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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Crafts at 6am?

50 replies

upsoearly · 04/02/2011 16:41

My 2-year-old is an early waker - currently usually up at 6am, and for now I have concluded there is not a lot I can do about it so am gritting my teeth and getting up with her.

However, she is a bit obsessed with painting, cutting, sticking and all that artsy fartsy stuff, which is not my strong point at the best of times and especially not at 6am. A couple of days ago I was almost begging her to watch CBeebies for a while so I could come round slowly with a cup of coffee, but she was not impressed with the idea at all (until very recently I was by the way not a big fan of kids' TV, but times change...)

So, AIBU to find myself sitting half-awake at the kitchen table at 6am, while she paints and sticks and generally creates a lovely mess?

OP posts:

strawberrie · 04/02/2011 21:14

Wow OP you are making me feel like a very slovely mother. My nearly 2 year old wakes up about 7.30 am and I still make her get into bed beside me to watch an episode of Something Special on the laptop while I slowly rouse myself!

pippylongstockings · 04/02/2011 21:18

I also used to wonder why Cbeebies only started at 6am? My youngest always used to wake at 5.30am so 6am was no bloody good.

They are now 4 and 6, in the week we all have to be up at 6.30am so I can drop them off at breakfast club for 8am and get to work.

However that has the downside of their body clock being set at that time. So weekends it is this:

Stumble out of bed, make hot chocolate and toast.

2.Give 6 year old remote control for tv. 3.Order no-one to disturb until 8am. 4.Go back to bed.

I think you need to make mornings as low key as possible, it is very hard but 'making a rod for your own back' springs to mind. If fun stuff happens from the moment they wake up then how do you top that in the day?

usualsuspect · 04/02/2011 21:20

put the tv on or a dvd ...

sahara13 · 04/02/2011 21:24

If you are really desperate then a god old fashioned magic painting book is always a hit! Just a mug of water and paint brush required! Arty but not too messy!

sahara13 · 04/02/2011 21:24

Sorry-good not god!!

Casserole · 04/02/2011 21:25

What Chipping said. Do some concerted sleep training, just at the other end of the night. Maybe you won't sort it, but maybe you will. And imagine how nice THAT would be...

schroeder · 04/02/2011 21:29

What chipping said.

I remember telling my dcs over and over "it's not morning yet"

Certainly no crafts early in the mornimg

Maybe get one of those clocks that show when it's daytime

bubblewrapped · 04/02/2011 21:29

Grandaughter was never allowed to leave her bedroom unless it was to go to the loo. She quite happily played with dolls, or dolls house..

I would put her to bed a bit later if she constantly wakes up so early..

Original poster

upsoearly · 04/02/2011 21:30

Honestly, I spent ages doing the whole 'it's still night-time, you need to go back to sleep' and then I tried 'you have to play quietly in your room' and I even bought one of those useless bloody clocks, but in the end the prospect of her waking her baby sister with her screaming protests was enough to make me give up and stumble downstairs with her.

OP posts:

Nagoo · 04/02/2011 21:30

agree with chippingin.

It's not fun in our house until 7am.

no telly even.

If you are having lots of fun where's the push for them to stay in bed at all?

Nagoo · 04/02/2011 21:31

sorry x post

Nagoo · 04/02/2011 21:35

OP I do feel for you, but really if you are prompted to post, I feel like you want us to say YABU? if you are happy with the arrangement then yanbu. if you're not, then sleep training it is....?

Misfitless · 04/02/2011 21:35

What pippylingstockings says - where are on earth do you go from arts and crafts at 6am? I have a son who wakes at 6am every morning but it's not so bad as his body clock and mine are in sync. Even though I'm bright eyed and bushy tailed at 6am there is no way I'd be doing arts and crafts at that time!

TV/DVD, drawing unassisted or reading stories snuggled on the sofa work for me. Now he's a bit older he usually opts for 1 hour on his DS while I make us both a drink, get dressed, put a wash on, unload the dryer and walk the dog.

For what it's worth I think your daughter needs to know that she doesn't get to dictate what happens at 6am or any other time, but especially at 6am.

Let her have a tantrum, or two or three until she gets the message! What's the worst that can happen?

timetosmile · 04/02/2011 21:35

It will pass.....(as long as you make 6am a little bit less interesting than cutting and sticking..)
Mine have always been early risers, and (10,7,3) are usually still up by 6.30.
At about 3-3.5yrs they stopped padding into our bedroom at 6am and just played 'stuff' by themselves or together until we surfaced about 7.
We had a 'no going downstairs' rule (and a stairgate for a long, long time!) so they couldn't get to anything too hot/sticky/electrical unsupervised, and they are still in that habit today.

SmethwickBelle · 04/02/2011 21:39

I am of the school that says 6am is night time, so please DC go back to bed/amuse self in cot or do something quietly, or stare vacantly at the telly for a spell, if needs be until I have woken up, whereupon all manner of creativity may be on the cards if you play them right. Pace yourself, the day is LONG.

Having said that I wouldn't necessarily start a TV habit if she doesn't have one, but I'd think of something than requires the minimum input from you - I used to chuck a heap of board books in DS1's cot when he started meeping at 6am and that bought me 20-40 mins. Actually thinking about it I tucked them in the bumpers each night with a couple of toys so I didn't even have to do that in the morning.

susiey · 04/02/2011 21:40

One of the reasons I love living in a flat is that on a saturday morning I prop our bedroom door open stick on the tv and doze especially now they're a bit older. now they'r 5 and 3 its a bit easier.

we have also always had the rule anything before 6.45 is 'still night time' so they have to go back to bed.

I agree about aqua draw next to the bed idea thoughj that a grest idea!

Misfitless · 04/02/2011 21:46

Ahhh - upsoearly - BABY SISTER. Now I get it. I wrongly assumed your DD was an only child. Yes I totally understand the dread and horror of having two little people awake at 6am .

Maybe stories on the sofa then, or like someone else said - you lying on the sofa and her playing with an aqua draw.

Even better - train your DD to like CBeebies!!! You will reap the benefits for years to come and then by the time she's outgrown it she'll be able to progress (???) to NickJunior etc !!

I'm a bit anti TV believe it or not and have really cracked down on my DD who was watching far too much but if ever there was a time for it it's 6am IMO! You could doze off beside her while she watches it.

Original poster

upsoearly · 04/02/2011 21:55

OK, so now I'm thinking, maybe my compromise should be to come downstairs (previously tried keeping her in room doing puzzles etc. but noise was a problem for baby) but seriously limit activities available.

I know AIBU isn't supposed to be a helpful forum, but I genuinely wanted to know what others thought as I didn't really know what my approach should be.

Oh Lord though, the thought of thosed
tantrums at 6am is horrific.

OP posts:

mutznutz · 04/02/2011 22:00

Tantrums don't last forever OP...they just feel like they do

But seriously, the tantrums no matter how long will be a lot easier to deal with than a 'possible' spoilt child who runs rings around you. It's not fair to your baby either who may end up playing second fiddle to the eldest because you can't cut your attention in half so will appease the more vocal child if that makes sense.

compo · 04/02/2011 22:05

I agree yabu
just tell her that it is dark and therefore still night time and to go back to bed until seven
shove in some books and toys and go back to bed

Beamur · 04/02/2011 22:08

I quite like crafts for a bit of quiet low key interaction with DD. But there again, I don't worry about the mess until she's finished - then a quick wipe down/bag up rubbish and its done.
Stickers I found were the bees knees for my DD at this age - pretty clean and easy, or something like fuzzy felt is also crafty and no mess.
At the moment, some paper, plastic scissors and sticky tape keep her amused for ages with minimal intervention from me.
I'd be less keen at 6am though...

SoSweet · 04/02/2011 23:11

Could she not do a little drawing or colouring? What about buying s special 'early morning colouring book'?

CarGirl · 04/02/2011 23:15

Can I also recommend magic maize from ELc for low mess crafts.

I cannot believe you entertain partaking in crafts at 6am. You are clearly not grumpy enough!

Onetoomanycornettos · 04/02/2011 23:19

This is like when people post that they've been up half the night reading stories and playing games 2-4am with their little one, why won't they just sleep like other children?

No fun, no games, no sticking, 6am is just not the time for these activities. What worked for us was books in their bed, and at one stage I had a telly at the end of my bed, and used to switch it on v quietly, have them in the bed not moving, and go back to sleep til 7/8 or later.

Children wake earlier than adults, but you don't have to start being their entertainer, just have one eye open in a kind of supervisory if they scream really loudly capacity.

Firawla · 04/02/2011 23:22

its not exactly unreasonable but personally no way would we be having crafts @ that time in my house, i tell them no activities at all until after breakfast, they have to amuse themselves with their toys or watch cbeebies, otherwise there may be no limit what activities they will want to do earlier and earlier until they are begging for glitter at 3am!!

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