Early hours with young children

[nooriginalnameshere]

My ds wakes at around 6am. He's wide awake and wanting attention. I'm invariably completely knackered. AIBU to wonder what parents do with their young kids between the hours of 6am-9/10am on a weekend, particularly for kids not allowed tv....

My ds was a 5 am riser . I used to let him have tv for a bit, do all the usual stuff like breakfast , playing with toys ( quietly !) . I used to wash , dry and fold 1 load of laundry before the day really began. It used to keep me motivated . It was my laundry time!
He's 5 now and he gets up around 6.30 now, at weekends I ask him to play in his bedroom quietly or he can watch a DVD, or have the iPad til 8am.

You let them watch TV.

Films on the ipad in bed for little one to buy us some extra dozing time. Nothing wrong with a bit of TV.

6am this morning(10months) - we've gotten up, had bottle, he has played, TV on in the background , I've made breakfast that were now eating and then we're going for a little nap together (reaching the end of this routine as I go back to work soon so he needs to learn to nap out of my bed).

DS wakes at about 4.30 a few mornings a week so 6am manageable!

CBeebies or a movie and not a single fuck is given.

My DC wakes up by 6am the latest and I’m terrible in the mornings so need at least an hour and two coffees before I’m semi human.

We didn't allow screens until they were 3 and then it was V. limited, but then ours didn't wake up until 8/8:30 (up late at night though, so we were still knackered). If you aren't going to mesmerize them with screens then you have to do the same things you'd do between the hours of 10 am and bedtime. Play with them, take them out, feed them, get them playing on their own, colouring, "helping" etc. At the weekends we took it in turns to get up with them so we got a lie in each. It didn't make up for all the lost sleep, though!

Parents often use screens because it gives them a break from it for a short while! I was really happy when they got to an age we were OK with doing that.

I’m the kind of mum that mumsnet pretends they’re not, I pass my phone /iPad to my 2 year old with iPlayer cbeebies and guided access turned on so they can’t switch off then doze next to them watching tv in bed. It’s all about survival. Martyrs can get up at 3am and start baking with their kids before building a rocket ship from recycling then heading to the allotment by 8am but that’s not me.

We get up, every morning, at 5.30 - and this is lucky, with my first it was 5. We just start our day with breakfast, playing lego/animals in the living room. I do some housework on the side and keep from plotting murdering my husband who is still in bed (I know it is his turn but I can still enjoy a nice homicidal fantasy involving ice cubes down his back (which means he would be the one with homicidal fantasies).

I wish mine slept until 6.. 5am this morning, was 4.15am earlier in the week

We are up at 630 week days due to work and getting DS to nursery. This means weekends are also 6am/630 get ups... weekends we get brekkie and relax on the sofa. My DH works late Friday and Saturday nights so we tend to be on the quiet side in the AM until we wake him up about 10ish.

So we watch IPad , tv he plays with toys , does some colouring, whatever he fancies.
We don’t go out as can’t shower till he wakes up so we just have some quality snuggle relaxing time

It's been a while but my husband used to get up and watch The Hoobs. It's not like you're sitting them in front of Die Hard and necking gin.

Tv, so i can dose on the sofa.

Onve dd gets older i'll be teaching her how to make cereal and turn tv on so she can go down herself for an hour or so

I live in a flat so I'm extra paranoid about noise.

I plonk DS age 3 in the middle of our bed with the bbc iplayer kids app and a biscuit/banana and lie back down, I doze if he's not eating. He's not allowed up before 7. (6 on weekdays)

I would introduce TV or at least a DVD to watch a film. It is too much to expect anyone to be switched on first thing in the morning providing entertainment, and trying to do crafts etc will just make everyone miserable. The brighter mornings probably haven't helped!

My 2 are currently watching Matilda while I have a coffee! Had plans to go for an early walk with them but it had started to rain heavily, they are at an age where they now go downstairs on their own, I am up with them as I want DH to sleep in for a bit

I put on a film that I know they will watch (Polar Express at any time of the year is always a hit here) and snooze on sofa for an hour or so! Sorry not helpful for no tv but maybe a film/tv occasionally would help you a bit, as then you’d be less tired for the rest of the day. Sending though-being tired all the time sucks

Do you have a DP? We took turns to do the early start when DD was little. Even now at 8yo she rarely sleeps past 630.
We let her watch tv in the mornings of play on her tablet but we also live next door to a family with kids of the same age so they often get chucked out in the garden together. They’re there now!

We take it in turns so we each get a lie in over the weekend. We also make full use of the iPad ....DS is now 4 so happy to watch something for a short time if he happens to wake up horrendously early.

My 15 month old gets up at 5.15am so he just plays with toys or watches something on TV whilst I have a coffee and do some ironing or something.

Oh just read the no TV bit....Is there a reason for that?

There's a reason CBeebies starts at 6am

I suppose you have a choice. You let them watch an iPad or the like whilst you snooze or you get up and start the day. There isn’t a magic suggestion.

I’m sure someone will tell you they simply hand their 3 year old a copy of War and Peace which keeps them quiet for an hour and that their child is reading because TV’s are evil and they spent all their time reading books and doing puzzles. We all know this is utter BS though so we all just carry on with our lives, one Bing at a time.

I've been up since 6am but have only just looked outside and it's pissing down so I thought "Great! Puddle suit and park it is then!" (I love the rain and the park is always quiet when wet) but no... We have the bloody Marathon on today with road closures all around it 🙄

6.30am here. We are watching Dumbo downstairs whilst my husband sleeps off last night upstairs - I've been working away for the past week so he has definitely earned a night out and a lie in

Our weekdays have started at 6am, because that’s what time we need to get up in order to get to work for the last decade! Which also means we have also gone to bed at ten PM for the last decade. Our weekend lie in used to be until 8/9ish. Since having small person my day normally starts around 5:30 after which I life in bed breastfeeding/snoozing for half an hour. It has meant I’m tired a bit earlier, often 9ish, so I go to bed then sometimes.

Since having small person my day normally starts around 5:30 after which I life in bed breastfeeding/snoozing for half an hour. This is after 2/3 night wakings too. It has meant I’m tired a bit earlier, often 9ish, so I go to bed then sometimes. I sympathise that you are tired, but it’s pretty par for the course as parents - you do just have to suck it up, and maybe go to bed earlier to compensate.

From 6 we have getting up, dressed, breakfast, toys. We don’t watch TV much as a family so we don’t put it on in the morning. The bonus is that when we go for days our/supermarket etc. We are always there nice and early before it gets very busy! There’s the silver lining!