Kids are staying up late?

by **vruyk** » Tue Jul 31, 2012 3:42 pm

I have been babysitting for my sister and her husband for 5 weeks now, they have a little boy who is almost 5 and a Little girl who is almost 3, and they have a really hard time with the kids when they get home, as soon as they get home the kids scream and fright and yell at each other and their patents, they don't do this when it's just me and them because I have rules about doing that( timeout in the corner for fighting yelling and hitting) as far as them being rude to the parents I make them go to time out then apologize to their parents after I talk to them when they calm down about what they did was wrong , how that makes their parents feel, and how they wouldn't want their parents acting that way towards them. When it comes to bedtime it's a huge task( I don't have to get them to bed but I do watch them when my sister gets home or her husband but I choose to because they pay me and I am their aunt after all) Anyways getting them to bed is hard for their parents they scream yell and cry when they want to go to sleep which is around 111pm to 1 am ( it's this late because they just won't settle down anytime sooner) I think this bedtime for them is ridiculous and I want to put a stop to it because their parents go to work early( getting up at 6am) so what I was wondering was what are some good activities that will wear them out? And do you think I'm doing a good job with the kids? If not what am I doing wrong?
The kids wake up from 10:30am to 11:30am
I try not to give them junk food of sugary foods or drinks
I try not to let them take naps but allow it of course if I see the child falling asleep while playing or eating or if they tell me they r tired
They have a bath around 12pm to 3pm depending on what time they got up and how late they eat breakfast( bath time is before lunch)
I got my sisters approval on waking the kids up at an earlier time regardless of what time they went to bed and for them to play outside for an hour or two so I can make their lives easier

by **reid** » Tue Jul 31, 2012 3:43 pm

try races. Somewhere safe though. Kids like to sprint and this will tire them out pretty fast.

by **iker** » Tue Jul 31, 2012 3:53 pm

I think your doing a better job then your sister lol! I'm not a parent and I don't watch kids regularly like you do, but I just wanted to tell you that your doing a great job!

by **chason58** » Tue Jul 31, 2012 3:55 pm

In my opinion th your doing a good job but it seems the parents need to set rules also and a good punishment if they dont follow those rules. On the topic of getting them to go to bed earlier they should just wake them up earlier and keep them active all day with no naps then i bet they'd go to sleep much earlier.

by **colten** » Tue Jul 31, 2012 3:59 pm

just let them run around like little maniacs and that should wear them out

by **vohkinne** » Tue Jul 31, 2012 4:05 pm

Its really sad that you are not the parent here. You are doing a fantastic job. Those children need to be up at 8 . Then they would go to bed at eight. However, the first few days of getting them up at 8 would be horrible since they will be cranky especially in the afternoon. Just moderate exercise, walking,etc would help. Maybe some new games . Dancing to music?

by **wethrby** » Tue Jul 31, 2012 4:14 pm

It sounds like everything is backwards. They should have baths at bedtime to try and soothe them. You should set up a routine with books and/or songs. Something relaxing. Then they need to stick to it. Also, they shouldn't be sleeping in so late. If they wake up at 8 they can still have a nap at 1 for instance. But there needs to be rules and consequences. Good luck. Also, do big motor skills to get there energy out, park, running/walking, biking riding etc.

by **geol19** » Tue Jul 31, 2012 4:26 pm

Hi I'm not a parent (I'm 16) but I take care of my little sister (4) and I babysat a couple of years ago. So I have some advice to help calm the kids try taking their bath at night instead and also listen to some quiet music and try to burn off some of the energy in the daytime by taking them to the park or even just shopping! Try creating a bedtime routine start at 6:00pm give the kids a bath and put them in their pjs than turn off all the lights except for a small night light and read them a nice storybook and than let them talk about the day a little and than both of them off to bed by 7:00. 11:00-1:00am is way too late for their age they should wait till their teens to be up that late until I was thirteen I slept before 9:00 now I sleep at like 1 or 2 lol! And also 10-11 is way to late to wake up they should be up by 6:00am 11 hours of sleep is good for that age. Hope I was able to help u and good luck :-)

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