Worried about screen time linked to early wakings - would like some insight

[Ineedtodiet]

So before I start, I’ve been searching on early wakings, not just on here but generally for some time now and I really have tried quite a few things, none of which make any difference. I’m just explaining this because the focus of my question isn’t the time my toddler wakes up, exactly.

The situation is this, DS wakes up at around 5. This varies by about half an hour either side, 430 has happened but is exceptionally shit and that’s rare! Usually it’s 450-520. Did have some brief respite when the clocks went forward to 6, but now have gone back to 5am!

So since nothing has got him to sleep later, I’m just trying to make life as easy as possible for me if I’m honest which involves screen time. The problem is that this means DS can easily clock up three or more hours of screen time in the morning before we ‘properly’ start the day.

I really don’t know what else to do at that time in the morning, my main worry is that this will affect his development in some way. If anyone has suggestions (about how to manage morning time) they’d be gratefully received.

Is the problem you are asleep or that you don’t want to get dressed and start the day at that time?

have you got a grow clock. I got a grow clock and started teaching my child that they had to stay in bed until the sun comes up and that once the sun is up they can play in their room with toys until I get them. There was fuss at first but after that they both settled into accepting nothing happens before the sun comes up on their clock.

I think TV better than iPad and I’d cut it off at 6, maybe 6.30 at weekends, to go have breakfast and get on with the day. I totally get why you’re using screens if he wakes up at 5am but 3+ hours is surely not necessary?

Could you try audio books as an alternative, so he can stay in bed listening to a quiet audiobook. Much less stimulating

Pretty much that I don’t want to start the day at that time! It’s very tiring 😂 but on days we’re at home, the earliest toddler group is at around 9, so potentially four hours to fill. Obviously going to the park or feeding ducks isn’t an option so early, and I’m not even really comfortable with playing outside although hard to explain why exactly … Even on nursery days we leave the house at half seven so two/two and a half hours to fill.

I don’t know if others with early risers just focus on survival and getting through or if they manage with more varied activities that may involve some screen time but not as much? I’m just not sure.

My child wakes around 5am and we do use tv. However, we only allow 40 minutes and then get dressed to go downstairs. Downstairs we will have toys out or get on with morning routine

@FlounderingFruitcake i guess the issue is that the tv upstairs isn’t a smart one, CBeebies only starts at 6! I guess we could look at a smart tv but it seems a bit like admitting that life has to adapt to this!

I don’t think he’d follow an audiobook really.

I think if he was 3 hours on screens at that time of the morning you’d see a difference in him and his behaviour fairly quickly, his concentration, his moods- if you think about it, he’s starting the day staring at a screen. An hour or so of tv perhaps but I think anything else and you’ll be back with different problems fairly quickly. I do feel for you op, my day used to start at 6 too, if it was later it was just me shouting in regularly that they couldn’t leave the room yet. They had books and toys in there but they just wanted to be up! It gets easier, I promise!

I totally understand some screen time if he’s waking that early every day but 3 hours definitely seems excessive. When my DS went through an early waking stage I made it as boring as possible until 6:30am, so lights still down low and he could read some books but I managed to snooze on and off until about 6am which helped.

I get that @Moonshine160 and I’ve tried that and it works for maybe half an hour but then he just gets up and starts running around. That’s really difficult because I have to try and get myself ready, especially if going to work, get him ready, stop him getting into mischief …

I would maybe stick a kids movie on that’s about 90 minutes, when it ends you get up for breakfast. Then it’s teeth, get dressed. Then play for an hour and after that go to toddler group the long way via the ducks or the playground. I don’t know what you mean by not comfortable playing outside as that sounds like a real shame for LO, but even if there’s a very good reason like severe hayfever or something then I think you need to substitute with toys, books, arts and crafts etc not with 3+ hours of TV. Which can’t be good for a developing brain- the WHO recommends 1 hour a day max for a 2YO. I will freely admit that I don’t always manage to stick to that but I try to make days where we go significantly over the exemption and not the rule.

Fire stick. They’re cheap and you can stick on something vaguely educational from Netflix. Or a movie so you know when it ends time is up and you’re not tempted to let it carry on.

I mean specifically at that time in the morning @FlounderingFruitcake . It’s fine after about half seven ish but the idea of going out in the garden at 5am feels a bit wrong, somehow.

But even if I follow 90 minutes, if he wakes at 5, that still takes us to half six, play for an hour half seven, that’s a big trek to a toddler group and it also ‘uses up’ activities for later in the day. I need to be realistic here and I’m honestly interested in what others do - I get that not everyone has early risers and so not relevant but I also know it’s not uncommon, and I don’t see many toddlers at the duck pond or park at 7am. So is everyone just sort of surviving like me, or are people actually doing structured things for them at home?

We have an early riser and do exactly the same as you. She wakes at 5am and it's tv until about 7am.

I have an early riser and rely on screen time too. I know what you mean, there's not a lot else to do that early!

We do go downstairs pretty much as soon as he is up though (mainly because we take it in turns to get up with him so this means the other person can sleep longer.) After I've had a coffee and a social media/MN scroll I start doing general morning jobs and usually that will get him out of the screen time reverie and he will start pottering with me and 'helping.' From that point the telly is still on but he's not just sat staring at it if you see what I mean

Being outside in the garden at 5am might actually help things by setting his circadian rhythm with the right spectrum of light rather than what the TV emits.

Luckily my children were not early risers thank god . If they had been ,TV would have been my go to strategy mainly for my own mental health!!
I genuinely don’t know how I would have functioned TBH .
Have you tried getting your child to stay in bed and see if he would go back to sleep? It’s a long day for all of you l

Have you looked at Yoto players? If he wakes before the sun comes up (groclock) he can put a story on, they are very easy for young children to use and you can set volume limits etc for certain times of the day. DS has his every night, bedtime story then lights out and Yoto on with a story of his choice for half an hour (he falls asleep before then but it switches itself off). It's by his bedside and they come with rubberised protective cases so are quite resilient.

Thank you, it’s a relief to know I’m not a negligent parent!

I probably should get up and go downstairs, it is just so tiring and I have a (very) bad back and sometimes the thought of physically getting downstairs is massive!

@Esjolaol1973 … honestly yes, I have tried to explain all this in my OP! I am totally satisfied I have explored every possible avenue. For now, it’s just his wake up time.

I am really not sure how comfortable I feel in the garden at 5am, to be honest. I don’t think it would make much difference to his rhythms either.

My daughter is exactly the same with constant early wake ups, and we are in the same routine of putting the TV on when she wakes up to get me through the early hours. I often go through the guilt cycle of how much tv she is watching each day, but I also can't sit and play with her for 3 - 4 hours that early in the morning before we start the day properly! I'm hoping it won't be this way forever, but it's survival mode for now.

Unless you live in the middle of nowhere with no neighbours, 7.30am is still way too early to be waking everyone up by playing outside!
As long as they're not specifically waking up in order to watch extra tv (my 5yo would totally do this, her powers of control around waking herself up or keeping herself awake are terrifying!), then a bit of morning CBeebies won't do any harm.

@Ineedtodiet no I don't think screen time makes a difference. DD1 (nearly 5) slept through at 4 months, but has been an early riser since 10 months old. Anything after 6 is really good for her. We have tried EVERYTHING, but it's just her natural wake up time. What made us realise this, is that her sister (age 2) (who didn't sleep through until 1 year) has the same routine and wakes up at 7, if not later! Children are just wired differently. Thankfully with DD now being nearly 5, she amuses herself in the morning. She knows we aren't getting up at 5/5.30! The early days were hard though when we had to get up with her!

@poppyseeds13 yes same.

@maidmarianne we do as it happens. That’s largely why I’m not totally comfortable with it though. I would be considerate to neighbours but DS isn’t a screechy or loud child: if he was I might have to rethink. Anyway, no neighbours here.

Thanks @Covidwoes , it’s pretty much as I suspected, it’s just him. Interestingly there does seem to be a bit of ‘family history’ with this, no idea if it’s a hereditary trait or not!

I don’t think it would make much difference to his rhythms either.

Researching the impact of light frequencies on the human body might alter your opinion, but it's your prerogative at the end of the day. 🙂

My teenager can't access anything until after he would be expected to be ready for school, otherwise he'll make himself late!