Need Help on Waking up My "Sleepy-head"

I have a couple of ideas. When my son was around the same age, I had the same problem. In the morning, I would get myself ready, then see if he was ready to wake up. If not, I would tell him that he will have to wear his pajamas to daycare and bring his clothes in his backpack. For a few months, this is exactly what we did. He would be sleepy as I carried him to the van and brought him to daycare. By then, he would be more awake. Or on days he was still sleepy, he would lay on the beanbag until he felt awake enough to participate. The teachers didn't mind. He would change into his day clothes after waking up more.
The second is from a friend of mine at work. She lets her kids put on their clothes the night before. they would sleep in their clothes for the next day. That way, they were all dressed and pretty much ready. Takes less time fighting with the kids and they are already dressed.
hope these ideas help out!
M.

C., I just wanted to thank you for bringing up this topic! I have the same issue w/my 5 1/2 year old son and all the responses you got gave me some great ideas too! I'm also so glad to hear other parents concerned about how much sleep their kids get--you wouldn't believe how many parents or relatives think even 10 hours of sleep is too much!
Anyway, hopefully the advice you got helps you and your daughter!

My four year old also sleeps 12 hours at night. He doesnt take naps anymore though. If he did, he would still need 12 hrs. Kids need at least 10-12 hrs of sleep into well into grade school to do well. They will be much happier. Dont be surprised if your three year old needs 12hrs or more.

Does she still take naps at work? Sometimes my son is hard to get up. He's 2 1/2. I go in and wake him up and turn a light on right away. Then I get him dressed right away and sometimes I just hold him for a while and talk to him. He eventually wakes up and gets going.

Looks like you're doing everything right. It probably is just a growth spurt. I found this informative article about child's sleep habits. It may be useful.

http://kidshealth.org/parent/general/sleep/sleep.html

My almost 4 year old needs 12 hours of sleep at night (she no longer naps) on a regular basis. She is in bed most nights by! 7PM. It seems like a lot, but then she is up the next morning with a smile. With a growth spurt, it may be worth backing the bedtime up even a bit earlier.

When I had trouble getting my son up in the morning, I found what worked for him was to give him an alarm clock. He was thrilled and started getting up right away. I think it made him feel like a "big guy." Maybe that would help. Good luck.
M.

My 5year old is the same way. It doesn't matter how much sleep she gets either. She is generally a night owl and in the summer or weekends she can easily stay up til 2am and be up after I've already fallen asleep. When she was little in daycare and now in school I enforce a bedtime.

My daughter really likes when I bring her in a nice warm washcloth especially if she's had a cold or just for the heck of it. She lays it on her face and that wakes her up the best. I've tried alot of other methods like cartoons, kissing her, rubbing her back, shaking her, and have even gotten kinda rough nothing wakes her. I usually have to use a stern voice or raise my voice quite a bit. Occasionally I will have to scream at her, not because I'm mad but she just won't wake up. I also tell her, her teacher will be upset if she doesn't get to school on time.