Mornings can be a crazy and chaotic time for parents with toddlers. Often times, dressing, eating and bathing are rushed through in order to get to daycare and work on time. Weekend mornings can become frustrating as well when tired parents want to sleep in and hear the pitter patter of little feet much earlier than they themselves would like to be awake. With a change in perspective and a commitment to a simple, consistent routine, you can bring more peace into your weekday mornings and restful joy to the weekends. Think through your morning. What must be accomplished? What can you push back to the night before? An evening bath, lunch-making and clothes selection the night before may simplify your morning routine. Having less to do in the morning may help you get out of the house in a less harried fashion. Set alarms for yourself. Make sure you are getting to bed early enough to give yourself the sleep you need. Then, set your alarm to get yourself up and ready before you wake your toddler. When your toddler wakes, you will have more flexibility to focus on her and getting her ready to get out the door. Set a simple routine. If it will help, write it down, especially if your older toddler is beginning to read. Make a chart, using pictures or stickers of activities to show your toddler what tasks must be accomplished each morning and in what order. For example, you could write your child’s name at the top and then have three or four rows with pictures of a toothbrush, bowl of cereal, and a toilet in them to show his need to brush his teeth, eat breakfast and go to the bathroom in the mornings. Establish room time. If your toddler is an early riser, set an expectation that she remains in her room until a reasonable hour. Understand that you can’t abuse room time and sleep-in for hours with your child awake in her room. But, you can train your child to play quietly, look at books or put puzzles together in the safety of her bedroom for 30 minutes or so until your normal weekend wake time. Getting yourself to bed at a reasonable hour, even on Friday and Saturday nights, will help you parent your toddler with love and patience come Saturday and Sunday morning.
Posted on: Tue, 23 Jul 2013 07:49:46 +0000
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