Advice son 6 early riser, getting up and putting on tv

[Londonhouse32]

Really struggling with son early rising, he's getting up at around 6am or earlier for years. When he wakes he usually wakes everyone else in the house up by making noise one way or another. He's recently been going downstairs and putting the tv on and playing musuc on YouTube. Struggling on how to manage the early mornings any advice? We've tried a glow clock and just asking him to play in his room with toys/,books but he ends up coming into our room/turning on hall lights etc and wakes us and his sister up

PS in my experience it takes 2 weeks to adjust a child’s body clock so pushing back bedtime won’t result in a later wake for a good couple of weeks.

One of mine is an early riser. They’ve got up and had iPad or gaming since they were much younger than yours.

YouTube or internet browsers are only allowed with an adult in the room but they can watch Netflix / iPlayer or play games.

What do you want him to do, he can't just take to going downstairs and doing what he wants at 6 years and listening to loud music. A parent needs to be up and parenting him and putting boundaries on what's OK or not and reinforcing it before letting that be a routine he can get on with himself.

I say anything after 6am is acceptable. We have no TV before 6am and time to go back to bed. This can be anything from 4am. Tell them to only have the TV on quietly to not wake anyone up.

I remember being that age and going downstairs to watch cartoons and make a drink 🙂

We did very similar for years.
Consequences would be pre agreed and age appropriate. Normally involving less screen time as that was "earnt".
But actually they almost never got up before the "magic" star came on at 7.30ish. From about 4 they could then creep down stairs and make breakfast and then play with downstairs toys if we were having a lie in. There were 3 of them though so it wasn't ever very quite after they got out of bed!
I found if you very clearly laid out the rules and then consistently sent them back to bed if broken (with a clearly pre known consequence that is followed through every time) they respond well.

Middle child is the same, but not 6am, hes up anytime between 3am and 6am, only time he sleeps longer until half 6/7am is if he sleeps next to me. He's diagnosed ADHD

Explain to him that you’re all sleeping and he can get up, but he has to keep the volume down. Show him an acceptable level to put the volume on. Put out some breakfast food he might eat or something to tide him over so you can sleep.

6am isn't early! That's a perfectly reasonable time to get up, especially for school aged children - sorry!

Not really! Not when you have to be out for school 5 days a week!
It's amazing how many people expect their kids to be able to get up for school Monday-Friday but also expect them to lie in at weekends!

Even if they go to breakfast club at 8am they don't need to be up at 6am, 7am is plenty of time.

I’m with you. 6am everyday would have been sheer hell for me. I had my two trained to not get up before 7 and even that felt awful at weekends! My two are of the night owl variety so wasn’t generally an issue. Bedtime was awful though!!! My step son was more of an early bird and came downstairs to watch tv for a bit when that age (not loudly though).

He’s old enough to understand not waking up the whole house. If he does no tv etc.

Dd has gone to school 5 days a week for the last 4 yrs

Gets up 730/45 latest and leave due school 830

Agree. My neighbour has a 3yo that stays up throughout the night if they have guests and expected to sleep during the day so the parents get to lie in and relax!

Utterly insane.

Most children naturally wake up around 6am especially in the spring and summer with light mornings. They are expected to get up early for school and you kind of expect that's going to be similar at the weekend? Has been for all four of mine.

There is no reason for a young child to be watching TV at 6am. He can play with books or toys if he's awake.
Just unplug the TV when you go to bed, and hide the remote.
You are the parent, OP, so you have to take steps to stop him doing things you don't want him to do.

Mine are out the door by 6.45, breakfast club at 7.30 school starts at 8!

Ds was an early riser, he could get up for a wee and then back to bed to read or listen to story CDs. Quite often he'd go back to sleep for a bit longer. Absolutely no telly first thing, I'm surprised at posters thinking this is ok.

Are you not in the uk?
Also a 45 minute journey to a primary school isn't typical

My kids can get up whenever they like.. watch tv and get some food etc..
But if they ever wake me up before I have set my alarm then it's absolute Hell to pay.
I've had completely zero tolerance to being woken (apart from in an emergency or if they are ill etc) from the get go.
I cannot stand selfish people who wake others up just because they are awake.
My daughter is 6 and she would never do this as I've drummed it into her not to.
You just have to be very firm and there needs to be real consequences for waking others. It's so rude and thoughtless.
It's fine to be an early riser. I don't force my kids to stay in bed. It's not OK to make high levels of noise at that time that wakes others.

But what time pre 6:30am I am with you, but after 8:30am you have lost me, it is daytime.

I am really surprised at some of the responses on this thread- punishing kids because they want to get up when they wake up ? That is some selfish shit parenting.

Your kid wakes up at 6am ? Get up with them and be a parent !