Q. Does anyone have experience with a six-year-old child who consistently gets up early every morning at 5:30 or 6 a.m.? She has always been an early-riser. My husband thinks we should make her stay in bed until a certain time. I am the one who gets up with her, and It is creating conflict between us. Any ideas on how to handle this?

“Trying to make the child stay in bed when she is awake presents a problem,” panelist Joanne Raftas said, adding, “It isn’t going to work.” As an alternative, Raftas suggested letting the child can stay in her room, and giving her a list of things she can do to occupy herself.”

“If the mother is getting up at 5:30, I can see why there is conflict,” panelist Chad Stefanyak said, adding that the mother doesn’t need to wake up when the daughter does, but the parents need to set strict boundaries on what the daughter can and cannot do when awake in her room. “Fighting over it isn’t going to help,” said Stefanyak.

Panelist Pam Wallace and the rest of the panel confirmed that 11 hours is the recommended requirement for sleep for six-year-olds, but Raftas explained that some children get up early for playtime before school. “If the child is happy getting up at 5:30 and isn’t sleep deprived, it shouldn’t be a problem. But if she is groggy or grumpy, she needs more sleep,” said Raftas.

The challenge is to determine the right time for the girl to go to bed to get enough sleep for school the next day, panelist Erin Stalsitz said, noting that the signs of insufficient sleep include falling asleep while watching television or falling asleep in the car, becoming clingy or irritable during the day (especially between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m.) and a short attention span.

Quoting the American Association of Pediatrics, Raftas said the timing of sleep is often crucial: “Putting a child to bed too early or too late may result in a significant delay in falling asleep.”

Raftas urged the parents to have patience: “This isn’t going to be a problem forever. When she’s a teenager, she won’t be waking up at 5:30.”

Additional information about sleep guidelines: www.aappublications.org

This week’s panel: Pam Wallace, program coordinator, Project Child, a program of Valley Youth House; Erin Stalsitz, Lehigh Children & Youth; Joanne Raftas, Northampton Community College, independent counselor, and Chad Stefanyak, school counselor.

Have a question? Email: projectchild@projectchildlv.org

The Family Project is a collaboration of the Lehigh Valley Press Focus section and Valley Youth House’s Project Child.

The Times News, Inc., and affiliates (Lehigh Valley Press) do not endorse or recommend any medical products, processes, or services or provide medical advice. The views of the columnist and column do not necessarily state or reflect those of the Lehigh Valley Press. The article content is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician, or other qualified health-care provider, with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.