7 year old still not asleep!

[Cathylovesheathcliff]

I’m shattered, want to go to bed but my 7 year old DS is still awake, he’s in bed and has been for an hour.
We’ve had a bath, story, now he has his tonie box on (the usual routine).

I knew he’d be excited tonight but still have Christmas Eve duties to do (stocking and bringing presents down!)

Anyone else in a similar boat?

3 year old had just got back up having been in bed since half 7. she says she’s too excited to sleep and DH is currently bargaining with her! This is her first time properly understanding Christmas so I can understand why she’s excited. I’m trying to frame it as ‘I’ll be sad when the magic of santa is gone’ 😂

Sat on my 6 year old’s floor, hoping she’s actually asleep now at 9.55!! To be fair, we let stay up and watch Home Alone and then she needed a shower (icing from making biscuits for Santa earlier all in her hair!) so it’s been a late bedtime. But hey you’re only 6 once. I remember still being awake past midnight when I was little because I was just too excited.
Saying that, I’m panicking about the stocking at the end of her bed now. Hope you get your last bits sorted.

Same

Just got my 5 year old off! 90 minute slog! Stocking time finally! 🎅

Same- posting from my 7 yos bed!

Our three are all in bed but our youngest is still awake (been in bed nearly an hour). Husband and I are sat on our bed, trying to stay awake as we've got so much to do downstairs! Youngest has just shouted to us that they think they've heard Santa outside (it was definitely next door arriving home in their car!)

My worst year was 3.30 before I got to bed, every time I tried to get the presents out one of them would stir. They did sleep in until 9 the next day though.

the next year I said they were all old enough to watch a film late. We set up a nest on the boys bedroom floor (biggest room) all settled in lights off tv on a nice gentle film (shreik I think) they soon fell asleep.

DD6 has just wandered into my room as bright as a button asking if I had heard any sleigh bells yet and if I could check the Santa tracker for her. She doesn't cope well on less than 11 hours sleep so I'm already anticipating a very grumpy day tomorrow.

Blessedly, DD10 was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

I just want to fill the stockings and go to bed!

9yr old DS still up and tossing about in bed. Tonie box not done it's trick an hour in. We're at my PILs. Main presents all safely set up downstairs but the stocking still needs doing. DH and I in bed in the same room as him trying to stay awake!! Didn’t manage to put it out until 2:30am last year! I fear I'm going to have to pretend to be asleep rather than scrolling Mumsnet.... But then I have to make sure I don't actually go to sleep.....

Oh my god wait til you have teenagers 😭

They won’t be asleep until probably about 1am…I am ready for this day to be done.

I’ve just started watching elf with my 12yr old as I’ve admitted defeat before even attempting bedtime! Looking at at least
midnight before bed!

Funnily. My 16yr old went to bed about half an hr ago

My 2 year old went down at 6, basically had a 3 hour power nap and now she probably won't settle til past midnight. She doesn't understand though, she's always been a pain for sleeping.

I find the teenage yrs less stressful. There’s no sneaking about and making things magical.

13yo gone to bed, 7yo fast asleep but 11yo is here for the duration!!

Tempted to go to bed and set an alarm for 4am and do the presents then.

Surely you dont wait for your teenagers to go to sleep before putting presents out?? That's bonkers

Oh man, I hear you. The battle to stay awake while the kids refuse to sleep is real.

I've got the worda to go the fuck toxsleep on a loop in my head. I am so ready to sleep and yet they do not. I need to get the presents downstairs and can't risk doing it in the morning as god knows how early they will be up. Ds is reciting astronaut names next to me as he is too excited to sleep.

Ah I miss all of this

Go to bed, set an alarm for some ungodly hour. They're more likely to settle if they know you've gone to bed. Mostly.

I used to give him muscle soak radox baths. That shit drains you of energy.

i’m debating bed and getting up about 5am to do presents. Oldest is 15 & in bed younger are 11 but one still “believes” (think just doesn’t want to admit it out loud) so last year of santa for us i think but i’m so tired! They’ll all been up for toilet etc & everything is in the garage!

Been trying to get my 7 year old to sleep for an hour and a half... That hasn't worked (doesn't help that one of our cats keeps jumping on his bed. Shut him out of the room now though!)

So I've put ASMR on for him to hopefully help him settle. He's never been this excited for Christmas before so I'm not too bothered by it 😅

Top tip from an experienced parent: set the precedent very early on that stockings are to be found in the morning downstairs/ in the living room, or at best on the landing outside children's bedrooms. It will save you a lot of anxious tiptoeing around late at night, hardly daring to breathe in case you wake them up (If they're not already still awake, that is).

A bit of Baileys will sort that. With the added bonus that he'll be wanting a lie in tomorrow morning.

Our worst one was when DC1 was 6. He finally fell asleep at 4.30am, only for DC2 to wake up at 5am, having slept all night, full of beans, and went straight in to wake DC1 up. We were hosting the entire family and by the time everyone left DH and I had been awake for nearly 40 hours.

3 of them still so excited. Chattering in their bedroom. Hopefully soon they will go off soon put on the ccbc night music 🤣

Is it bad that i’ve allowed free flow of bud for my 16yr old this eve?… he went to bed at half 9 funnily enougj!