How do I make early mornings easier?

[sarahb083]

DD wakes up between 5:30 and 6 and it's so painful, even when I go to sleep early. Does anyone have any tips to make it easier?

What time does she go to bed? I'd try and get her fitting into your routine a bit better by putting her to bed later so she gets up later if that's possible.

She's about to turn 1 and goes to bed about 7 - I could try putting her down later, but she's mostly sleeping through the night lately, and I'm scared to mess that up!

Make up a piping hot coffee in a Kleen Kanteen (or similar) before you go to sleep so as soon as your eyes open you've got a coffee.

A cosy dressing gown and a bleak sense of resignation does it for me.

I've barely slept past six for five years, my DC are both early risers. Try what you can to change it, but ultimately you'll have to accept what you can't change. Early nights and take it in turns with DP if you can.

@GrendelsGrandma 'a bleak sense of resignation'

Easy coffee is a good suggestion - thanks.

Any other suggestions very welcome!

Homemade egg McMuffin style

Ds is 1, he goes to bed at 9pm and still wide awake around 6am. I don’t think I can put him to bed any later. The odd time he has ie travel, still up early

Get straight up! I know it's painful and you want to cry for the lost sleep but IME you're better dragging yourself out of bed and accepting your day has started.

Coffee if you like it (I don't and spent the first 2 years of DDs life living on sugar, the baby weight soon went back on ☹️)

Try and make plans to get out on a morning - meet a friend for a drink, play area or park

Later to bed, mine rarely got up before 8am, used have to wake them for preschool. Bedtime and waking time is habit

@gogohm - how late was bedtime for 8am wake? Ds goes to bed at 9pm already and up at 6am. So would have to be 11pm for 8am wake here

It might sort itself out. Between about 7-13 months my DD woke up at 5 every day, for the last 2 months or so (now 17mo) she’s been waking up 8-9am!! Still bed at 7 , always kept it the same

My youngest is 4yo and still wakes around 5am. It is what it is. I just accept that's my day started. Cup of tea and get on with it. Not much you can do. He has been like this since settling into a bed at 2yo.

I lie with him in his bed til 6am, btw. Not expecting him to sleep but if it means I get extra time to doze, it's a compromise.

Plan for it, just like you would if you had a job that meant you needed to get up at 5.30am.

Up, feed kid/enlist the electronic babysitter (TV), have a shower, get dressed and run your day as though you want it to be like that.

The advantage is that you'll have done shedloads more by 9am than many have by midday. Which means you don't need to do quite as much later.