To think 6 is old enough to not need me or DH to get up at 6am with ds!

[cupcake78]

DS is a early riser. He always has been and tends to wake up like hes been plugged in! Very refreshed (unfortunately). This alone pisses me off. I dont do mornings, I hate them and am very very grumpy.

Once again I find myself sat with ds watching kids tv all because he refuses to come downstairs on his own. He is very capable, knows how the tv works and can get his own breakfast but he's having none of it.

I have tried for years to stop this but nothing has worked and now we have dd (5 months) I will do anything to keep dh and her asleep. DS makes such a fuss he wakes everyone up and then no body can get back to sleep.

Dh and I take turns but I am getting annoyed with ds for being so useless! We've been up with dd 3 times last night. She is a baby afterall this is what happens.

DS woke at 5.30. I think his sister probably woke him up. Its usually 6ish. He went back to his room for all of 15 minutes and then the huffing puffing and stomping began. I'd just got dd back to sleep. Dh was up at 3 with her and sunday is his lie in day. He came in with me for 4 minutes but the fake coughing, wriggling and general movement and noise was becoming too much.

Told him to come down on his own and the moaning started.

So hear I am again! Sat up while ds watches rubbish on tv and all I want is my bed! DD is still asleep for now at least I do not want to be here. I am trying to see it as abit of me time. Time to mumsnet etc but I bloody hate mornings especially when I'm tired, its dark and its cold.

I dont think he needs anyone up with him just to watch the bloody tv.

DD still wakes at night (4yo), we just accept the fact that some DCs aren't great sleepers, but it shouldn't last forever, and we shall have our revenge when they are teenagers by getting them up at 9 on weekends.

I think you definitely need to toughen up! Tell him you don't get out of bed before 8 on a weekend and then DON'T. A little boy cannot control you.

DS is 3 and knows he's not to come out of his room before 7am. On the weekends he can come into bed with us and watch TV quietly after 7am. By the time he is 6 I will definitely be expecting him to entertain himself until a reasonable hour - either in his bedroom or downstairs.

(We go to bed earlier to compensate for the broken sleep and early mornings).

He's old enough to understand if he refuses to go downstairs then he must play quietly in his room without disturbing everyone else. If he can't do that then he must stay in bed until a more suitable time.

Time to get firm. I wouldn't stand for this tbh v grumpy in the mornings

Start bribing or punishments for being loud/waking you up

It's not a question of whether he's old enoughs oho downstairs by himself. It's more a question of whether he's old enough to behave himself when he's awake and not disturb others. IMHO the determination to wake everyone else is just unacceptable and I would be coming down on it like a tonne of bricks. It would puss me right off and no way would I be rewarding it with him getting exactly what he wanted in the first place ie you downstairs watching tv with him

I don't get out of bed until 8.30 at the weekend. DS knows this and comes down on his own and amuses himself until I get up. That's been non-negotiable since he turned 6

I'm sure he'd rather I came down with him but he's never been offered a choice

I think it's reasonable to toughen up about when he can go downstairs but I also think you need to compromise. You said you don't really want to do much before 11 am! Well, I think 7 or 7.30 is reasonable for the weekends. So agree on a time but then as long as your ds sticks with it, get up and come downstairs with good grace. If you each have a turn at the weekend that means you can still lie in bed until 11 on one day a week

It's also worth pointing out that although its easy to get annoyed with children waking early at the weekend, it's hardly any surprise as they have to be up for nursery/ school during the week, and logically they aren't going to magically adapt their pattern on weekends. We have to be out of the house by 7.30 during the week, so our children have always been used to 6.30 wake ups. They are teenagers now so do sleep in at weekends (so it does get better!) but when they were your ds's age they would usually wake at 6.30 at weekends too, and actually we felt it was important for them to stay in their routine because otherwise they could have got overtired during the week if we tried to change things on the weekend.

Just take turns with your DH and make it as painless as possible

From 3 I expect mine to go downstairs or play quietly.

Still training 4 year old.

I don't think 7 is reasonable for a weekend morning!!! What? A whole extra half hour to usual. Bugger that! He's not a toddler!

Yes you need your dh on board. He gets up without whinging or he goes with the plan.
I think the parent TV choice idea is genius, if you are up you choose what to watch, if he is there by himself he does.
My dd's are 7 & 5 for 2 years I have been leaving breakfast things at the weekend and a blanket on the sofa.

I'm reading this thread like
Maybe because I'm a naturally early riser and morning person so I can't empathise, but don't early mornings come with the territory with small children? How long do you expect him to entertain himself alone for? I was one of lots of sibs and none of use ever went downstairs before at least one other was up. My DS won't go down in the morning on his own. I dont blame him!
You need to find a better sleep routine. If DH gets a lie on on Sundays maybe you should sleep elsewhere so you don't get disturbed? Then you won't be so tired in the morning. Or just take your duvet down and doze on the sofa.

A thought , does dd still share your room , could he be feeling "left out"

I try to avoid getting up much before 8 DURING the week. Sod, 7am on a weekend. Actually have been up since 8 today as ds' first birthday. Fantasising about both staying in bed, in a few years!!

My ds is 5 and exactly the same! He is social and hates being alone. Sleeps with us most of the night too. He says he's scared! I don't mind the nights so much but I hate beig forced to get up at 6am. My dh does most of the mornings but like yours he gets tired.
I think we should say to ds not to wake us before 7:30 but he always does!

I have two early birds (5 and 3), 5yo would love our company at 6am but plays quietly until we get up, but 3yo (with some sn and sleep issues) not yet learned, working on that!

But agree that you (and DH) should toughen up . Giving in, even grumpily, is rewarding his bad behaviour. Agree an action plan to deal eith the behaviour, and implement it. If ds behaves well, dh could get up early with him once a week.

But yabu to be grumpy in the mornings. Dh is not a morning person, and stays up late, but generally has to get up for work at 6.45 or 7/7.30 for DC and get on with it, and now does so without complaint. Wasn't having moaning after dc arrived!

kids will generally do what you let them including having parents at their beck and call 24/7.

it's up to parents to set boundaries.

You need your DH to back you up.

Your DC is told that he either plays quietly in his room or downstairs (if he's not bothered about TV then don't make him watch it!) or there will be consequences (whatever bothers him).

Then, when he co-operates, reward him (for a little while, till it's habit).

Is there an Innotab game he really wants that you could save for weekend mornings only?

And if your DH doesn't mind him waking you then he gets up with him leaving you in peace!

Ok firstly I didn't say I didn't want to do anything before 11am. I said I find functioning before them tricky on a weekend!

I would be happy with 7.30 tbh. Were up at 6 every weekday to get ready for school/work etc.

I agree ds rules mornings. I'm not sure how this has happened because I'm very strict the rest of the time. Dh does need to back me up but he's terrible at consistency and is basically a walk over when it comes to the children. I do get tired of having to bridge the gap .

What really highlights it for me is when ds sleeps over elsewhere he stays in bed till 7.30. Everyone thinks I'm making it up.

And yes dh does help with the night waking. I do about 4-5 nights a week he does a few nights as well.

We decide by who is the most tired. I tend to cope better with the nights than Dh but do reach a point where I need sleep. He has a long commute each day so for me its important he can drive safely.

My kids know they are not allowed to disturb before 8am at weekends - been like that since they could first tell the time on digital clock, age around 5. Tell him that he can't come out of his room before 7am, if he wakes before then has to stay in room and play. Leave books games or even iPad by his bed. Bribe with choc or biscuits if necessary.

Crikey he's more than fine at 6 years old!! I would think most kids were able and sensible to go down and put telly on and watch cbbc by 4.

How about this. You tell him that he is old enough to be downstairs on his own, and old enough to understand that you and his dad need some sleep. So he has a choice. Either he gets up by himself, and watches tv quietly downstairs - and you will leave him a snack and a drink - or he can wake you up, and you will come downstairs with him, but there will be NO tv or innotab or games - just sitting in grumpy silence. His choice.

I suspect that, if you carry it through a couple of times, he will realise that it is not worth waking you just to sit in grumpy silence downstairs, and that being alone with the tv and a drink and biscuit is actually a far better option.

If DH seems to enjoy the early mornings with him maybe he can do it on Sunday too but get a nap when you get up?