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....

We also don’t allow TV before bed. That’s ‘wind down’ time and the light from TV’s has been proven to affect restful sleep. I rarely watch TV but also wouldn’t watch it before bed for the same reasons.
I rarely watch it in the morning either but don’t mind the DC watching it in the morning if we haven’t got to be up and out of the house immediately.

@MRex

I'm really surprised how many people watch TV in the mornings, did you usually put it on yourselves without kids for the news or whatever in the morning too?

Every morning, especially on the weekends, to be fair in our house TV is pretty much always on (and was before kids)

TV or iPad until I can function around 9am. No way am I playing make believe at 6am. Plus side I get a snooze on the sofa so I'm not exhausted

It's a nice wind-down having some songs together, ending on twinkle twinkle little star. Then upstairs to wash, change, teeth, feed etc. His routine follows a similar pattern to ours, except earlier and his cartoons finish about an hour before sleep. He sleeps well, so no need to change it. Do you not watch any TV in the evenings then and watch your films or a series during the day?

If I was only going to allow one session of tv a day, it would definitely make more sense (for us) to allow it in the early morning. Adult can doze on sofa.,

And yes I watch the news every morning during the week while I have a coffee.

Every day starts at 6:15 here- or at least that's when the groclock says 3y3mo can get out of bed, he's often up rearranging his bears before that. DH and I take turns getting showered and dressed while getting him ready (me) and playing with toys with him (DH), have breakfast and then play with toys or puzzles, we're ready for the day by 8am. We normally go out somewhere around 9ish, it's generally not too busy so shy DS is more comfortable, then have some TV as quiet time (for everyone!) around 1ish. The benefit of him getting up so early and not napping is that he's asleep by 6:30-7pm so we have an evening... Or did until his little brother arrived a few weeks ago!

From babies, we have never let our kids get up before 7. When tiny they were simply put back to bed, when biggercwe explained why (it’s still night). A gro clock helps. At weekends their clock always went on an hour later so 8 am, but they could play in their rooms if they woke up early (no getting out of bed before 7).

From 6 ish they were getting up on their own at weekends. We don’t do tv much either but they’d have a fixed time on iPad (tv or games) and then play quietly til everyone up.

I don’t get this age of getting up at all
Hours. Teaching your child to keep sociable hours is a life lesson. And if they aren’t up so early, this ‘what do I do with them at 5am’ doesn’t arise in quite the same way.

People on here are so weird about TV 😂 it's been around for decades, I think we can stop shitting ourselves about the children's development surely? Most parents in their 20s and 30s were exposed to it as children and from what I can see are doing a fairly decent job of parenting on the whole.

OP, don't despair, I had a terrible sleeper (we're talking 2 hourly wakings for a looooooong time!) but now (early teen years) he sleeps beautifully, and lies til about 10am on the weekends. So this will pass.
So much competitive early morning rising on here! Some of you sound like my SIL when our DC were small - god forbid I mentioned I was tired, she'd be utterly exhausted beyond belief, and she hasn't had a break, or been out without the kids for a million years don't you know? Think she forgets I can see her Facebook page, and her social life/babysitting set up is better than most but I digress...
Anywaaay! Is a gro clock an option OP? As my DC got older they knew 7am was the cut off. Yes, they may have come charging through at 'seven dot dot zero one' but that's ok! I also used, and still use, blackout blinds and curtains in all bedrooms. You could develop pictures in all of our bedrooms, should you be so inclined, and that definitely helps. I've been up since 7am (weekday body clock) but the DC are still sound, so rest assured, your DC will sleep eventually. It's all about survival til then. If a bit of CBeebies will help, then it's not the end of the world to let them watch telly.

Do you not watch any TV in the evenings then and watch your films or a series during the day?

No I don’t watch TV in the day. Don’t really watch it in the evening either though.

From age 6, not 6am

The TV issue is hilarious!
People preventing their children on screens while they are actively on theirs posting on MN!
I have a friend who swears blind her children get no TV or screens, yet when they call to me they can access Netflix quicker than I can and talk in the YouTube American Twang

Well. I normally let them play in their room till 7. But otherwise, go down and play by themselves. We are a no TV household in general (even the adults don’t watch TV other than news and sport- I may watch the odd programme on catchup) and the noise gives me a real headache in the morning.
Normally up at 7 though and even on weekends we are ready and breakfasted by 8ish.

We watch TV and snuggle/doze on the sofa until it’s a reasonable time for breakfast then they play. Or they just get in our bed.

Tv has been around for ages but it wasn’t in this all pervading way it is now. We had kids tv progs at 4pm for an hour. Now you can watch all day and lots do. It’s so sad.

We have no TV in any of our communal areas. It’s therefore an effort to watch so no one does much. Kids’ default setting is therefore other stuff. They can self entertain so well and their reading wascalways advanced because that is their go to relaxing activity. Such a gift for a child.

I’m more relaxed now they are older because their ‘settings’ have been fixed. both read for pleasure for hours, they need to be slack jawed in front of a box to relax.

StinkyWizzleteets, you are my kind of people. I have one that's up through the night, I have another that's awake at 6. He gets the iPad and kids YouTube until 7 on a school day, and even later on a weekend/holiday with breakfast in bed (I bring brioche and rice cakes up the night before ready and he thinks it's a real treat).

Don’t need to be slack jawed.. bloody typing.

6am isnt too bad, OP. Although if you're up multiple times a night that would be hard.

6am is a normal wake up time for loads of people going to work every day.

TV was designed specifically with those hours of the day in mind as far as I'm concerned!!

How old is he? Mine are 2 and 4 and that's a pretty normal wake up time here. To be honest, it works well for us in the week, and they've not quite it the hang of weekends = lie-ins yet.

Sometimes they potter in their rooms before coming down (looking at books/playing with teddies) and I try and encourage this. Then they come in with us for a cuddle and a chat and maybe some stories. Then down for breakfast - and coffee for me - then after breakfast they usually draw or play/potter about while I tidy up/put a wash on. No TV here, it's not that it's banned it's just not really a part of our mornings (wasn't pre-children either).

We somehow manage to make eating breakfast and all getting dressed take 'til at least 9am by which time local coffee shops are open

To be fair, I find mornings much easier with two children than with one, as they talk to each other while I wake up a bit!

6am is s normal wakeup in our house - both DSD and DD are early risers, I am now an early riser!

We also have no tv on in the house - god I miss putting CBeebies on in the morning! It started having a very detrimental effect on Toddler DDs behaviour so we switched it off months ago and she only has tv once every couple of weeks or so - immediate improvement in her tantrums so for us it's staying off!

Now I read umpteen stories every morning, often the same ones 2-3 times and we have a house full of sticker books. Also being out in the garden quietly in this weather is good. Tween DSD can watch some Netflix in her room or read.

We're redoing their rooms at the moment so no curtains equals early starts. Hoping that once the blackout blinds go up we might get to a 7am wakeup (even 6:30 would be a bonus !)

I let mine have TV in the morning - DS is 5 and if he wakes up before I feel able to wake up he watches a bit of TV. He's also allowed it in the evening for a bit so I must be awful! He's a late riser any way (thank the Gods!) so doesn't always arise that he wakes up before me.

Dd is 10 and so her waking up time on weekends is her own business ! She's the early riser of the three of us (I'm divorced) but she won't wake me if she gets up early. She quite likes the quiet time i think. She wouldn't get her brother and give him breakfast but why should she?

When dd was smaller I also let her watch morning TV (was married then but exh refused all morning despite claiming to be a "morning person") and discovered all the shit that is only on cbeebies at 6am!

I've been toying with the idea of a third baby, but reading these posts have totally put me off 😂

I had a friend comment that my DD loves tv- I tend to have CBeebies on at home whilst I make lunch or clear up breakfast etc- went round her house and her 2year old son was glued to his iPad