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Parenting

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Original poster

Do you get up with your 5yr olds

61 replies

cupcake78 · 09/03/2013 07:07

Basically just that. Ds has always been an early riser and well I'm sick of getting up with him at 6am to a cold house when I'm shattered and pregnant.

He is 5. Is there anything wrong with telling him just get on with it instead of waking me or his dad up every weekend morning

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NightmareSpoon · 10/03/2013 19:33

My 5 year old gets up, goes downstairs, helps herself to breakfast (I leave something out for her) and watches TV and plays for an hour before coming upstairs to wake us up.

missmapp · 10/03/2013 19:36

Our rule has always been that the dcs are not allowed downstairs without one of us- they are now 5 and 7 and we spend between 6am and 7am saying ' go back to your room, it's not morning yet' to ds2, ds1 sleeps til later.

I did think, only this morning, should we let them downstairs, but I know it would just mean us being forced downstairs to deal with something, wheras upstairs we can discipline form the bed!!

IrnBruTheNoo · 10/03/2013 19:40

VictorTango I take my hat off to you, honestly. I'm not a LP, but I've been on my own for three full days and four nights looking after them without a break and I'm totally f*cked, I tell you. Well and truly and exhausted. DH has been on a course and left on Thursday evening and flies back home tonight. We do occasionally take it in turns, but he works shifts and so I'm on my own with it for days at a time anyway (but not to the same extent as being the sole carer like yourself and other LPs). Geez, I don't know how others manage it. My nerves are shattered not having someone else to take the pressure off not even for an afternoon...

Sorry I've digressed!!

I doze when DS2 is left with his light on and toys in his cot for that hour, I don't go into a proper sleep again because DS1 and DS2 often bicker and there can be tears, so I have to get up and resolve whatever's going on. I'm often up and down up and down up and down. Then I wonder why I didn't just get up at 6am to start with.

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ArmchairDetective · 10/03/2013 19:41

I'm not a LP but still I get up with my DC at 6 (or if I'm very lucky 6.30) every day and have done every day for the last 2 years.

When I had one DD (who got up at 5), my DP did offer to have her whilst I went back up to bed for a bit but I found I couldn't easily sleep whilst hearing her downstairs.

I've got used to it now ( though I'm always tired because my 2 year old still wakes in the night too).

They do have an early bed time though so every cloud...

TheChaoGoesMu · 10/03/2013 19:41

My 5 yr old gets up and goes down by herself. She usually gets herself a drink and watches the tv. 3 yr old dc isn't allowed down by himself, although he is allowed into 5 yr olds room upstairs to play, if 5 yr old is still upstairs.

IrnBruTheNoo · 10/03/2013 19:43

I also don't agree with babies and toddlers being left in wet nappies all through the night til 8/9am just so a parent can have a lazy morning themselves. I always have DS2's nappy changed by 7am-ish just before he has breakfast at the table.

forevergreek · 10/03/2013 19:52

babies and little ones no, but our 3 year old can get himself up and to the toilet, then back to room to read/doze until at least 7.30am. 20 month old will wake, and we will take to the toilet, clean nappy, and then goes back in cot with books until 7.30am also. they share a room, but rarely even talk to each other in the early hours. once we say its ok to get up they might still both want to read alone a little longer or start chatting. they might wake at say 6.50, but seem to still like time to wake up properly in peace also.

TheChaoGoesMu · 10/03/2013 19:59

My 3 year old takes his pull up off, (which only has about one wees worth in it anyway) and takes himself to the toilet first thing. No hanging around in wet nappies here.

VictorTango · 10/03/2013 20:00

I'm only a recent lone parent IrnBru, h left last July. Before that we shared the getting up and I guess I've just carried on the same routine but by myself.

For the first few months H was having them every other wkend which helped give me a break. But that stopped in October last year.

I would give a lot for a lay in right about now. But then I would also be very happy with a 7am wake up for the foreseeable future and nothing earlier so I'm obv easily pleased

BertieBotts · 10/03/2013 20:07

I sometimes let DS (4) get up without me. He just plays on his DS or with his trains or watches TV. If he wants breakfast early then I have been known to make it and go back to bed but it's only a light doze really - I'd hear if he was calling me etc or anything happened.

ArmchairDetective · 10/03/2013 20:23

Sounds like a lot of people on this threas have placid children. Either that or you have "trained" them very well. My DD (5) wakes up shouting "mummy". If I ignore even for a few seconds it quickly becomes "MUMMMY" "MMMMMMMUMMMMMMYYYYY".

She is not good at entertaining herself and is currently going through a period where she is totally uninterested in her toys. She would sit and watch TV but as I am trying to limit it (otherwise she starts demanding it a lot in the day) I can't/won't put it on first thing.

Still only 8 yrs until she's a teenager and won't want to get up.

SizzleSazz · 10/03/2013 20:50

I agree in a way Armchair. DD's are very placid, although the only time they get early tv is the weekend when they have a film.

They are both (6&4) pretty sensible. A shop owner had nervous breakdown when DD1 went outside the door when they were playing hide and seek, however i know she wouldn't run into the road. Same as i know she wont turn teh cooker or kettle on but will help herself to milk/water/fruit. If any of these get spilled it is not the end of the world.

ScottyDoc · 10/03/2013 21:24

I would say my 4 yo is quite placid, as in happy to be in his own company playing and he's very good at entertaining himself. My dd is the complete opposite and likes me to be involved , so I'm not expecting any more lie ins when she gets to his age! I'm just grateful now during this pregnancy that I can actually get back into bed for more rest whilst ds is happy to play and eat his breakfast.

dabdab · 10/03/2013 21:26

We have a smiley face on the clock at 7, and dd (4) knows that if the blue hand has not gone past the smiley face, then it is too early to go into Mummy and Daddy's room. It mostly works

DomesticCEO · 10/03/2013 21:29

Our 3 yr old and 4yr old boys get up and go downstairs on their own at weekends. They are not allowed out of their room before 7am and are usually desperate for breakfast by 7.45/8 so it's usually only an hour. They leave our bedroom door open so we can hear them and we're only dozing, not completely asleep.

They are very well behaved and it wouldn't occur to them to do anything silly as they know it's a privilege to be trusted and they know we'd stop it if they were badly behaved!

MousyMouse · 10/03/2013 21:32

yes.
on weekends we leave a banana and a juice carton out for dc and we don't count any tv watched before adults are up against the 2 hour screen time
gives us enough time for a stretch and shower.

Original poster

cupcake78 · 10/03/2013 21:32

It's good to know we're not alone. Ds hates being on his own. We've tried everything with regards to getting him to sleep in later but it simply isn't him. He wakes up full of energy and there is no rest till bedtime.

It's just the way he is.

OP posts:

hippo123 · 10/03/2013 23:29

My 6 year old and 2 year old are often up before me at weekends. I'll pop down and get them milk and toast and put a film on and then go back to bed. Sounds awful but there very sensible and I don't neglect them for the rest of the day [smille]

Wewereherefirst · 10/03/2013 23:37

DS1 is allowed to read or play in his room until 7, unless DS2 is awake and then he can come downstairs (anytime from 0530 onwards), DS1 is a morning person, I'm not at all, but he's a good boy, so I don't mind him getting up early.

He will be in on the stroke of 7 if I'm not up

ArmchairDetective · 11/03/2013 10:42

"My 6 year old and 2 year old are often up before me at weekends. I'll pop down and get them milk and toast and put a film on and then go back to bed. Sounds awful but there very sensible and I don't neglect them for the rest of the day [smille] "

How do they not kill each other! They must get on very well. If I did this I would have at the very least a seriously injured toddler....I'm not kidding.

peppajay · 12/03/2013 08:50

I would love to know how people get kids to watch tv my two who are 6 and 4 hate it. I would love mine to be able to go downstairs and watch tv but I can't see it happening till much later on. I think it is partly my fault as I probably never had the tv on till my eldest was about 4 and I was always out and always busy playing with them which had backfired on me now as looking at these posts they have never played in their room alone or looked at books alone and all drawing stuff is locked away and only done under supervision. However if I ever have another one they will be stuck in front of the tv from a few weeks old and left on their own to play from a baby so I can get some some time to myself which on our house if the children are not at school or in bed it just doesn't happen!

IrnBruTheNoo · 12/03/2013 09:17

I could not leave my two children unsupervised or there would be a serious incident. I have two boys, aged 5 and aged 2. During the day I play referee most of the time (not much housework happens), cannot leave them for much more than a few minutes before there's an argument breaking out, or worse, the younger one gets hurt by the eldest or vice versa (biting, punching, hitting etc). I just don't see how so many people on here have children that are placid and kind to each other, is it really like that? I must be an oddity!! It's all worse at weekends, and after the eldest gets in from school.

IrnBruTheNoo · 12/03/2013 09:18

ArmchairDetective it's not just you! :)

ArmchairDetective · 12/03/2013 09:40

"It's all worse at weekends, and after the eldest gets in from school. "

I agree after school is the worse. My eldest DD will just not leave her sister alone afterschool. She wrestles her, threatens her, hits her the moment I leave the room and woe betide the younger one do anything to her or she gets it back threefold.

I live in a very small house and the noise at times is unreal.

If I ever try and have a quick shower and leave DP to supervise there is always a domestic incident with one of them wailing "mummy" and coming in to the bathroom to find me.

Like Peppajay, I played with PFB a lot (and loved it) and limited her TV use but it does mean I won't be left alone in the day unless I put the TV on (I use it strategically now- when making food for example)

I only ever mumsnet, watch TV or eat dinner (with the exception of family mealtimes at weekends) when they are in bed- otherwise they would be climbing on my lap, switching off the TV or demanding their programmes all the time or taking my food (despite having picked at their own).

forevergreek · 12/03/2013 09:42

We don't have a tv, but they would and do play nicely for hours. I don't referee all day either. Some days I have to work from home so they need to amuse themselves a bit

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