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?

I don’t miss those days one bit!

when ds and dd1 were that age they both would get up at 5 -5.30. Didn’t matter what time their bedtime was they always got up at the same time. Me and their dad use to take it in turns and when it was my turn I’d get up and lay and doze on the sofa, it was too early for c beebies to start, it was 20 years ago so they used to play and I’d watch shit budget family films on sky movies until c beebies came on.

dd2 and 3 completely different! I’d get a lie in until 8 or 9 with them, it was great! They’re still the same now, night owls

Years ago now, before fancy grow clocks etc. we just used a real digital clock and said the first number had to be 7 before anyone could leave the room.

Every morning at 7 and 3 seconds my door would burst open. But it did work.

A soft play place here tried opening at 7.30am and gave up after three months as although loads of people loved the idea on their social media hardly anyone actually went. They had a high advertising campaign as well, and the breakfasts were really decent.

Oh now my granddaughter is like my son, an early bloody riser, great when it’s school but not so great on weekends when I’m shattered. 5.30 the other day! She opens her eyes, sits straight up, wakes me up and says nanna can we go downstairs now. I just hand her my tablet and she watches cartoons until 7, she’s five. No chance!

Just chilled out. As far as possible encourage small person to play a toy on the bed. Usually doens’t work but kills a bit of time.

Set up a little table with water and breakfast for the little person.

Turn on the TV. Really important.

Snuggle with a blanket on the couch.

No getting dressed or teeth until it’s at least 7.30am.

My kids gradually got more chilled out in the morning. Thank goodness.

I don't get up!
They play in their bedroom or toy room together, read a book or listen to their Yoto.
Very occasionally might have their tablets.
They know we don't get up unless it's an emergency till 0700/0730, they're able to wander in and out and frequently do for help with x/y/z.
I leave a glass of water/milk and a banana for them in the morning too incase they wake up hungry!!

❤️

I don't miss those days. I used to just lie on the sofa under a blanket and let them watch TV to be honest.

Once they were about 2 and old enough to understand we bought them a gro clock and they weren't allowed to get up for the day before 7am. If they woke before that they could come and have a cuddle in our bed, or play with their toys in their room etc but I was not getting up before 7am. They've got with the programme now and the 4 year old will read books if she wakes before 7......the 6 year old now often has to be woken up in time to get ready for school about 7.45am.

It gets better, hang in there.

We are screen free in the mornings and also put ours to bed very late by Western standards. This helps because there is no incentive to be up early! Read books, play with Lego etc here.

But I do think there isn't much you can do if your child has low sleep needs and you're putting them to bed before 8pm.

It was a 4:20 am wake up this morning. To say I feel like a zombie today is an understatement!

We tried to resettle him but he wasn't having any of it, ended up in our bed at 5am with the TV on 😵‍💫 I know I shouldn't give in by letting him come out of his room into ours but it's so difficult not to give in when you're exhausted.

He can't really be left alone in his room either, he's autistic so has melt downs which the neighbours will probably hear as he's so loud.

What can I do to stop these early wake ups?

Also he has no understanding that it's way too early to get up. Telling him he can't get up before 7am etc is pointless because he has no idea what that means

@user6776 this isn't supposed to be a loaded question and I don't have experience of autism, but what would you do if he woke at 12, 1, or 2? Presumably you wouldn't allow him to watch tv then?

My ds isn’t autistic (as far as I know) but there does tend to be a massive difference. If ds wakes at 2am he can be resettled but if he wakes at 5 he’s ready to start the day and will not / cannot go back to sleep. If I leave him all that happens is he cries or whines so much everyone is woken up. Thankfully he’s mostly stopped now but god it was depressing!

He has woken at these times in the past and has settled. Its when he wakes up after 4-5am that he doesn't go back to sleep

Do you have space to make him a little bed on the floor in your room? Maybe a little torch so he can look at books, he might think that’s something special. You might not get much more sleep, but maybe you’d get to stay in your cozy bed.

Ah OP this sucks so bad I’m sorry! I also have a very early riser and I think it’s just genetic? He doesn’t seem to need much sleep (like his dad) whereas our first DS sleeps a lot (like me).

I’m trying this new thing this week of pushing bedtime back but there was just a lot of crying this morning when I tried to resettle at 3am!!!! He fought it for 2 hours then eventually fell back asleep until 7am. Dreading tonight…..

@Isthisexpected - my 3 year old can go to bed at 9-10pm or later. Still Wide awake by 6-6.30am.
Last night bedtime was 8.30pm (he was awake that morning at 5am) he took until 9.45pm to fall asleep. Woke at midnight, woke at 2am, woke at 6.10am for the day.

The above is good sleep for us, but the first 2 years he almost broke us. Woke every 30-45mins for almost 2 years! So I was getting max 3hrs broken sleep. The problem is the more they wake, they more I get stressed and find I can’t get back to sleep

Lack of sleep has easily been the hardest part of having a child

TV here too while I try to doze on the sofa. If it wasn't for his sister I would make him stay in his room but he makes so much noise that he wakes her up which is worse so I usually just whisk him downstairs and long for the day he sleeps past 5am

Mine would be handed an iPad with a snack and a drink while I dozed off

Cry
Usually just go down stairs, warm milk and cups of tea - stick a relaxing kids Movie on and cuddle on the Sofa, empty dishwasher from night before, stick some washing on.. DC2 wakes up around 5, DC1 normally 6:30 but used to be 5:30 until he started School. I'm so used to it now though!

Another dc here who has always been an early riser no matter the bedtime. Unfortunately i'm the complete opposite. When dc was younger, I used to have a travel cot in my bedroom and put the tv on so I could hear them but still sleep while they were entertained. It's now the iPad that does this for me. At 5 yrs, dc still gets up early. There is a gro clock in the bedroom which usually keeps them in bed until 6am but any later and I'm pushing it. The last few days have been horrendous as I'm exhausted by work too.