. It sounds like your daughter could have a touch of that. I believe everyone has some type of sensory issue to one degree or another. I guess what I mean when I say I decided to pick and choose my battles is that I stopped and thought about what my goal was - to have her wear the clothes I put out for her or for her to get dressed. I just wanted her to get dressed and ready for the day so I stopped picking out her clothes. I told her whether it was warm or cold and then tell her to pick out pants and a long sleeve shirt on a cold day like today. Then I leave her to it. Some of her clothes are more comfortable than others and letting her pick it out took away both of our stress and made the mornings much more pleasant. The only rule is that mom has final veto power... if something absolutely does not match or isn't weather appropriate, I can tell her to try again. Also, picture day is mom's choice but she can change immediately after the pictures. As for keeping her busy in the morning before the bus arrives why not get her involved in what you're doing. Ask her to get you a diaper for the baby, or to help getting things out for breakfast. My kids favorite things were just doing what I was doing. If you're just sitting feeding the baby, have her help somehow or to get her own doll and feed her baby. If you're looking for more independent things get out some puzzles or hide some flashcard around the house and have her go on a scavenger hunt to find them. Bring out some blankets and encourage her to build a fort in the living room. Best wishes to you and your family.
