How To Get The Kids Out Of Bed This Winter

Coaxing your kids out of their warm, snuggly beds on winter, weekday mornings can be the biggest hurdle of the day! Little ones will make a million excuses to stay snuggled under the covers. How can we wake up kids for school in a way that gets them up on the right side of the bed? Help make your mornings a little easier and get your kids moving much faster, with these Springfree-approved tips for getting your family off to a great start on a school day!

 

Limit Blue Light Exposure During Evenings

Our bodies’ natural rhythms are altered by short-wavelength light, or blue light. Blue light is emitted by digital devices such as smartphones, Smart TVs, laptops, and tablets. According to an article entitled How Blue Light Affects Kids & Sleep, written by the National Sleep Foundation, kids have trouble falling asleep, take longer to wake up, and are more lethargic and confused in the morning if they are exposed to blue light in the two hours before bedtime. Best practice is to ensure your children turn their electronic devices off at least two hours before you put them to bed. Special filters that block out blue light emissions from electronic devices can also be purchased, but consider reading to them or playing a game to keep your child’s natural sleeping and waking patterns more routine instead.

 

Ensure Everyone Gets Enough Sleep

One of the most obvious steps to establishing an effortless morning routine is to make sure you and your kids get enough sleep overnight. You are going to struggle to coerce your son or daughter out of bed when the alarm goes off if he or she is not well enough rested.

The National Sleep Foundation’s (NSF) article entitled How Can My Child Get More Sleep? states that the average number of recommended hours of sleep per night depends on age. Somewhere between 7-9 hours of sleep on average per night is suggested for adults. It is advised that kids aged 6-13 should have up to 9-10 hours per night, pre-schoolers are urged to have 10-13 hours, and toddlers function best with 11-14 hours of sleep per night.

 

Set A Timer On Your Central Heating

The last thing anyone wants to do is get out of their warm, cosy bed on a cold, winter morning. But if you set your central or floor heating timer to 30-45 minutes before everyone in the family wakes up, the idea of rousing might become more inviting!

There are even mobile apps you can download to change your central heating temperature from the comfort of your bed at night. For general health and well-being, between 18°C and 21°C is ideal and not too much pressure on your finances. Or you can even make your home warmer by increasing the temperature as soon as your alarm goes off so by the time you get out of the shower, the heat is already on the rise!

 

Let The Sunshine In

Natural light assists in waking us up and making us feel more alert by stimulating our brains to release serotonin. To help your child overcome early morning drowsiness, slowly introducing sunshine is a vital phase in stirring them naturally, so pull up the shades and draw those curtains open at least 15 minutes before kids are due to get up!

 

Hot Cocoa or Milo In Bed

When children have something to look forward to waking up to, it is much easier to get them out of bed. Attempt setting aside some time for a morning ritual that will help everyone in the family get into a routine. Maybe it’s hot chocolate with marshmallows if they get straight out of bed or turning on the kids’ favourite music track. Whatever it is, try to help them with a stimulating start to their day!

 

Get the Dog Involved!

Get your puppy ready to pounce on your kids’ beds first thing in the morning for a wake-up call that can’t help but shock the sleepy victim awake to shriek with laughter! No one can sleep through dog slobber and the enthusiasm of a dog!

 

Warm Clothes

Have you ever tried running the kids’ dressing gowns or school uniforms through the tumble dryer 15 minutes before they wake up and bringing to them warm? If you warn them their dressing gowns will get cold if they don’t get up quickly and put them on straight away, then they won’t want to risk missing the warmth. Tell them you don’t do re-warm ups, so it is a one shot deal!

 

A Warm Breakfast

As soon as you wake up, make yourself a hot cuppa, and your child a warm breakfast such as waffles or porridge. This gives kids something to look forward to getting out of bed for, especially if you make it a special treat topped with sweet, fresh berries or let them drizzle on some warm honey or maple syrup!

 

Our Springfree Trampoline team is committed to families and we hope your mornings become a little brighter by trialling one or more of our suggestions!