What do you do when your kids get up early?

[user6776]

DS 4 has been up since half 5. We've come downstairs for breakfast, DS is watching some TV and I'm having a coffee to wake myself up.

I just feel the day is so long when he gets up early. I don't want to sit around for hours doing nothing, but it's still so early to do anything.

What does everybody else do?

Following! DS also been up since 530, as is his natural wake time, any ideas welcome because I’m so tired. I also have a baby so I’ve been up with him too.

Lie on the sofa with a blanket and snooze a little while they watch TV.

@ApolloandDaphne I have done in the past, but I always feel so much more tired when I wake up 😩

The day starts at 5am here. We take our time having breakfast, pop the telly on. Nothing's open until 9 round here so DH and I take it in turns to do jobs round the house while the other watches the kids. We're OUT of that door at 8.45 to the nearest cafe and playground 😆 It does feel like you've done a whole day's work by 11am!

I've had 11 years of DS thinking 6am is a lie-in so I'm used to getting lots of things done early. Yesterday I had cleaned the kitchen, put some washing away and one load on, tidied the lounge, done an exercise dvd and put dinner in the slow cooker by 8.30! I am a natural early bird but I do feel it later on in the day.

If I need to do food shopping then I've always made DS come with me when they open at 7. If he's going to get me up super early then he needs to help me make the most of that.😂

The worst thing is that I can't sleep past 5 now so on the rare occasion of him sleeping in (like right now) I'm lying in bed wanting to get up and get going 😂

It’s miserable. They end up watching far too much TV to be honest, but I am stumped if I know what else to do! Ds was 620 today which is a lie in by past standards but 5am was the norm for ages, its horrible.

@Eveningintheafternoon Yep, I get really bad mum guilt about the amount of TV also!

We got a grow clock - our DS is an early riser, he cant go downstsirs until his grow clock changes at 7am.
He wakes now between 6.30 - 7, i still wake up when he goes the loo but he stays in his room until 7.

Yep the TV goes on here. Usually for about an hour 🙈 but it’s the only TV DS gets all day and he wakes up at 5.30 so I justify it to myself!!

What do you do after 630? Genuine question, as it still feels very early, and so dark and cold!

We got a grow clock - our DS is an early riser, he cant go downstsirs until his grow clock changes at 7am.
😂the first day DS pulled the plug and told us it was broken.
The second day he messed with the buttons until it showed the sun. I put the child lock on.
The third day he pulled the plug and said it was broken.
The fourth day he pulled the plug and then plugged it in again so it still showed the correct time, but had reset itself to the sun.
I gave up.

I had to re-frame it in my mind as " 1-1 time with DC1 before DC2 woke". We read books, did jigsaw puzzles, tried to get him to colour in or write his name etc. Originally I let him have the iPad/tv but then decided to try to make it more boring for him so he'd be less likely to come and get us. He'd play for a bit with his Duplo or wooden train set.

Tv here too 😬🙈had a 6am start today which is not too bad. We take turns getting up, one of us has a lie-in (until about 7.30 😂). Both my childre are early risers 😭I never ever had to wake them for school or nursery.

When it was just me and my eldest and he was very young, I'd put him in my bed, put TV on and I'd doze.

Stay in bed. DS is often awake at 2am so I have no option but to leave him to it. He's safe and quiet, and will wake me if he needs anything.

I've been clapping at youngest DS putting the circle in the shape sorter since 5am. Hoping to move on to the square soon! All of ours are early birds. I tend to get housework done (minus hoovering as I quite like our neighbours) and just potter. The mornings are fine but by 2pm I'm on countdown to bedtime!

Stare into the abyss, usually.

DD1 (just 5) is an early riser, no matter what time she goes to bed. DD2 (2.5) is a cuddly little thing, so comes into bed with me in the middle of the night, then will happily lie in so long as we’re cuddled up.

Our solution at the weekends (we’re all up by 6 during the week) is a Gro Clock and a tablet loaded with phonics and maths games. We put the tablet in their bedroom when we go to bed, then DD1 knows she’s not allowed to wake us up before the sun is up, but she can play her games. Works a treat because it’s the only time she gets access to the tablet all week.

Done years of this . And it made for long days. Generally just chilled out and let them play or watch tv , while , slumped on the sofa . Then to a national trust , playground or beach .

It does get easier, 10 and 12 now currently asleep , and one is watching tv in bed , no sign of movement . I'm lying in my own bed mumsnetting .

I was exhausted at the early mornings . But now if they get up they look after themselves .

But those years were LONG

We treat anything before 6am as if it’s the middle of the night - I wouldn’t get up with him at 3am so we do the same even if it’s 5.55am.
99% of the time he goes back to sleep for at least 40mins, sometimes longer. He wakes before 6 maybe once a week. Today actually he woke at 545am and DH went in, tucked back in and hes still asleep now. He will be 4 in December and bedtime is 7pm, last night he was asleep by 715pm.
If he wakes before we are getting up but after 6am it’s usually the iPad on child lock (which works for about 20mins!) then he has toys books etc in his room.
Consistency is key I have found and I’ve made getting up at that time not an option.

We’ve trained DS not to wake up before 6.30 (he had a gro-clock and now he has a digital clock) but it still feels like a long day. I usually lie on the sofa and scroll on my phone while DS watches a film or plays a game on his tablet.

Our biggest issue is that we live in a flat with very thin walls. So we have to be super quiet and whisper so we don’t wake up the neighbours downstairs or DH who is trying to get a lie-in (we alternate). I’d love to actually do something with the morning, like get the housework done, but nope! I have to just sit here quietly for a few hours. I might make a coffee in a minute…

Someone always suggests that on these threads and I don’t think it’s consistency or anything like that which makes the difference. As you’ve said yourself, your child goes back to sleep - mine never does, which is frustrating for everyone as he’s sometimes still tired but if I left him in bed all that would happen would be he would cry or whine until one of us got him up (and would keep everyone in the house awake in the process!)

He mostly sleeps until around 7 now but the 5-530 wakeups were from 18 months to about two and a half and they were AWFUL. He briefly reverted to them when unwell recently and I’d forgotten how long a morning could be 😅

8yo and 6yo always up at 6am. Have been doing this for years! I get laundry done, prep meals, get out walks early with them around 9am usually to tire them out.

Can get loads of housework done as the world still sleeps 🤣

I used to have DD at the bottom of our bed watching TV very quietly whilst we dozed. Usually gave us an extra hour in bed.

Isn't that what Mumsnet is for? Grandkids awake at 6.30 so we are still in bed “waiting for the house to heat up” (ie on iPads and phones!) but I will get up and get them breakfast now as I said 7.30…

Back in the days before t’internet I’d put on a video and sleep an extra half hour or offer a
boob for wakenings before 7am… usually bought me a wee bit of snooze time. Then CBeebies or Milkshake started up by the time number 3 arrived… and the internet too! But I didn’t have a phone with internet until number 4… I am ancient!

Modern mums have it far easier lol