Things to do with a toddler at 7am on a Sunday

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DD (20mo) usually wakes up between 5 and 5.30am, and seems to start getting bored with playing with her toys, books etc. within a couple of hours. She's gotten pretty efficient at emptying the tupperware drawer, so this isn't as entertaining as it once was . Obviously nothing is open yet, it's cold and dark outside, and we shouldn't make too much noise... Any tips for things to do?

Work on keeping her in bed til 7? Could you get a Groclock?

Fill the sink with soapy water and let her wash up all plastic cups bowls etc

Ha ha NapQueen as a parent of two very early risers, I know the futility of this! I'm guessing you haven't had the joy of living with naturally early risers? Nothing much you can do except grit your teeth and find ways to cope.
OP I feel your pain. Probably no consolation but my eldest is now 13 and fast asleep! He was the very worst for being awake from 5am onwards no matter what we tried.
In terms of entertainment I am going to suggest screens for your sanity. At least until it is warm enough to go out to the park or whatever.

Cover the table with newspaper or a messy mat and set up some crafts.

Bake something or get them to help with meal prep for later on. We would sit DD down with one of her plastic child knives and a heap of mushrooms or other veg to chop them up.

Cbeebies is always a win here for a bit too

TV while you lie on the sofa with your eyes closed.

TV? Its really not that bad for a short time.

And yes, work on a later wake up.

Play dough? Easy to make your own with flour, salt, water, oil and food colouring.

Best thing I have found so far is a massive cardboard box. Spend a while using it as a den. Then draw all over it with chalk. Finally open it out flat and give them a paintbrush and a pot of water. Literally hours of fun!

blue I did know that joy til I got a groclock. They still use it now at 3 and 6 so even if they wake they stay in their room.

I once built some flat pack furniture before work after getting up with my toddler at about 5am. You have my sympathy, it sucks. If it gives you hope, my son naturally started sleeping later and now gets up at 7am (he's nearly 2).

Could you start some kind of long craft project that you could do an hour or so on in the morning?

Fair enough NapQueen I'm pleased it worked for you, your DC are obviously more biddable than mine!

Yup CBeebies. I remember DS wide awake at 4.30 and willing 5am to come when it started. Then I'd alternate having one eye closed. The Thomas The Tank theme tune swung between blessed relief and torture.

Shakey yes to one eye open, or sometimes if really bad I'd bring my duvet through and bury my head under it for as long as possible

Put a gate on the door, make their cot and room a safe space, have the monitor on and leave them in there to play.
As long as they're fed why on earth think of ways to stimulate them so early in the day?
Dont reward them for getting up early. You can be kind but let them get bored, you never know, eventually they may start waking later.

CBeebies!!!!

Definitely a job for CBEEBies..

I sympathise OP. Mine have always been early risers, getting up at 5.30’ish and still are at 7 and 9. When they were little I just used to get up with them and start my day earlier (having gone to bed earlier the night before!). Now they are older they come for a run with me and DS2 swims before school 3 mornings anyway. Some kids just get up early unfortunately!

Thanks for the tips! Will also have to experiment with a gro clock (not to mention CBeebies).

CoffeeCupCake we've also done the flatpack at 5am thing...

phoenix we can leave her in her cot to play for at least 30 seconds after she wakes up. Then she starts shouting "Mummy! Daddy! Out!" until we comply

I just put cbeebies on and doze on the settee. When I've woken up a bit she helps me make pancakes for breakfast.

Now 3.5 year old waked at that time at that age...sometimes we even had 4.30am. I shoved on CBeebies, made a coffee and dozed on the sofa!! A gro clock didn't work until he was about 2.5. He now sleeps until 7am👍🏻
DD who is 10 months thankfully doesn't seem to have inherited the same very early waking and wakes at 6.30/7.

At the weekend, one parent gets up till 8, then goes back to bed when the other gets up.

Play Hooray on Facebook is good for activity ideas.

This might be a silly question, but can't parents of early risers just move everything by an hour like you do when the clocks change? Surely 5am risers don't spend half the year getting up at 4am??

Marcine, I think this is connected to the rest of the daily routine. DD goes to bed at around 7pm because of when she gets tired after finishing nursery, having dinner, etc., and she seems to sleep for 10-11 hours maximum.

Fleur, we do sometimes do this!

DS (22 months) is a similarly early riser. Most days between 5.30 and 6.30. I just don't entertain anything before 6. I go into his room, say shh it's still nighttime, go back to sleep. He used to shout like yours does but it only took about a week or two of being totally firm and sometimes letting him screech for half an hour before he got it. Now he still wakes early often but chats to himself at a fairly reasonable volume that I can doze through, until what I deem to be a sensible time (6.30)

I’ve had two early risers, our local pool opens at 6am so some Sunday’s we’d go for a swim, same occasionally Tesco cafe for breakfast (which felt like lunchtime!). Getting out the house let the other parent have a quiet lie in.

Put them in the bath, or do painting, play doh, teddy bear picnic in the living room.

And of course CBeebies!

I had a 4 hr vhs tape of teletubbies that I made myself by recording it off CBeebies but pausing it during the video clip.

Some mornings dd would watch the whole 4 hours before I got her ready for nursery ad I went to do a day's work.

She's 16 now. It is no longer a problem