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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Dd waking at 5.18 every morning

15 replies

Thatsmintinnit · 30/12/2024 21:20

She’s 6, used to wake around 7-7.30- perfect.

For around 6 weeks or so, she’s been waking just after 5 am nearly every night. We’ve even har 4.30 some nights. Rare but good wakings have been 6.30.
As soon as she wakes, she wants to go downstairs and we’re exhausted. She used to stay in bed and play games for a bit if she woke early before, but now she says she can’t get back to sleep or stay in bed and wants to go downstairs
We used to do teeth and bedtimes stories around 8, she’d take a while to go to sleep. Now she’s falling straight asleep at 7.30, because she’s so tired, she doesn’t even want a story anymore.
Bedtimes are easier, but these wake ups are crazy

What can we do?

OP posts:
Original poster
Thatsmintinnit · 30/12/2024 21:20

*Had

OP posts:
InformerYaNoSayDaddyMeSnowMeIGoBlameALickyBoom · 30/12/2024 21:24

My dd has always woken at 5/5.30. She's 9 now.

From about your dds age she was allowed to quietly watch TV and have a snack and I would get up around 6 30am which was much more bearable.

Is there anything stopping her being a bit self sufficient for an hour or so?

Covidwoes · 30/12/2024 21:37

My DD is 6 and an early riser, but we don't get up with her. We've told her it's fine if she wants to get up early, but we can't as it's too tiring for us. 6 is definitely old enough for her to entertain herself for a bit.

TaraRhu · 30/12/2024 21:40

It's a phase. It won't last hopefully. I think the long dark nights and mornings are confusing for them. My son who is 6 is not waking up until 8.30 which is ok in the holidays but not on a school day. My daughter who is 3 is waking ea

FrannyScraps · 30/12/2024 21:41

Yes agree you have to stop getting up and acting like this is a reasonable thing to do. If she quietly watched tv in bed she might even fall back to sleep.

Original poster
Thatsmintinnit · 30/12/2024 21:46

I don’t get up with her, I refuse to get up at 5 am! I’m not a morning person at all, but could do 6.30, but wouldn’t love it. She often faffs about so it wakes me up for a bit and then sometimes I can fall back asleep, sometimes I can’t, so feel tired anyway
Dh says he can’t get back to sleep, so ends up getting up too most of the time
She watches tv downstairs, gets breakfast etc no problem, but waking so early, by 9 she’s often hyper

OP posts:
LoafofSellotape · 30/12/2024 22:19

She's old enough to go to the loo if she needs to and get back into bed and ready quietly or listen to a story CD. She can have a clock to show her what time to get up.

There needs to be consequences if she makes a fuss and wakes everyone up unless she's genuinely ill/nightmare.

Absolutely no telly or going downstairs as that doesn't give her the chance to fall back to sleep.

ATuinTheGreat · 30/12/2024 22:21

I was hoping for a mystery to solve…why 5.18am? But it’s not 5.18am every, so that’s disappointing…

Original poster
Thatsmintinnit · 30/12/2024 22:22

ATuinTheGreat · 30/12/2024 22:21

I was hoping for a mystery to solve…why 5.18am? But it’s not 5.18am every, so that’s disappointing…

It’s weird, nearly every night when I hear her getting up and I look at my phone, it’s 5.18 am odd!

OP posts:
FanofLeaves · 30/12/2024 22:27

My mum used to leave a little wrapped croissant and a banana and a drink in my brother’s bedside drawer to stop him getting up and crashing about downstairs and waking everyone up when he insisted on waking at 5:30. then he could read, draw or play quietly but there were consequences for being selfish enough to make a racket and have us all awake with him. He was 6/7 at the time. Is she old enough to realise that it’s not fair on you if she’s noisy?

Endofyear · 30/12/2024 23:13

I wouldn't be getting up at that time. It's still dark so I would tell her it's nighttime and not time to get up yet. If she has a little nightlight, I would say she can look at books or play quietly in her room until 7 or whatever is a reasonable time. But I wouldn't allow getting up and going downstairs. Mine were early risers and would get up at 6/6.30 but would come into my bed for a cuddle and sometimes doze off for a bit!

TreesWelliesKnees · 30/12/2024 23:18

My DS used to wake at 5.34 every single morning, until we figured out it was the noise of the boiler coming on in the room under his bedroom waking him. Worth checking things like that?

noworklifebalance · 30/12/2024 23:39

TreesWelliesKnees · 30/12/2024 23:18

My DS used to wake at 5.34 every single morning, until we figured out it was the noise of the boiler coming on in the room under his bedroom waking him. Worth checking things like that?

Yes, this - is there something waking her up at this particular time? It seems to be too precise for it to be natural waking.

Also, definitely no tv or iPads in the bedroom to keep her occupied. Keep the door to screens shut for as long as possible and screens in the bedroom is a massive no all the way into the teenage years,

MissRoseDurward · 31/12/2024 00:32

Agree she needs to stay in bed, or at least in her room. She's old enough to know not to wake up the household unless she's unwell. Can she have a flask with a drink - a warm milky one if she'll drink it - and some biscuits, so she doesn't have to go downstairs?

In one place I lived, I used to be woken early by someone up the road going off on a motorbike. Could it be something like that?

leccybill · 31/12/2024 00:51

Mt next door neighbours alarm for work goes off at 530. Wakes me up too.

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