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Who Knew? Toddlers Can Tell Time

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Who Knew that toddlers can tell time and adding a clock to their bedroom can actually make them sleep later?

Our almost three-year-old son would sleep until a decent hour every morning. That was until he gave up his pacifier a couple of months ago. It was then that he had to keep the lamp on every night, which made it more difficult for him to tell if it was light outside in the morning. (My rule was that it had to be light outside before he could get up.) So when he was waking up before 6:00 a.m. because of the lamp and no paci, I knew something had to be done.

A friend of mine asked if Jack recognized his numbers and when I said he did, she suggested that I get a digital clock for his room. She has one for her daughter who is almost four and swore that it worked. My husband kind of laughed at the idea, thinking it would never work, but I figured I'd give it a shot. I had nothing to lose and only sleep to gain!

The first night, I told Jack that the first number had to be a "7" before he could get out of bed the next morning. He called me in at 6:30 and I had to explain the "7" rule again. He wasn't too happy, but settled down. At 6:37, he called me in again saying that there was a "7" on the clock. I reminded him that it had to be the first number. So at 7:00 on the dot, I hear in the most excited voice, "Mama, there's a 7! The first number is a 7!"

Scott was floored that it worked, and I have to admit that I was a bit surprised that it worked so quickly and consistently. Since we got the clock, I've heard him wake up before 7:00 a few times, but he'll just read in his bed and sing his ABC's or other tunes until it hits 7:00 on the dot.

Who knew that a clock could work that kind of magic? Now, you know.

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stephmsdiva 5 pts

My 18 month old doesn't recognize numbers yet, but I have saved this little tip for future use. (Is it totally weird that I'm now thinking I should work a lot harder on the number thing?)

Stephanie

http://quirkyblogger.com

BethNixon 5 pts

Same thing with my son except he's always been a terrible sleeper.

 First time I told him the seven rule, he called me in at 3:47!!  I then had to explain WHERE the seven had to be.

He's six and gets up everyday, at 7:00am.  He lays in bed, quietly, and waits for 7 and then gets himself up.  The kid is better and more reliable than an alarmclock!!

 LOVE digital clocks.

Beth Nixon
http://bethnixon.blogspot.com

taado 5 pts

For younger kids, a nightlight on a timer works miracles. "This light knows when it's night. It will turn off when it's morning." Set the timer to come one just before story time and go off at a 'reasonable' hour.

Taado

JennaHatfield 10 pts

I've been telling my friends about this trick for awhile now. I actually learned it from my best friend's old sister as her oldest was waking at a ridiculous hour as well. BigBrother (3 in November) has been staying in bed until 7:00 (pronounced seven-zero-zero) since mid-spring. Of course, I'm normally already awake but it's nice to have some me-time first! But, yes, at 7:00 on the dot, he's READY TO GO.

FireMom from Stop, Drop and Blog ( http://stopdropandblog.com )

And: the Birth Parent blog ( http://birthparents.adoptionblogs.com ) and The Chronicles of Munchkin Land ( http://thechroniclesofmunchkinland.com )