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MNHQ

Tell us your top tips for surviving sleepovers and have the chance to win £100

117 replies

Carriemumsnet · 28/04/2010 17:07

DryNites want to know your top tips for surviving sleepovers (whether your child wets the bed or not). Do you allow midnight feasts (conveniently moved to the earlier time of 8pm) ? Is it best to just leave them to it and live with the consequences? What do you do with early risers? And if you do have a child who wets the bed (or has a friend who sleeps over who wets the bed) how do you deal with that with sensitivity?

Everyone who offers a tip will be entered into a prize draw to win £100 vouchers for the store of their choice.

Thanks and good luck

MNHQ

OP posts:
Ripeberry · 29/04/2010 11:51

My DD who will be 8yrs old in June, wants to have two friends over. One has NEVER done a sleepover so we'll see how it goes.

Ripeberry · 29/04/2010 11:53

My friend who lived in France for a few years says that reception children aged 4/5yrs actually go away for 2 or 3 nights with their classmates to holiday camps with the teachers
We don't seem to do this in the UK, until our kids are at least 10yrs old.

sweetiepie82 · 29/04/2010 11:57

JUst plan fun things, structure your evening and stick to it, lots of goodies, mix healthy with treats. We have a pull out bed which guest can stay on, we always keep a mattress protector on, so if any accident happens then it's fine. I try not to worry too much. The earliest the kids have got up is 4.30am!!!

JULIELOUISE · 29/04/2010 13:15

HAVE A PYJAMA PARTY AND MY DAUGHTER HAS ALREADY GOT HER DRY NITES ON SO NOBODY IS AWARE OF THEM. ALSO IN HER SLEEPING BAG WE PUT A BED PROTECTOR PAD. SHE CAN THEN RELAX WITHOUT HER FRIENDS FINDING OUT AND TEASING HER

Ingles2 · 29/04/2010 14:22

Make sure you have talked to the other mum before hand about children wanting to come home in the middle of the night... decide who will drop off / pick up /what the plan is.
T'is not good to get to 2am and discover both sets of parents have had a glass of wine.

trufflehunter17 · 29/04/2010 14:31

We used to put matresses on the floor, get people to bring their own sleeping bags, get in plenty of DVDs and sweets and then leave them to it. The sugar makes them giggle till late at night and allows you a lie in the next morning!

Pavlov · 29/04/2010 14:35

Run them lots
Give them finger food/tea party type food that they can pick at (for my DD who is almost 4 this is fine at least, so that one is for the younger one).
If they are young, call home before bed so they don't get too home sick.
get them in their pjs earlier than bedtime, so you don't have to fight two or more tired children to wash up, clean teeth etc before heading upstairs. If they area ready straight after tea, they can play as long as they/you want then straight to sleep when they pass out.
Lock the kitchen door to avoid midnight snacking!

Pavlov · 29/04/2010 14:35

Go out and leave your partner to deal with it

SammyFace · 29/04/2010 15:13

Work out a scheule beforehand and issue invitations WITH TIMINGS! Have the kids arrive at a set time, before or after their tea and make sure you arrange the pick-up time beforehand. Knowing how long you have the little darlings for will help to maintain your sanity.

Belo · 29/04/2010 15:17

I make pack lunches for the bedrooms, filled with the midnight feast ingredients. Keeps them in their room, and if their are some yummy ingredients in it, the food will be all gone by midnight!

compertollfree · 29/04/2010 15:37

Expect a lot of clearing up to avoid disappointment!

Make it a weekend night and let them stay up as late as they like (you might even not be woken up at 6am the next morning!)

piperty · 29/04/2010 15:40

I allowed the children to have a little feast - supplied by me - rather than them raid the cupboards! Then suggested they clean their teeth and have a wee.
In the morning, one lttle boy had wet himself, so I washed and tumble dried the duvet, cover and the PJs. I didn't mention it to the child (he hadn't told me either), but did mention it quietly to the Mummy, when she came to collect.

JulesJules · 29/04/2010 16:14

Just. Say. No.

ThisCharmingFlan · 29/04/2010 18:14

this works well for smaller ones:

fill child's bedroom with all manner of cushions, sheets, airbeds, clothes gorses and blankets and get them to make a great big fort / den.

deliver 'treasure chest of food.

keep the next morning completely free for the clear-up!

ThisCharmingFlan · 29/04/2010 18:15

clothes horses!

Libra · 29/04/2010 18:36

When they really have annoyed you with the television and the DVDs and the music and the online chatting and it is time they went to sleep, turn off all the power in the house.

Cue frenzied hissing along the lines of 'that was your fault that was'.

MudandRoses · 29/04/2010 20:10

My DS is 4, and this works pretty well (with only one friend staying, I wouldn't have more than one at this age)
Do the bedtime routine and get them into bed and settled a bit earlier than you would usually. Then turn the light out, and leave them to it - they will chat and giggle and feel very naughty but they'll go off before too long and you won't have two horribly overtired kids on your hands when they wake up at 6 the next morning!

magnolia74 · 29/04/2010 20:50

We normally have dvd's and snacks about 8pm and hope they are asleep by 10!!! Normally they are still whispering/giggling etc...into the early hours espcially my 10 year old girls

Dt1 still wet the bed up to age 6 and to be honest we deliberately avoided sleepovers

magnolia74 · 29/04/2010 21:00

Oh and we also trip the fuse box if they are to over the top

supersalstrawberry · 29/04/2010 21:05

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

hammis · 29/04/2010 21:38

I just get on with the job and get it done.

One reason for having a baby is the high maintenance costs one will be. He's worse than my 1969 Mini Cooper, :D.

Always deal with it with sensitivity and if he needs changing I do it, no questions asked. I wouldn't give him laying in his own excretment. That's just wrong.

paulaplumpbottom · 29/04/2010 21:46

I love sleepovers and have them for my daughter all the time. We do lots of diffrent things. We always start by baking a treat such as brownies or cookies to eat later.
I cook almost every night at my house but sleepover nights are Pizza nights! We get loads of pizza and let them have coke if they want it.
I then usually make a bubble bath. Not just any bubble bath but one where the bubbles tower high over the tub. The bathroom is a huge mess after but it is sooo worth it because they love it so much and have loads of fun.
After they have their jammies on its popcorn and whatever treats they made in front of the movie of their choice.
They usually go up to DD's room after but I usually hear giggles till well after midnight.
The morning after is just as important as the night before. After a sleep in its always blueberry pancakes and sausages.
I am usually very strict about a clean house and healthy eating but I think all that needs to go out the window when there is a sleepover. I really hope that when they are all grown up that my daughter and her friends look back on them with fondness.

cece · 29/04/2010 22:05

My top tip is not to have one.

missorinoco · 29/04/2010 22:34

Actually I have a better tip that my last one. Farm the children out onto someone else for a sleepover, and enjoy the peace.

Aalandjana · 29/04/2010 22:37

I have a cheap airbed and quilt and covers and of course a waterproof cover underneath it, so I'm well prepared.