My 23 month old son wakes at 5.30 to 6am every day

[Beautifulbabyboy]

Which is fine, it is just his sleep pattern. He goes asleep at 7pm every night. But I keep thinking of a previous AIBU thread where parents who let their toddlers watch 2-3 hours of tele a day were flamed, in particular one poster said parents who do this "obviously their heart isn't in it"

So AIBU to think these same parents don't have an early riser...

Because my heart is very much into parenting, but from 5.45 to hopefully 7.15 I can manage to lie in bed whilst DS watches the iPad... Or am I supposed to be bouncing around downstairs coming up with fun filled activities at dawn?

(For the record he also watches the bedtime hour on cbeebies - wind down time.. - hence the 2-3 hours)

My eldest is now 12 and is hard to wake at 10 am on a weekend, it's often that we're not ready to get out of the house before midday.

I do remember the days when he always awake by 6. By 10am we'd have had at least 4 hours of being up, some days much, much more. It wouldn't have been unheard of for us to be waiting for the town shops to open on a Saturday.

These day I can lie in until 9 easily, 4 hours later is 1pm! I'm not trying to make you feel bad but when you're waking up early there's a lot of time to fill whilst most are still on their first cuppa. I was so thankful when mine would get up and be happy to watch some TV. 1.5 hours is a dip in the ocean of a long day ;)

thispunderfullife I hated getting up early with dd1 but find it much easier with dd2, because its not just you & the baby. - at least the other child is there for company!

My 6 year old rises between 5.30 and 6

I put the TV on in my room and snooze

Do what you've got to do x

When ds was about 2 he used to wake at 5am. He would wake up multiple times in the night. I was heavily pregnant and had spd. Yep, I let him into our bed and stuck the tv on. Nobody died, a year on we found out about the magical gro clock and he now (at 5yrs old) sleeps till nearer 7 each day.

There's light at the end of the tunnel, but right now, do what you have to do to survive!

No running?!?!

You are clearly not trying hard enough.

I run the occasional marathon whilst my children eat organic cereal and learn urdu in the mornings.

Or I slump in front of the tv in zombie mode like you lot...

Children's TV has some real positives. DD has learnt a huge amount from it. She isn't a particularly early riser, but we will put it on if she wakes earlier than we want to and she sits on our bed between us watching. She has recently started watching the Hoobs and it is an introduction to qualitative research methods and answers some interesting questions. Peppa Pig is a great way if understanding social relationships. Most of the programming on CBeebies is gently educational, covering a diverse range of developmental areas. With the amount of effort put into quality children's TV in this country, it would be rude not to let your DC watch at least a bit of it .

I really can't see any difference between DD and some of her peers who don't have a TV that I could ascribe to her watching TV. Occasionally she will refer to a TV programme, but other than that, there is no obvious impact.

Snap OP! DD wakes up at 5am every day now (for last 3 months) and is same age as your DS :)
I happily whack on a DVD while she sits next to me trying to eek out 30mins or more if lucky (rare in the extreme sadly but if she is happy to go for an hour I will take it!). She has never been one of those kids who will occupy themselves without causing complete destruction. She will happily paint for 30mins but if I stop watching that will turn into painting herself, the chair and anything left on the table... You need to keep whatever you can for yourself when you are under constant demand.

Why is the concept of exercise so listings? I don't want to die of a stroke or heart attack.

You just sit there in your tunics and leggings girls.

I remember being in the 24 hour Sainsburys at 5.30am when every other bleary eyed customer had a toddler in their trolley.

I also remember the horror of the Sunday when Princess Diana died. We were staying with the in laws and it was DH's turn to get up early and doze in front of the tv. Bastard woke me up when he came back into the room to get toys because all the tv programmes had been cancelled I favour of pictures of waving corn and classical music. I still regret that lost precious lie in. DS is now nearly 17 and rarely wakes before mid day.

YANBU but I heartily recommend a gro-clock. It's revolutionised our lives.

I'm going to get one Happy when I redo dd's room I think. She was up at 5:30 again today but ds not until 5:50!

I don't own leggings I'm in my pyjamas going back to bed as ds is having a nap.

Listings?!
i meant entertaining

I can't go for a run because, like most parents, we alternate lie ins at the weekend.

Today was the first time 19mo DS has shown any interest in the TV. He watched peppa pig while bouncing on my head yelling piggy! Piggy! He is a morning person. I am not capable of functioning beforehalf six at the absolute earliest.

Same as hopalong

I get 1 lie in a week - Sunday. So I'm not giving up the one day I don't have to get up at 5am to run.

I can't run Mon - Friday as I have to go to work

I can't run on Saturday morning as DH is getting his lie in.

I don't own leggings either

Gah. His turn my turn. Makes you petty.

No, not really. It means we both get 1 lie in per week. Which works for us.

Does not make you petty.
We get it, you're a morning person. Bully for you. There would have to be clowns chasing me with bloody knives to get me to run in the morning. I run in the evening when DS is in bed.

Shared lie ins make is both rested and happy.

My 10 year old has never slept in past 7am since he was born. Regardless of the time he goes to bed. We chill out until breakfast time, then the day starts.

I'm so glad I'm not the only one with children that get up early- DS2 wakes anytime between 5-5.30 and has done for nearly a year- he's 18 months now. It's TV all the way for us but more to amuse me than him.

It's really good to hear from some mums whose kids used to wake early- it's nice to know it does finally pass. How old where they when you finally got to sleep past 6? (6am would be luxurious for me ATM!) And did you do anything like CC to help? We've tried black out blinds etc. but no use.

If children go to bed very early, it's not surprising they wake up very early...

Except when I put my toddler to bed later, he still gets up at the same time. Only difference is that he's miserable before bed and when he wakes up in the morning.

I know a few children will wake early...but most children in the European country we visit in the summer stay up at night and sleep in til 8/9am. People prioritize having their evenings to themselves here and proudly put their children to bed by 7pm (laughably early in other European countries)- I did the same, but the penalty is they are up 10/11/12 hours later, at early o clock. It's kind of inevitable (and no, if babies/children are kept up til 11pm they don't get up at 4.30am, they just don't).

Except when I put my toddler to bed later, he still gets up at the same time. Only difference is that he's miserable before bed and when he wakes up in the morning.- yes, for a few days, because his body clock is set to early waking, but I can assure you that in lots of European countries, children stay up much much later and they don't all wake very early, they adjust to get their sleep in the mornings, or have a very long afternoon nap. I keep my children up in the holidays, they wake much later, it's fairly obvious!

Exactly as Mumsy says on the body clock.

Lots of children just don't sleep 12 hours at night. If you have a child who sleeps 10-11 hours, then you either have a child free evening or a child free morning, not both.