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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to ask WWYD

37 replies

cjt110 · 25/05/2016 16:25

Your child has been waking up throughout the night, sometimes 3 times in the night. The child wakes up early. Am talking say 5am-6am hour. Do you:

a) get up with them and be exhausted for the rest of the day as it's the billionth time lately ; or
b) give them the tablet with a 2.5 hour "episode" of their favourite tv show in their bed and go back to bed for another 2 hours; or
c) A.Nother idea?

Discuss!

OP posts:
fuzzywuzzy · 25/05/2016 16:25

How old is child?

wowfudge · 25/05/2016 16:27

Make sure there is a blackout blind or curtain in there room and get them a Gro-clock or something similar so they know they have to stay quietly in their room until it's time to get up.

Original poster
cjt110 · 25/05/2016 16:29

Sorry, missed from OP. Child is 21m.

So as not to drip feed, Child will cry if left in cot awake. Child will not lay/sit in bed with parents and play/watch tablet.

OP posts:
Gizlotsmum · 25/05/2016 16:29

I try to persuade them to stay in bed but normally end up getting up with them

fessmess · 25/05/2016 16:29

FIf under 3 then I'd get up with them. But no playing with them or wild and whacky fun. Well, that's what i did with mine, it was better than driving myself crazy trying to get them back to sleep(never successfully.) Mine never slept through until 3-4 years old, but I was a SAHM so could rest during day. I do feel your pain.

trappedinsuburbia · 25/05/2016 16:29

Hmm, go to bed a bit earlier yourself if you can, make sure they've eaten enough before they go to bed if possible so its not hunger waking them up.
Keep putting them back to bed without the tablet because before you know it, they will be asking for it the first time they wake up.

trappedinsuburbia · 25/05/2016 16:31

If mine wakes up and won't settle I give her a bottle of milk and its sleepy time and that usually works.
It is exhausting though if they get in the habit of it every night.

Original poster
cjt110 · 25/05/2016 16:32

If we get up with DS, he heads straight to the tv 9 out of 10 times and switches it on himself Blush

OP posts:
NannawifeofBaldr · 25/05/2016 16:34

Get up.

He wouldn't have been allowed tv either.

Original poster
cjt110 · 25/05/2016 16:36

But then Nanna I/we would also be sat in silence?

OP posts:
RiverTam · 25/05/2016 16:36

Isn't this the second thread you've started on this subject?

AmserGwin · 25/05/2016 16:38

Get up. A 21month old should not be given a tablet as soon as they wake up (if at all!)

Original poster
cjt110 · 25/05/2016 16:42

Yes, I have also posted here for traffic River

It has been rare so far Amser Once this morning and a few nights ago when he wouldnt settle for bed and didn't go to til 11pm.

I just don't know whats for the best. He's active, naps in the day for 1hr - 1.5hrs. We've started to give him some freedom as to his bedtime and he's often in bed at the latest by 8pm but still this early waking is occurring.

OP posts:
TheSnowFairy · 25/05/2016 16:43

C. Tell him to go back to bed. Put a stair gate on his room so he can't access the tv. Do not give him the tablet, he is far too young.

TheSnowFairy · 25/05/2016 16:44

And drop his nap so he sleeps through?

Original poster
cjt110 · 25/05/2016 16:45

TheSnowFairy He's still in a cot so can't get out of his room. And can't access the tv alone. As for dropping the naps - he's not ready. He is like a little monster if he doesnt have a nap.

OP posts:
MaddyHatter · 25/05/2016 16:46

I would bring him into my room and put the TV on, then try to nap while he watched.

If that failed, I would get up.

Ds has ASD and still sleeps like this, Down at 7, up 3 times in the night and awake from 5 am or earlier, at least now at 9 he is old enough to read or play quietly in his room until a more humane hour!

ButtonBoo · 25/05/2016 16:46

Get up.

DD is 4.5 and has rarely (and I'm talking 4-5 times ever) gone past 6:30. Usually uts 5:30-5:45 wake up and she's ready to go for the day. She doesn't nap anymore but goes to bed at 7pm and is asleep within 5 minutes.

I wouldn't leave her alone watching tv whilst I slept in. Just got to suck it up. Soon she'll be a teenager and I'll be dragging her out of her bed every morning.

NapQueen · 25/05/2016 16:49

Stop with the bedtime freedom. Simple clear routine every night - bath, into pj's with milk and maybe a short cartoon on cbeebies, into bedroom for a story or lullaby and down to sleep. Once in bed he stays in the bedroom till morning. If he needs settling it's done in the room and dark. No tablet in the cot. He is 21mo ffs.

5/6am is unfortunately morning for some. Tackle the night waking and within a while even with an early start you will feel better rested.

Shakey15000 · 25/05/2016 16:49

My DS was also awake and active at ridiculous o'clock. In the end we resigned ourselves that he was an early riser and got up with him until he was old enough to understand staying in his bedroom.

We went downstairs and willed CBeebies to start. No tablet though.

ButtonBoo · 25/05/2016 16:50

And should've said she wakes several times in the night. Only slept through (7-5:30) about a dozen times.

Coffee is my friend!!

MyNewBearTotoro · 25/05/2016 16:51

I wouldn't give a 21mo a tablet for 2.5 hours and certainly not unsupervised.

I might give him the tablet for a short while (less than half an hour) whilst I was awake and able to hear him on the baby monitor. Just to give myself a bit of time to wake up and get ready to face the day (shower, coffee etc) undid turned but wouldn't go to sleep whilst child had iPad and 2.5 hours is way tooling for a child of that age to be on the iPad for so long or to be awake and unsupervised for so long. IPads are heavy and breakable so wouldn't want to risk child breaking it and ending up with glass from the screen in their bed or throwing it across the room in frustration or anything.

Original poster
cjt110 · 25/05/2016 16:53

We have had a set routine until very recently and we found he was waking early by going to sleep/down at 7pm or he would just stand crying/screaming in his bed. I have found that at 7pm asking him "Shall we go to bed" seems to work for us as he's now in bed at the latest by 8pm without stress for him/us.

So lost as to how to tackle this. I want an easy path but I'm prettu sure there isn't one :(

OP posts:
Original poster
cjt110 · 25/05/2016 16:54

He was given the tablet for 45 mins max The episode is 2.5 hours.

OP posts:
Nannawifeofbaldr · 25/05/2016 16:54

cjt sit in silence? Confused of course not, you play with him.