I’ve been trying to get my son up earlier so our mornings aren’t so chaotic before daycare, but honestly, it’s been a disaster. He’s super moody, cries, refuses to get dressed, and everything just turns into a battle. Before, he would wake up later, and yeah, it was a bit rushed, but at least he wasn’t this irritable. It feels like his body just hasn’t adjusted, and I’m not sure if I should push through or just go back to how it was. I feel like I messed up his whole rhythm. Anyone else been through this?
Omg same. My daughter is 3 too, and we tried shifting her bedtime 30 minutes earlier so she’d wake up earlier, and wow, did that backfire. She was just as tired in the morning but now also fighting bedtime even more. It took weeks for her to finally adjust, but it did get better. I stuck to the new wake, up time and made sure she got lots of morning light and movement to help her body clock shift. Maybe try holding steady for a bit longer? Change is hard at this age
We tried something similar, and it was like my son turned into a completely different kid. So cranky, even when we thought he was getting enough sleep! Do you think he might still be tired, or is it more of a hates change thing? I never figured out if my son was actually sleep, deprived or just mad that we messed with his routine. Either way, mornings were rough for a while
I read a lot about circadian rhythms when my oldest was struggling with a schedule shift, and something that actually worked was exposing her to bright light as soon as she woke up. Like, open the curtains, turn on lights, even go outside if possible. Morning light signals the brain that it’s time to wake up and helps shift sleep patterns. We also made wake-up time more fun by playing a silly song when it was time to get up, letting her pick out her outfit the night before, and having a special breakfast food she loved waiting for her. It took about two weeks, but she finally stopped being so cranky! Might be worth trying before giving up on the change
I’ve got a 6 year old now, but I remember those battles well. The trick that worked for us was moving everything in tiny increments, like, 10, 15 minutes at a time instead of a big change all at once. Also, having a fun morning, only activity helped. My son loved looking at picture books, so I made sure there was one waiting for him on the couch in the morning, and that tiny bit of motivation helped with the transition. I’d say if it’s only been a week or two, give it some more time. But if after a month he’s still miserable, maybe his natural rhythm just isn’t an early one. Not worth the daily meltdown if it’s not necessary!
Ugh, I feel this so much. We switched up my son’s routine recently, and mornings went from kinda chaotic to completely unbearable. Like, is it worth it if everyone is just starting their day upset? I swear, some kids just have a natural rhythm that doesn’t budge no matter what you do. I don’t even have advice, just solidarity because some mornings I literally want to cry right alongside my kid. If you figure out a magic trick that works, let me know