Waking us everyday at 6.30 am

[Springinabundance]

We have guests staying for ten days, it’s actually my parents. They go to bed at 9pm and wake at 6.30. They’re in the spare room right next to our room.
My dad wakes and goes to one of the bathrooms very close and brushes his teeth, clears his throat etc.
Dd, 4, is completely overtired and very difficult 😩
She needs 11 hours sleep to be her normal self. I take her up to bed at 7, but with the lighter evenings, she sometimes doesn’t fall asleep until 8.30.
I’ve asked my mum if they could please try to keep quieter in the mornings as Dd needs her sleep etc. She said it’s hard to stay in bed if you’re awake and up (she’s very quiet though tbf)
I don’t know what the solution is here 🤷🏻‍♀️
Dh is exhausted too as Dd is sharing with us, so he often comes down to sleep on the sofa…my dad comes down at 6.30 to make a coffee and open the doors etc
Our usual wake up time during the week is 8ish and weekends a bit later.
Its been another 6.30 start today and already Dd is acting nuts!

No one likes to be woken up earlier than usual and it can make you feel really groggy and bad tempered. However, it’s very short term and 6:30 is a normal wake up time for many families. I’d suck it up and just get through it.

@Didimum I can cope, but it’s Dd and her behaviour, I’m desperately trying to get to sleep as early as possible. Her behaviour is very difficult

Sounds like your only solution is a hotel to be honest.

Can you not cut the visit short? If they're not willing to compromise and it's affecting DD this much, they need to leave.

10 days is way too long, why can't they stay in bed and read in the mornings

Can DD have an extra nap during the day?
I agree that your DP need to be more mindful of noise and try keep it down but it is short term so hopefully not too much longer left.
And next time tell them to get a hotel.

Dad should be more respectful in your home.

Put daughter to bed earlier to allow her quiet time to wonder down at like 6pm and use blackout blinds. Blackout blinds are worth the investment for summer anyway.

Why have you asked your mum to be quiet if she is quiet and it is your dad that makes the noise. Ask him to be quiet!

Quiet time to wind down.

Out of interest OP do you think DD's behavior might be different just having your parents there? I know when my MIL stayed when our DS was little his behavior changed quite a bit and was very unsettled at times.

Are you sure she's just not playing up because grandparents are around? She's getting 90% of her usual sleep. I would focus on spending the weekend outside (4yo are less scouting outside ime) to wear her out!

Alongside, you could try a black out blind/foil in the window and white noise so she doesn't hear them get up.

*less annoying outside

Her behaviour is more excitable because they’re here, which is understandable. But this coupled with the lack of sleep is making things a disaster. There’s a week to go

We have heavy blinds and it’s darkish in the room but still impossible to get her to sleep by 7

Can you talk to you dad about this? It's yout house, he needs to make an effort to fit in with your routine.

Suggest they stay in their room until 8, apart from quiet toilet trips? They could even get a cheap kettle and instant coffee in their bedroom and make a morning coffee to sit in bed with?! A pot of Milk will be ok for an overnight out if the fridge.

I’m not denying whatever behaviour she’s showing, obviously I’m not there, but this all seems a little extreme for 1hr difference (8:30-6:30 being 10 hours sleep for her), especially for a 4yr old when overtiredness doesn’t typically cause as much as a problem as it doesn’t in babies and toddlers. Maybe she’s out of sorts because you have house guests and the generally change in her day to day routine and people bring around 24/7 who aren’t usually.

We used to have enforced weekend afternoon naps until DSs were about 7 if they’d slept badly and were being a pain as a result. Someone would cuddle up with them and either have a nap themselves or wait until they were asleep and then slip away. They were usually very cross and unimpressed with us beforehand and would then admit after that they felt much better.

It's 10 days and hardly the middle of the night. There's no excuses for being inconsiderately loud but I also can't stand lying in bed/not having a coffee and wanting to get up. They are your parents and your guests, suck it up for however many days you have left!

We’re supposed to be going out for dinner at 7 pm tonight, dreading it as she’s hyper already and it’s only 9 am
She used to nap in the day until age 3, then she wouldn’t anymore.

Your dad can’t help getting up to go to the loo. I think you are being a little precious about your DD sleep. One hour less is all she is missing out on. If you want to go on holidays etc you need to be a little more flexible. She is probably excited by grandparents staying.

You’re being unreasonable to take it up with your mum when your dad is the problem. Tell him to shut up!

When they get up and are presumably roaming around your house, what are they doing being so loud I get up 6-6.30 most days and somehow manage to do my morning routine without waking up the rest of the household. It’s just inconsiderate on his part. Tell him if he needs to be up to get out of the house and go for a morning walk.

It sounds like you need blackout curtains or blinds if DD is staying awake because of the lighter evenings, that is nothing to do with your parents.

You could ask your DF to be quieter in the mornings or use another bathroom if that's an option, But honestly 6.30am is not early for most parents and anyone in full time work. It's only 10 days, your DD can have a nap during the day if she is really tired and your DH can catch up on his sleep this weekend and suck it up until they go, like an adult.

TBF your DD might be acting nuts because of the change in her routine - grandparents there, sleeping in a different room to usual - as much as losing the odd hour of sleep.

As PP said it is only for a short time. If you normally get up at 8 then I am guessing you and DH don't normally go to be until about midnight? Maybe try going to bed an hour earlier yourself for the duration.

I do sympathise a bit. I remember the last holiday we had with PILs, about 10 years ago. Our DD was 16 then so wanting to stay up, watch TV, listen to music etc. However PIL were already pretty elderly by then so it seemed sensible that they have the downstairs bedroom and bathroom so they wouldn't have to tackle stairs.

Except we soon realised that as they went to bed at about 9pm and their room was next door to the living room, we couldn't really do anything in the evening other than read or talk quietly as we would disturb them.

Of course they didn't think to extend the same courtesy to us when they got up at about 7am the next morning. FIL would be crashing around the kitchen slamming cupboard doors and exclaiming at the top of his voice that he can't find anything in this kitchen and how does this wretched coffee machine work and who has hidden the keys etc. In the end DH or I would have to give up our lie in to sort them out. Every day.

Is your DD going out for dinner with you at 7pm? That's a recipe for disaster with a child who usually goes to bed at 7.30pm and is up earlier than their routine.