Page 5 | To keep my three nephews up all night?

Upfiner · 2026-09-24T20:40:00+00:00

I am having my three nephews over for a sleepover. They’re six, just turned two and five months. The eldest has slept over a few times but not the younger two. Instead of wrestling them into bed I am planning to let them stay up as late as they like. I’ve always done this with the eldest and he loves it and usually falls asleep at about 10:30pm. I’ll obvious have the baby in his crib but I’ve got a huge corner sofa so I’m going to bring the duvets down and we can just have a slumber party downstairs. I told my friend who has two sons and she thinks that this will impact their whole week and their schooling and routine and probably exam results and future careers. I’m not going mad am I? This is fine for one fun evening?

Goinggreymammy · 25/09/2026 16:06

LoserWinner · 25/09/2026 09:15

It’s this kind of attitude that explains to me why there are so many miserable people on MN complaining that their marriages/ relationships are going down the pan. If they were a little less uptight about controlling and overseeing every aspect of the little darlings’ lives, and a little more willing to have a bit of unstructured fun with their partners, everyone might be a lot happier.

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My relationship is fine, thanks.
I have had many many nights out over the past 30+ years. Fewer than 1 in 20 involved me not being able to go home to my own house or function for the rest of the night/next morning.

Wannabemornighmum · 25/09/2026 15:41

Sugar plus overtired before they fall asleep will mean they’ll be cranky, exhausted and feel horrible all day the following day. They’re so young, 9 and 11 I’d get it but that young it just seems cruel!!!

Mymanyellow · 25/09/2026 13:47

Sounds good to me. Pizza, chocolate and a film. Two year old will drop off to sleep, might need a cuddle which I’m sure op will provide.
Give it an hour or so six year old will go to sleep too. Five month olds are a law unto themselves so op will go with the flow.
Carry them up to bed.
My granddad used to look after me and my sister when my mum worked. Choc ice and chips was my favourite dinner.

Shoobadadoo · 25/09/2026 13:34

Catza · 24/09/2026 23:02

And yet it is also somehow perfectly normal for a lot of people. Wait till you hear that I used to spend three months living with my grandparents abroad every summer since the age of two. Or that my aunt had her grandson overnight for the first time when he was two months old. It's called being a family.
What doesn't seem normal to me is the "I have never spent a night away from my baby" when the "baby" is 14 years old. Yet, it is also normal for a lot of people.
So can we just agree that while you consider it uncaring in your specific situation, for others this would be a perfect example of the metaphorical village where everyone is caring.

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Having a breastfed baby overnight just isn’t the same - you aunt having a newborn that was only 2 months old for example

Tryagain26 · 25/09/2026 13:25

Upfiner · 24/09/2026 22:08

I have reported your posts. I am baffled as to how an auntie having a sleepover with three nephews is strange to you though. Maybe you live a very lonely life or had a very lonely childhood?

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Just ignore such nonsense.
You sound like a great auntie, I'm sure the boys will have very happy memories of sleepovers at your house and that their parents are very grateful
They are all very lucky to have you

Dweetfidilove · 25/09/2026 13:13

I believe the children who are 'monstrous ' the next day are generally 'monstrous' over little things. My 17 year old would do this at my sister's, because they're nocturnal people who let her stay up late.

As she git older, we started camping in the front room on Friday nights. Her and my nephew would sometimes sleep in the next morning, or be up early if they had something to do or was being picked her up early.
I knew that she'd be tired, so the following evening was going to be an early night, end of.
Our children go to aunties and grandparents to have fun and often a change from routine. Carry on @Upfiner .

dottiedodah · 25/09/2026 12:58

Wow some of these replies are batshit. the odd night watching films, and eating chocolate /sleeping on the sofa in their kind Aunties house. and SS will come calling!(yes like they have nothing else to do! FFS guys lighten up )My much missed (late) friend and her hubby (/both Teachers ),would have late night NYE parties we all went to . DC too.Now all in their 30s with own DC, all been to Uni ,got good jobs No SS involvement! No one is saying this happens all the time, just a one off from a kind Aunty wanting to give her sis a hand and have a fun time with her little nephews !

Original poster

Upfiner · 25/09/2026 12:52

CheeryOP · 25/09/2026 12:48

Fine for the six year old. With the two year old and baby..so unpredictable..could be a disaster, could be fine.

He’ll be fine. If he screams I’ll stick Peppa Pig on my phone.

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Original poster

Upfiner · 25/09/2026 12:50

Allendeavour26 · 25/09/2026 12:44

If the parents know your plan and agree to it, then that is the only opinion that matters. It wouldn't be my cup of tea for someone looking after my children as I think it is more for the babysitters benefit rather than the children's, but that is why we don't do sleepovers.

I’m not sure why there has to be any competition about benefits for a single night.

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CheeryOP · 25/09/2026 12:48

Fine for the six year old. With the two year old and baby..so unpredictable..could be a disaster, could be fine.

Original poster

Upfiner · 25/09/2026 12:48

areyougoodatstayingstill · 25/09/2026 11:44

Why post then?

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Because this is a chat forum. Mad how many people don’t grasp that.

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Allendeavour26 · 25/09/2026 12:44

If the parents know your plan and agree to it, then that is the only opinion that matters. It wouldn't be my cup of tea for someone looking after my children as I think it is more for the babysitters benefit rather than the children's, but that is why we don't do sleepovers.

GoodGirlFaith · 25/09/2026 12:35

Wow this sounds so fun, can I come?!

Of course it's fine, OP. Used to have living room sleepover nights like this a lot when my children were little. Especially if their friends were staying over.

Aavalon57 · 25/09/2026 12:04

Some of the responses on here have really made me chuckle. Children are far more resilient than we make out. Even if they go to bed late and get up early, they'll still go to bed at their regular time the next day. I can't imagine they will be grumpy as the fun and excitement of an overnight with Auntie will carry them through. That's certainly the case when our nieces and nephews stay over. We all have a great time, go with the flow, try to herd them up around 10pm ish, sometimes it's later but the children love staying over and it's memories they and you will never forget. They are aged between 6 and 10 and have been staying over with us for years.

minipie · 25/09/2026 11:53

It really depends on the kids

My eldest would not have fallen asleep at any time before 3am (actually probably would have had a catnap about 10pm for 10 minutes, then woken again for hours), would have woken at the crack of dawn for the day and then been awful for days.

My younger one would have been fine. Still wouldn’t fall asleep till 2am, and be up early, but would magically manage on no sleep the next day. You wouldn’t have had any sleep though!

Sounds like your eldest nephew is a sleeper and will fall asleep at an ok time and sleep in the next day. All good. But you don’t say what the younger two are
like. If the parents are relaxed about staying up then they’re probably decent sleepers also.

Basically with decent sleepers this is fine. With tricky sleepers this is going to cause problems for a few days.

areyougoodatstayingstill · 25/09/2026 11:46

saraclara · 25/09/2026 10:29

She's not forcing them to stay up all night, for goodness sake! She's offering them a night of fun without a strict bedtime. Of course they're going to fall asleep when they're ready to.

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Tell the OP that then!

areyougoodatstayingstill · 25/09/2026 11:44

Upfiner · 25/09/2026 11:36

I am going to crack on.

Eldest has been sleeping since he was a baby.

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Why post then?

Original poster

Upfiner · 25/09/2026 11:36

ScotiaLass · 25/09/2026 10:52

The screaming comes from overtiredness which leads to an inability to fall asleep which creates distress. It's not boredom, or not being allowed to do what they please, it is physical and mental distress caused by being too tired and not being supported to fall asleep. Falling asleep doesn't come naturally to all young children. I don't know how long you've been doing this with your older nephew but for my two they would have grown out of it by 5 or 6 anyway. It sounds like you think you know everything anyway so why not just crack on?

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I am going to crack on.

Eldest has been sleeping since he was a baby.

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Paganpentacle · 25/09/2026 11:34

ShhhYouDontKnowMe · 24/09/2026 21:43

Are you looking after them for the entirety of the following day as well? I wouldn’t have loved being handed back an over-tired toddler the morning after, personally!

Look after your own kids then, is the simple solution.

Original poster

Upfiner · 25/09/2026 11:34

Cutthebullshit · 25/09/2026 10:29

I think it is ok to let them fall asleep when they like but I wouldn't be giving a just turned 2 year old sugar late in the hope you can trick their bodies into staying up longer than they can physically cope with and once the 2 YO is asleep you need to make sure they are undisturbed by the older sibling and have somewhere they can sleep peacefully. I doubt the 2YO will sleep in like the older one did so you need to be prepared for an early start with a baby and crabby toddler or being up all night with an overtired toddler. If this is your first time looking after all three and a fairly young baby I would be making my life easier by putting the younger two to bed on time. You are likely to be up through the night with the baby regardless of what you do.

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I won’t be putting a five month old baby down in a different room.

The toddler would be disgusted if I tried to put him to bed whilst we all stayed downstairs.

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Tryagain26 · 25/09/2026 11:33

Fasthorses · 25/09/2026 07:40

I think you'll find about 20 mins into the film they will be bored and hyper both at the same time and will be playfighting on the floor not watching it.

Kids that age dont really watch a full feature length film and actually at that age they are still a bit too young to properly understand the concept of movies like toy story really so it doesnt hold their attention the same way.

I think you'll find what you actually think of as a 'big treat' they won't actually like that much and they'll be ask to just watch bluey.

It would have actually been way lovelier for them to have a big bath with loads of bubbles with loads of stuff in the bath to play with like plastic jugs and cups to pour water in and out of, cosy pjs and a story at bedtime.

If course they watch feature films at that age! .
My grandchildren were watching films at the cinema when they were 3 as were my children.

Tryagain26 · 25/09/2026 11:28

I think you should do whatever is easiest for you. You are doing their parents a massive favour. But I would tell them what you plan to do

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Upfiner · 25/09/2026 11:28

BerryTwister · 25/09/2026 07:52

I think it’s pretty selfish to take the easy route in the evening, by letting them stay up late, thereby ensuring that their parents have a crap day with them because they’re tired. I suspect you wouldn’t be such a “cool auntie” if you were looking after them the whole of Sunday…..

Of course I wouldn’t! But they’re being shipped back to their parents.

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Original poster

Upfiner · 25/09/2026 11:27

Fasthorses · 25/09/2026 07:40

I think you'll find about 20 mins into the film they will be bored and hyper both at the same time and will be playfighting on the floor not watching it.

Kids that age dont really watch a full feature length film and actually at that age they are still a bit too young to properly understand the concept of movies like toy story really so it doesnt hold their attention the same way.

I think you'll find what you actually think of as a 'big treat' they won't actually like that much and they'll be ask to just watch bluey.

It would have actually been way lovelier for them to have a big bath with loads of bubbles with loads of stuff in the bath to play with like plastic jugs and cups to pour water in and out of, cosy pjs and a story at bedtime.

Six year olds don’t watch feature length films? What? 😂

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Original poster

Upfiner · 25/09/2026 11:25

Bellesbest · 25/09/2026 07:31

Exactly
2 is a baby
the Op just showing complete inexperience of looking after young children

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This two year old has mastered watching television. He’s very advanced.

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