"Natalie? Hello? Natalie?" I poked her a few times.
She groaned at me.
"Natalie? It's time to wake up."
She burrowed into her covers. I was tempted to grab her by the ankles and swing her around above me. But let's be honest, I'm not that strong.
"Natalie?" I shook her again. "Let's move it."
She glared at me.
It's not the easiest thing to get tweens out of bed. It's especially tough when they have to wake up early. But school is starting again, so Natalie has to get used to the early hours. I've come up with ways to get her out of the bed easier, so I don't have to shake the mattress like a mad woman.
1. Take away their electronics. I make sure they are all gone by 9. This way she can start to settle down for the night. Is she happy with me? No. But I'm not here to be a friend.
2. Make it easy. Have them pick an outfit the night before. Trust me. If your tween is like mine, this is a must. My tween can take forever to pick out an outfit. "That shirt looks weird on me. I can't wear those pants! They're the wrong color. No one wears KHAKI anymore! That was so last semester!"
3. Promise that you won't speak to them. Too much. Obviously I have to say that I love her and that I hope she has a good day, but I won't pepper her with questions because honestly, I'm not much of a morning person either. I also find that talking to her too much sets her off, and I don't want to deal with tween angst first thing in the morning.
4. Give them a tasty breakfast.
As you see, I made waffles, cut up some strawberries, plus apples and peaches. I tried to make it into a face, but I'm not creative. Especially in the morning.
I paired it with the new NESTLÉ® NESQUIK® Super Breakfast at Walmart because it has 12 grams of protein and calcium.
I found it in the aisle where the NESQUIK® cocoa mix is. If it's not there, you might be able to find it in the juice aisle as well.
If Natalie knows she's getting a good breakfast, she'll wake easier because I'll be honest, most of the time I hand a box of cereal over. But I know she's in middle school now, and needs all the nutrients she can get. When she gets a good breakfast, she's less likely to be sassy with me, and that's a great thing.
So how do you get your tweens to wake up?
If you want to try NESTLÉ® NESQUIK® Super Breakfast, check out this Ibotta offer.
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I don't have a kid, but sure have a baby brother, for whom i can try this. He is lazy, and always on phone. This might actually get him out of bed, on time. Thanks for the idea
ReplyDeleteWell the gadget taking part is harsh but yeah it works, even worked on me. Well our breakfast part was different but yes it does, a good breakfast seriously helps me throughout half of the day.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun post! You and your daughter are so cute! My kiddos are 8&6 but the mornings they have school, they have such a hard time waking up! Of course, on non-school days they wake up super early before the rooster even crows! Anyways, I recently found a method that works for them: I turn on Peppa Pig on my phone and the bright cheery British voice always gets their attention. I stick around for a minute and then walk away to make breakfast. They follow happily not long after! Haha!
ReplyDeleteAny tips for getting toddlers to wake up in the morning for the daycare?
ReplyDeleteI have a hard time with my little girl!
When I was younger my dad used to blast Pink Floyds- Time to get us out of bed. I'd jump out of bed soo quickly. Mildly terrified but still pretty dang quick.
ReplyDeleteO, I do remember having a hard time waking up as a teen. You have some great tips over here!
ReplyDeleteI used to hate waking up early as a teen. Nothing would convince me to get out of bed. Funnily enough now, I do wake up quite early, without the alarm.
ReplyDeleteA good breakfast is definitely something worth waking up for!
ReplyDeleteI would definitely wake up for a tasty breakfast, and picking an outfit in night, well I can try that for myself too so I can sleep for at least 15 minutes more, lol. Great tips though, would work with every bed lover.
ReplyDeleteThese are excellent tips, and they couldn't come at a better time for me. Just this morning, I was thinking seriously about the bucket of water method...
ReplyDeleteI don't have kids but I will use some of your points myself as I'm terrible at getting up in the mornings
ReplyDeleteI remember when my parents were trying to have us all up for school! Such a nightmare for them! And back then, we did not even have all the devices!
ReplyDeleteThese are great tips! It can be so hard trying to wake kids up for school. My son has to get up at 5:30. I have to check back a few times or he will fall back asleep!
ReplyDeleteThese are great ideas. I have started taking away electronics at night too. Any time they have electronics in their room, they are either up late or wasting time in the morning (or both). This will be helpful for the new school year.
ReplyDeletei completely agree with taking the electronics away. this put them to sleep and wake early.
ReplyDeleteOur kids love NesQuik, but I haven't seen this style before. I'll have to check it out the next time we're at the store.
ReplyDeleteHahaha a good breakfast always makes me wakeup early like 6am. That anticipation makes me happy and stays eating for 2 hours :)
ReplyDeleteElectronics really making tween so tired these days. Watching long hours the night before really sabotage the following school day. And I believe in making a delicious breakfast works.
ReplyDeleteThose are some great tips. So far in our situation it's the opposite. The baby is the one waking us up. Hahaha :D
ReplyDeleteGadgets really affects their sleep. My 12 year old niece would sneak her phone before and browse Facebook until midnight. That was a difficult time. Thanks for your tips!
ReplyDeleteOoh when I was her age and even in College, Instill drink Nesquik. Lol! This is a wonderful treat for getting up early.
ReplyDeleteI tell my kids to get out of bed or they're walking to school. They know I don't fool around so it usually gets the moving, haha.
ReplyDeleteYour trips made me laugh pretty hard. No teens for me yet, thank goodness but I'll have to remember these tips for down the road.
ReplyDeleteThis is my 8 year old in a nutshell. It is torture to get her up and going. These are all definitely tips I've used to help her get going.
ReplyDeleteMy 10-year-old inherited my night owl characteristics. But she's got school and a rigid schedule so she's got to get some sleep. The mornings are rough, but a yummy breakfast certainly helps motivate her to get up.
ReplyDeleteA good breakfast is everything for my kid, too! When he gets what he likes, he wakes up much more easier!
ReplyDeleteI so remember these days with my mom! She would have the biggest battles getting me up but one of my favorite ways was going to breakfast!
ReplyDeleteOhh, you are sweet, look at that breakfast! I should follow your advice myself. Since I started working from home I am using phone or laptop up to bed time, and I have a hard time getting out of bed...
ReplyDeleteI want Natalie's breakfast. I don't think Scarlet's a tween yet, but she's totally harder to wake up than she used to be. Des still sometimes thinks that before 7am is ok. (it's not)
ReplyDeleteGreat tips. My son will be hitting those tween years soon, but so far he is pretty easy to wake up and I'm grateful for that.
ReplyDelete