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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to ask how on earth you fill the first few hours of the day if you have very early risers?

76 replies

BettyFriedansLoveChild · 27/04/2014 09:29

2 year old DD up at around five or six everyday, without fail (aware this could be much worse - it was four or five am for a good few months). After breakfast (lets say around 6.30) we can either let her watch TV or do some kind of activity. This morning (after about an hour of TV) she has done painting, helped me hover the lounge and tied up her bedroom, and helped DP make a cake and bake some bread. Its only just gone 9am. It seems that either we take the first few hours of the day at a relaxed pace (which involves lots of TV), or we run out of things to do before most people are up and about. How do other parents of early risers get the balance right (and hopefully minimise screen time)?

OP posts:
imip · 27/04/2014 09:31

Mumsnet for me!

2yo usually plays with her toy kitchen. She's usually up at 5am. My 7yo usually up by 6. At 6, 2yo tends to play with 7yo.

5 and 4yo can sleep up to two hours longer Sad

imip · 27/04/2014 09:32

Oh, sometimes we read books, and 2yo has a breastfeed.

Unless it is school holidays, dcs here are not allowed screen time in the morning. I'm v strict with that rule, otherwise they'd want tv all the time!

tiredbutstillsmiling · 27/04/2014 09:35

I have an early riser too, DD up at 5.35 today! I'm a teacher so I use that time to plan and mark whilst I give DD some quiet activities - she usually watches a bit of TV, plays games on the iPad or just plays with her toys. DH enjoys his lie in and then goes off to play football where I'll take DD to watch him and she either runs around or plays on the play equipment and we have a "mini-picnic"! When the footy season finishes we'll just substitute footy for another outdoorsy activity.

Works well for us - DH gets a lie in, I get my school work done without impacting on "family time" and DD gets quiet time and crazy time!

I love Sundays!

Lilaclily · 27/04/2014 09:38

Is she getting up so early because she's hungry
Could she come in your bed when she wakes up
I would try breakfast at 8am & put everything back so hopefully she sleeps longer

Anniecarrieson · 27/04/2014 09:42

I put DS in my bed, give him a breakfast biscuit and drink of water, and the ipad, and snooze until a reasonable hour Blush

jacks365 · 27/04/2014 09:45

Dd (2) will play happily in her room for about an hour then have breakfast then she has a play in her playroom, she's currently doing a teddy bear tea party.

Rinkydinkypink · 27/04/2014 09:46

I either do jobs, ironing, tidying, washing etc or just veg, read my book, play with dc.

I've been known to be in the park by 7.30 Hmm. I was not alone Smile. There where other parents there as well.

Its tough, really tough!

blackteaplease · 27/04/2014 09:48

Cbeebies, coffee and mumsnet on the weekend with breakfast after 8am. DH and I take turns at having a lie in.

No screens on weekday mornings but we all have breakfast together at 6.45 so the children play until then.

Jollyphonics · 27/04/2014 09:53

I'm astounded that anyone can do something like marking work while a young child is awake! She must be very different from my kids. Mine are 4 and 8 and I struggle to open a letter, never mind doing something that requires concentration! They have an inbuilt sensor - they can happily amuse themselves much of the time, but as soon as I go on the phone or try to concentrate on something, they suddenly need me desperately!

OP I sympathise, I had this with both of mine. I'd be exhausted by midday and ready for bed. Depending on how tired I was I either did lots of activities or let them flop in front of the TV, while I lay in the settee with my duvet!

Now I confess I let them have techno to their hearts content for a couple of hours while I doze in bed. But we do loads of stuff the rest of the time so I feel I can justify it,

Original poster
BettyFriedansLoveChild · 27/04/2014 09:54

I love the people who are using TV / iPad to entertain child - makes me feel a lot better. Very jealous of the poster whose two year old will play by herself in her room. No point putting her in bed with us - she screams, kicks, and lets it be known that she considers it time to get up, so its easier to just accept it, get up and make coffee. Its not such a problem in the week as we are all out of the door by 7.30 anyway, but I'm going on maternity leave soon and wondering how to fill the very long days.

OP posts:
CogitoErgoSometimes · 27/04/2014 10:01

When DS was a 5am/6am baby I would do the ironing, prepare meals, watch TV. Not necessarily all at the same time. :) To be honest, I've always been an early riser myself so, even though he's finally growing out of it age nearly 14 Confused I'm still up with the lark.

blackteaplease · 27/04/2014 10:01

Morning playgroups are your friend. I always feel that if the older one has had a good play for a couple of hours in the morning then it's fine to veg out a bit in the afternoon.

Silvercatowner · 27/04/2014 10:05

Aaaaargh..... the person who used to wake at 5.00 On The Dot Every Bloody Day is now 25. No cbeebies or iPads. We used to watch Thomas the Tank Engine every morning!!!! Even now, Ringo Starr's voice does weird and not good things for me.

ihaveadirtydog · 27/04/2014 10:09

I often put them in the bath then I can potter close by-sort laundry, clean the bathroom & mumsnet on my phone. Can use up a good hour!

ButtonBoo · 27/04/2014 10:22

DD (2.6) up between 5:30-6 every day. CBeebies for an hour. Then breakfast which she helps me make. Then up to get dressed, washed and beds made etc then it's usually 8am. Then we usually end up doing colouring, stickers or play doh whilst I clean the kitchen. That lasts about half an hour and then we get into playing VERY repetitive games with the doctors kit or getting all the chairs out and pretending to be on a bus/train! By 10am we get out. Can't bear it any longer!!! Happy Sundays!!

TheSkiingGardener · 27/04/2014 11:24

3 and 1 year old wake at 6. Downstairs playing/watching TV for an hour with dad until 7
Breakfast with me at 7 and then upstairs to DS2's room to play/get dressed. This can take between 5 minutes and an hour. Then upstairs to DS1's room to play/get dressed, similar time rules apply. By this point we're usually at a suitable time to go out for the day!

NotInGuatemalaNowDrRopata · 27/04/2014 11:33

Roll over, grab iPhone, Kindle Fire or iPad, blearily find youtube, find Mr Bean (no talking, just weird sounds), hand to 2 year old, roll back over (he's in the middle of the bed, usually, btw)

Repeat until nagging gets unbearable.

Mrsdavidcaruso · 27/04/2014 11:34

I am normally on twitter I have a lot of followers from the US and chat to them just before they are going to bed this morning I was chatting to some at 6.30 am and it was evening where she was sometimes its the best time to talk

ikeaismylocal · 27/04/2014 12:12

16 months old ds gets up at 6.15 (exactly 6.15 every day, no need for an alarm clock in our house!) On weekdays both me and dp get up with him, ds eats breakfast in his highchair with dp whilst I sit on the sofa sipping coke and trying not to throw up (I'm suffereing from morning sickness) then ds comes and snuggles with me on the sofa and we watch some kids tv whilst ds has a breastfeed. Dp goes to work at this point. Ds then plays with his toys whislt I sit on the sofa watching him (or mumsnetting) ds then eats the rest of his breakfast at about 7.30. We then both get dressed and go out at 8 to catch the bus to nursery. The days ds isn't at nursery we go to a playgroup (our names are always the first on the list where you sign in).

At the weekends dp gets up with ds, they eat breakfast then play a little and then usually go to the park and come back at 9ish when I get up.

We live in northern part of the world and in the winter it didn't get light until after 9, ds went through a stage of waking at 5 (or sometimes 4.30) it would be at least 4 hours until it even got light, that was fairly depressing.

CommanderShepard · 27/04/2014 12:36

Gro clock. DD is not allowed out of bed til 7am unless it's on fire. She has books and toys in her cot to amuse her from 6am until a more civilised time.

SuzanneSays · 27/04/2014 21:13

Oh no, I'm pregnant with pfb and this thread has made me exhausted!!!

RabbitSaysWoof · 27/04/2014 21:19

agree with the person who says put everything back, ds has always been a 7 waker but went though a stage of being a bit picky with dinner, when I put dinner back to 6pm he started sleeping to half 8. Result!

coldwater1 · 27/04/2014 21:19

I'm up by 5am everyday, i've done it for so long that if the kids do sleep in later i am still up at 5am. Lol I make a start on housework, sorting clean washing, putting a wash on, getting breakfast things ready, packing uni bag, sorting school lunches/uniform etc. The kids play or watch TV.

deemented · 27/04/2014 21:20

DS3 is four and he's up at 4.30am every.single.day.

Which is a vast improvement on the 2.30am it used to be.

Kindle or youtube for stampycat whilst I inhale coffee and growl.

SkiSchoolRun · 27/04/2014 21:35

DD 2 (2'5) gets up at 6ish. This usually wakes DD 1 (5). These days they will role play together for a bit so we snooze until DH gives in and makes breakfast.on the odd occasion DD1 stays asleep we read stories in bed or in her room depending on how grumpy I am. I'm not a morning person! We potter and are generally ready to be out about 9. It's got easier as they've got older. We are all up together on weekdays. Mat leave was hard though so feel for you there.