tell me about bright mornings and babies please!

[loveitwhenyouoooh]

We have DSs aged 2 and 4 months at the moment. We are considering a few weekends camping over the summer but I'm a bit concerned that with the brightness of the tent they will be up with the birds! Currently they dont often sleep past 6.30/7ish anyway (with blackout blinds on window) so dont really fancy being up much earlier than that.

Did you find your little ones woke very early when camping or does the fresh air knock em out? [hopeful emoticon]

I guess the only real way to tell is to go and try but I need some positive stories to convince DP

Yep, brace yourself for some 6am starts. I sleep really badly once it starts getting light so bought a sleep mask. DD has tried to wear one, but it became farcical so I get up when she does. OTOH, she has generally run around so much with excitement etc, she tends to sleep until about 7 am.

|The worst we had was a 4.30am start but really its got better since then, we now reguarly get 8am!!

I was about to post something really similar but hopefully can get some answers here. We did our trial night away this weekend before 10 days in June and it went amazingly well but DS (10mo) was up at 5.30am. He didn't go to sleep until 8.30pm as I had read loads on here about not being too fussed about the normal routine but that menat he got 3 hours less sleep than normal - fine for one night but if that went on for more than 3 days he would be SO grumpy. Have people generally found it gets better as the holiday wears on? i.e. they start sleeping later? I don't really mind being up at that time, I'm more concerned that DS gets the sleep he needs!

DD2 slept a lot better the next night, not sure if that was due to being out in the fresh air and running/crawling around all day but it did get better.

When we go camping we tent to let the kids stay up late so they do tend to sleep in. I know they're older now but we've always done this and only had the one truly horrendous early start (as above!)

All I would say is that when he naps during the day - you nap too!

we have a travel cot with blackout blinds- plus you can drape something over the inner tent which makes it darker. But then DS wakes up at 5 even at home ...

onlylivinggirl what kind of travel cot do you have? Does it have integrated black out or have you fashioned something out of blackout materiel?

needanewname that's my dilemma for next time - I'm happy to let him stay up later but was thinking about an earlier bedtime to compensate for the early rising! I guess we'll just have to see how it goes.

I would go for a nap in the daytime if your main concern is about not enough sleep. Either that or run him ragged so he's exhauseted and sleeps through!

He will get used to it eventually - honest!