Early rising child and mum guilt

[Mallowmarshmallow]

Hi all

I'm wondering if anyone can share any tips/advice....?

My DS(5) has always been an early riser. In the summer he tends to rise between 5-5.30, always has done.

He has a gro clock which is currently set to 6.20 but I struggle with my options. I try to ask him to stay in bed until the gro clock's sunshine is up but then feel massive mum guilt about him lying on his own in bed awake until then. The alternative is that he goes downstairs and he would generally choose to play/turn on the tv.....which I also feel massive mum guilt about.

He's a child who is prone to overthinking and I worry that all that time spent alone isn't good for him....

Despite the mum guilt I would really rather not have to wake up at 5am every morning (especially at the weekends). Does anyone have any advice about what they would do in similar circumstances?

My ds is still a baby so I just get him into bed with me. Probably not the done thing on here and maybe wouldn't work with a restless 5yo but I certainly wouldn't feel guilty about any choices. Do what you need to do, if you're tired, let him watch telly and eat cereal. If you're not, get up with him. I'm fairly sure he gets his over thinking from his mum

My DD doesn't get up til 630 or 7 and I still let her watch tv and eat cereal! No harm in it at all!

Just let him go downstairs and watch tv/play/draw, until you get up. He is definitely old enough at 5. He might even be able to get himself his breakfast, especially if you leave the cereal in a bowl and teach him to pour the right amount of milk carefully.

I always said I would never let my kids have a tv in their room until they stared doing this. I stick the tv on in their room, it has a fire stick and through that the Disney app so they can watch a film or Disney junior. As I’m turning on the tv for them (the fire stick is pin protected) I feel slightly guilty but then I go back to bed for anything up to 2 hours and when I wake up it’s gone 😂

Mine were always early risers at that age. They were allowed up with me from 6am onwards. I just got on with it until they grew out of it, sometimes I'd drag the duvet through to the lounge and stick the TV on while I snoozed! (Memories of Thomas the Tank DVDs playing in the background....)

DD will keep herself entertained while I'm still asleep, usually on her tablet or will read a book now she's older (6) she has been able to be left to her own devices since around 4 as she would never come and wake me up, unless she was hungry!
No harm in leaving him be, don't give yourself a hard time over it.

Adding to @CremeEggThief comment about pouring the milk, I do this during the school holidays but use a cleaned out fruit shoot bottle as my DD has had one too many accidents dropping the 4pt milk!!

Ours are allowed to play quietly (i.e. I don’t care what you do but don’t wake mama) when their groclock has 1 star. So reading, colouring, Lego etc. Does he have any of that in his room?

Failing that could he get in bed with and watch on a tablet if you have one? Are you a single parent? If not could you alternate getting up with him?

Get some blackout curtains and put him to bed later. Set the clock to 8am.

Please do not beat yourself up over this.

At 5/5:30am it is perfectly ok to allow him to watch TV/tablet, play, anything really until it’s a good time to get up! You need your sleep too and not to have to be up at 5am, esp on the weekend!

My eldest who is now 9 woke at 6am latest every day! From about 7 he started to sleep later and now he’s pretty good and even if up later just gets on with it himself. He is also a massive overthinker/worriers. It he enjoys the time to do his own thing. I’m not going to worry about it as honestly I need my sleep and if I have to get up, I’ll be cross for the rest of the day!