How To Sleep In When You Have Kids, According To Reddit
I feel rage when my kids wake up too early
As a kid, I was notorious for waking up around 5 a.m. every single day. My mom tried everything to get me to sleep in, from moving my naps to keeping me up late, but nothing worked. Now that I’m 11, I’m still an early riser, never sleeping past 8 a.m., even on weekends. Some kids are just wired that way. But one mom on Reddit has really reached her limit, sharing in the /parenting subreddit, “I feel rage when my kids wake up too early.”
The original poster (OP) writes that despite 6:40 a.m. being the time they need to be up for school on weekdays, her kids refuse to get up. But when it’s the weekend, that seems to be their natural wake time. “When I hear their voices before 7:30, I feel enraged. Truly I just want good rest. Then I feel impatient for the rest of the day and guilty for that. I want to sleep in so badly. I want them to be quiet so badly,” she writes.
My kids refuse to get up at 6:40 a.m.
As a kid who was an early riser and is now a full-on “morning person” as an adult, I get waking up early on weekends. There’s excitement in starting the day when you actually don’t have school or work to get to, and I think it’s super normal for kids to be up early on the days they don’t have to be. But I also get needing rest — and wanting just one morning where you can actually enjoy sleeping in a bit.
I want to sleep in so badly
But what can you do when your kids refuse to get up at a reasonable hour? Luckily, Reddit had tons of ideas for her, including the beautiful art of distraction. “‘This is why I buy Pop-Tarts’ — my boys were up between 4 to 6 a.m. for most of their lives. I was not,” one commenter wrote.
Atomic Fact: Some kids are just wired to wake up early
Some kids are just naturally early risers, and no matter what you do, they’ll always wake up at the crack of dawn. It’s not that they’re not tired; they just can’t help it.
Most kids will eventually sleep in on weekends
But it’s not all bad news. Most kids will eventually sleep in on weekends, even if they’re not tired on weekdays. It’s just part of their natural rhythm. And as one commenter pointed out, “I think the answer is to either go to bed earlier or switch off with your partner on whose morning it is to get up with the kids.”
Atomic Fact: Waking up early can be normal for kids
Waking up early can be a normal part of a child’s routine, especially if they’re not tired on weekdays. It’s not that they’re not sleeping enough; they’re just naturally early risers.
Tips and tricks for sleeping in when you have kids
So, what can you do when your kids refuse to get up at a reasonable hour? Here are some tips and tricks from Reddit:
1. Distraction techniques
One commenter wrote, “The trick is to limit screens in regular life so you can play the ‘unlimited screens until mommy and daddy wake up’ card. Their little minds go wild and they work so hard to stay quiet.”
2. Bedtime hacks
Another commenter shared, “I’d tell them when I woke up we’d clean our rooms, so they always stayed quiet lol.”
3. Cereal and milk
One parent shared, “We also bought milk in smaller containers so they could make cereal. They had their own cabinet with plastic cups, bowls, spoons, etc. It would give us a good hour to rest more.”
4. Trust your kids to watch TV or play on their iPad
As one commenter pointed out, “Above all, tons of the commenters said it’s all about your kids’ ages and if you can trust them to just watch TV or play on their iPad while you catch up on sleep.”
It won’t last forever
As one commenter wrote, “My almost-15-year-old practically has to be pried out of bed on the weekends. He was a kid that was up at 6 a.m. no matter what time he went to bed.”
And as another commenter shared, “I promise it does get better! My 12-year-old and I slept in until 9 a.m. today and I could have cried tears of joy.”
Make your own bedtime earlier
As one commenter pointed out, “If you aren’t a morning person and you’re feeling rage, then it’s time to make your own bedtime earlier. It can make all the difference in how you feel in the morning, and we do no talk enough about how good it feels to have the same bedtime as your 5-year-old.”
So get more sleep, charge up the electronics, and make sure there’s a box of Lucky Charms or powdered donuts in the pantry. Your sanity (and your sleep schedule) will thank you.
