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Parenting

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Original poster

3yr old wakes at 6.30am - what do you do with them?

118 replies

omri · 01/08/2014 15:38

Just want to know what people do with their kids when they wake so early. I've a 4 month old baby and am tired so early in the morning. My 3yo ds has started waking at 6.30ish every morning and I've started letting him watch tv for an hour or more until baby wakes at 8ish for a feed.
I know it's bad but can't face getting up with him! Ds is never v hungry in the morn and can easily wait til 8.30 for his porridge.

Just wondering what others do in similar situations?
It's a bad habit now ...

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SocksRock · 01/08/2014 23:18

Am really hoping mine sleep as late as 6.30 tomorrow, could do with a lie in...

slightlyinsane · 01/08/2014 23:21

Im not getting to sleep until 4/4.30 at mo with 10 wk old twins and there isn'ta cat in hells chance iI'm getting up with ds at 6.30, tv or plays on an app on his sister's kindle. You do what you have to do in order to get through the day, it won't be forever

Original poster

omri · 02/08/2014 02:49

Thanks all again for the responses. Before the new baby I was much stricter and ds knew to (and was happy to) just play quietly in his room until we got up. But he is going through a difficult phase now (tantrums etc) and I just give in on this one for the sake of an extra hour of sleep and peace in the morns!
We're in a small apartment and he shares the room with the baby so it's a case of trying to keep her asleep.

As others have said- whatever keeps you sane!

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CheerfulYank · 02/08/2014 03:00

We got DS a digital clock and said "if you wait til the first number is 7, you can watch TV. The iPad doesn't work until the first number is a 7."

Then he'd come snuggle in with us and watch for a half hour to 45 minutes while we dozed off. :)

LaFlambeau · 02/08/2014 03:10

The preschooler watches CBeebies on the iPad in our bed while the baby and I catch some extra zzzzz.

You gotta do what you gotta do

tobysmum77 · 02/08/2014 07:10

why would you feel guilty for having a bit of morning telly? . Relax they learn stuff from the telly whatever the pearl-clutchers say.

Mumof3xox · 02/08/2014 07:11

Another here saying 6.30 would be lovely!

Dd currently wakes at 5.30-5.45

MaryAnnTheDasher · 02/08/2014 07:18

We get up with ours (anytime from 5, has been known to be 4.30 though) and it's TV, some fruit that will take ages for them to peel and eat, getting dressed, bit of playing (them-not me, its too early for me!) and by then it's time for nursery anyway. On weekends, add a 2 course breakfast into the mix and it strings it out nicely.

Also have 7 week old now which changes things but we've found it works for us for her to 'get up' as the same time, it means I can get an extra hour sleep while dh sees to them.all (I do all the night feeds).

Gro clock worked for us but only one ds understood the concept, he was about 3.5ish. It's gone to pot now though cos he now shares with his little ds who couldn't give a flying fuck about the sun coming up. If she's awake she's getting up. End of!

youbethemummylion · 02/08/2014 07:24

Do whatever it is that works for you. Mine wake anywhere between 6 and 7am we have no TV upstairs and they are both ravenous so we go down TV on and eat breakfast. Then either get ready if we are out to school and work or if its a weekend slob about in our PJs until we feel like we should get dressed.

GobblersKnob · 02/08/2014 07:29

You have to reprogram yourself to not think that 6.30 is early, and/or go to bed earlier.

I always got up and played with mine as soon as they woke, does nobody do this anymore? I miss it now I have to drag them protesting out of bed it's precious time really, and it is over before you know it.

I am still up at six every morning, it's a good time to get stuff done.

LackaDAISYcal · 02/08/2014 07:56

6.30! That's a lie in in this household. 5yo gets up at 5am most days and once he is awake, everyone is awake

but 6.30 was the norm for us with the older two as well. They've all been early risers.

You get used to it. That and going to bed at 9pm.

hiccupgirl · 02/08/2014 08:01

My DS used to always be up at 5.30 - 6am and would have just awful screaming tantrums when put back in his room so no-one would get any more sleep anyway. Once he turned 4 he got much better at waiting for the sun to come up on his clock and he started sleeping till 6.30-7am which is better.

TV all the way here tbh. I don't do breakfast before 8am at the weekend so if he's up and hungry he has a cup of milk and 2 rich tea biscuits to keep him going.

Little darling was awake at 5.45 this morning because he'd gone to sleep by 7.45pm last night. Need another 20 cups of coffee please!

Baddderz · 02/08/2014 08:02

This is what cbeebies was invented for :)

BeaglesOfDeathMetal · 02/08/2014 09:09

I am of all your obedient 2yos who will wait until a light is on

kimlo · 02/08/2014 09:17

Half 6 is morning so we just get up for breakfast.

We have to be up at 6 during the week anyway. Ive been waking up at 6 for so long that I cant sleep in past 7 anyway so sometimes its me getting up that wakes dd2 up.

Dd1 10 has recently started sleeping until half 7 on a weekend. We're a family that goes to bed early.

TwentiethCenturyGirl · 02/08/2014 09:20

3yr old DD is always up before 6:30. We tried a gro clock - it worked for about a week before the novelty wore off. Sometimes she'll have a play in her room until the sun on the clock comes up but usually climbs in to bed with us waking the baby up in the process.

Once it gets to 6:30 we take it in turns to get up. I'm afraid we don't have the energy to do anything other than whack CBeebies on at that time. Plenty of time for other stuff during the rest of the day - it's the benefit of an early start I suppose!

LiegeAndLief · 02/08/2014 09:25

When my ds was 3, if he had woken up at 6:30 I would have jumped for joy! 5am was much more normal...

There is nothing wrong with a bit (or possibly a lot) of tv at 6:30. I remember reading a thread a while ago about how much tv your dc watch and the amount of time was highly correlated with early risers and those with baby siblings.

LittleLionMansMummy · 02/08/2014 09:32

Gro clock worked brilliantly for us, in addition to a blackout blind. Ds is 3.9 and we set his clock to 8am on weekends. If he wakes earlier he sings and talks to his teddies. Then he comes into bed and snuggles up for some CBeebies. Tbh I don't feel guilty because he has such a full on week so doesn't watch much tv.

LaFlambeau · 02/08/2014 09:36

I am still up at six every morning, it's a good time to get stuff done.

Mum, is that you?!

But seriously, OP, I'm assuming you've tried blackout blinds. If not, do try that. DD takes after my DM in her early rising but consistent use of a thick blanket over the window in summer has really helped.

Norfolknway · 02/08/2014 11:01

Bring them in bed with us and snooze/ cuddle/ play with iPad/ til the baby wakes up.

This is what we do with our 3 year old --in my mind- she is actually like a fog horn and wakes everyone up as soon as her eyes open!

LeBearPolar · 02/08/2014 11:59

6.30 is SO not early! Why not just get up and get going with him?!

hollie84 · 02/08/2014 12:00

6.30 is too early for me. I always treat anything before 7 as night.

SirChenjin · 02/08/2014 12:03

The TV is your friend. Nothing worse that being forced to get up at an early hour if you've been up through the night with a baby - I used to get very quite grumpy when I was sleep deprived so it was better all round if a film or the TV was put on.

6.30 is not that early if you've had a good 7 or 8 hours - but if you've been up feeding a baby and had a few broken hours then it's hell. If it's not hell for you then jolly good.

Lizardc · 02/08/2014 13:14

Same situation here. TV all the way. Anything before 7 is definitely night time and I need to sleep!!

MrTumblesBavarianFanbase · 02/08/2014 16:53

I do tend to agree that 6.30 is not early - my 8 year old has to catch the school bus at 7am, and my husband leaves the house for work at 6.15am 5 days a week - my alarm is set for 6.15am, which is when I wake the kids if they are not already up (usually my 6 and 3 year olds are already playing in their room, but the 8 year old sometimes needs waking). I had to get up at the same time when the 3 year old woke multiple times a night, until fairly recently, and would say it isn't the time on the clock that makes you knackered, its the number and frequency of wakings, regardless of what the clock says.

Aside from that though I agree, no harm in an hour of beebies first thing - I did the same with my eldest, who was a 5am riser throughout my pregnancy with DC2 and when he was a baby - she started sleeping til 6 or a bit later when she was 5 or 6.

Do what works for you and don't stress - you could chose not to look at the clkock, its probably largely psychological not being able to face 6am, esp when it is light, but if the extra hour's sleep makes you feel better you are probably a better parent for the rest of the day, so keep sticking the telly on - as long as its something like beebies with no face paced cartoons/ frequent flashing adverts, which are not good for eyes or brains - I credit beebies partly with my kids' native speaker standard English, as they live in Germany - Justin/ Mr Tumbles definitely improved DD's vocabulary when she was under 2 :D

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