How to Battle Back-to-School Cabin Bed Sleep-Ins!

Getting children out of bed and back to school!

After a summer of fun, long lie-ins and more relaxed bed times it can be hard to get kids to bust a groove in the morning. If you’re dreading the first week back at school because you know it will mean battling your little ones out of their cute cabin beds and rushing around to get them out of the door on time, read on, because today we’re sharing a few tips just for you!

Unfortunately, repeated beckoning down to breakfast in the kitchen doesn’t always rouse sleepy children, particularly when their beds are as comfy as our cabin offerings! Early starts are powered better by early bedtimes and though the amount of sleep your child needs will depend on their age, working to a schedule will help you both.

Setting out of bed boundaries

The priorities of our children are very different from us and while it can be difficult to reason with them at times, it’s important that they learn the consequences of running late and to take responsibility for getting out of bed.

Talk to your child about how running late effects you and them and put in place a routine with specific action points that need to occur each morning e.g. cleaning teeth, brushing hair, eating breakfast. You may want to have a race with your child to see who can get through their routine first or consider incentivising them to maintain their routine for a set number of days each week, unlocking a prize or privilege if they succeed.

Being familiar with what needs to be done when helps everyone - try putting a schedule on the fridge or you may even want to consider doing some dry runs of your morning routine or acting it out with very young children to understand why they’re reluctant to get going!

Out of bed boosters

Choosing their own alarm and learning to set it can get some children more excited about getting up, others need more of a boost!

Opening the curtains 20 minutes before it’s time for them to get up can help rouse them naturally with the power of light. Teens can be particularly hard to persuade out of bed, but as they say – ‘there is an app for that!” Suggest your adolescent downloads stepoutofbed to their smartphone, it works by forcing them to prove they have gotten out of bed by taking a photo or walking a certain number of steps. Once they’ve left the comfort of the duvet they’ll find it easier to get on with the day.

If all of your efforts and theirs are failing, try roping in the family pet – it’s hard to nod off when you have a dog urging you to get up and play!

Do you have any tips for getting children out of bed in the morning or are your kids always up bright and early? Perhaps you’ve developed a routine the night before that helps you get out the door swiftly each morning? We’d love to hear your advice!