My child wakes up too early the weekend

[MARCif]

Hi There,

Every saturday and sunday morning my kid wakes up before 7 am and then comes into our rooms to ask if it's time to wake-up. So basically we can never sleep on saturday and sunday morning, it's a pain in the ass...

He is four years old and doesn't know how to read a clock. Does anyone have an idea to make him stay in bed until we tell him that it's time to wake up?

 

[Natasha2605]

Some kids just get up that early. I think it's hard to explain to children that Mon- Fri they should be awake by x time but then at the weekend the expectation is entirely different 'just because'.

One of the perks of being a parent I guess.

 

[nnaime]

I've seen someone put a digi clock in the child's room and cover up the minute half and just tell them 'it's not time to wake up or leave the room until you see the the 9'
Just an example, that you could draw from. Seems to me an okay way to do it, if your child is pretty obedient and understands.
Hope someone else can give good ideas too!

 

[Eleanor ace]

You could try a Gro-clock? My DS (also 4) has one, he knows that until the sun is up it time to stay in bed, although that doesn't stop him getting up an hour earlier! But we say that he can play with toys until it is "sun up time" and then we'll get up properly.
DH and I take it in turns to get up on the weekend, so we each get a day where we lay in past 6am

 

[OmarsMum]

I thought that was the norm? Looool my son can read time since he was 4 but it doesn't matter for him, when he wakes up he will leave bed and expects us to wake up. We also take turns on weekends

 

[suzib76]

I don't think it matters if they can tell the time or not. If they are awake they are awake

 

[alibaba24]

My daughters body clock gets her up at 7am everyday I don't mind the only way iv found to get her to sleep later is letting her stay up later Fri/sat . I don't keep her up late though she gets to fall asleep when she wants so long as no later than 10 (she's 5) as a perk of the weekend and seems be a bit more relaxed on weekend mornings

 

[Quartz]

I think 7am is a perfectly acceptable time to wake up - changing it could cause issues when trying to get up in the week. Unless you change bedtimes it makes sense he has the same amount of sleep 7 days a week.

If you want a lie in how about one morning each?

 

[zorak]

It's normal. If you really need a lie in take a turn each . my son is only 2 but he seems to accept that weekend mornings are lazy mornings because one parent is sleeping. He likes having a cooked breakfast at the weekend and will happily snuggle for a while on the couch watching documentaries. We have an open door policy so he will sometimes come into the bedroom to chat but he usually just comes to tuck us in, it's really cute.

 

[LoraLoo]

Ours are always up 6.30- 7am every day of the week. Tbh Id rather that than them sleeping in and messing up their body clock. We just get up. Once one is awake they wake the rest anyways.

 

[Larkspur]

LOL, is there actually a world in which children younger than teenagers will lie in bed until 9am so their parents can have a sleep-in?!

Isn't that why Saturday morning cartoons were invented?

 

[RachA]

You can definitely teach them not to come in and wake you. My eldest is 8 and since he was around 3 we would let him play in his room once he woke up until we came and got him. Obviously we wouldn't actually fall back to sleep properly but the extra hour or so dozing really helped.
Now, as long as we give him clear timings (i.e. - before 8 you have to stay in your bed and read; between 8 and 9 you can get out of bed and play in your room; after 9 you can come into our room) then he's fine.

I don't see any problem in trying to teach children that just because they are awake it doesn't mean the whole house has to wake up.

With our youngest it's a little different because of her additional needs. She will always come into our bed at some point during the night. Once she wakes up in the morning (usually 7 - 7.30) she can go to her room and bring toys/books back into our room and play with them for an hour. She actually pretty quiet - i'm sure she's got a stealth mode! Once she hears her brother is awake then she can go and play in his room with him.

We are also very clear on the fact that they are not allowed downstairs until we tell them it's time to go down.


So i don't think you can get them to go back to sleep but you can certainly encourage them to play quietly in their rooms.

 

[Natsku]

LOL, is there actually a world in which children younger than teenagers will lie in bed until 9am so their parents can have a sleep-in?!

Isn't that why Saturday morning cartoons were invented?

In Maria's world! I have to wake her up on the weekends otherwise she'll sleep well past 10!

 

[Kate&Lucas]

Yeah I think it's normal, unfortunately. They have a routine and they can't just switch it off at the weekend.
Teaching Lucas how to use the Sky remote has really helped me

 

[londonangel]

You're lucky. My four-year-old gets up by six and baby is an early riser too. We never get a lie in either!

 

[Boomerslady]

My boy is a 6am riser no matter what day it is, just the joys of being a parent!!

I know a lot of couples who share the getting up, so that they each get a lie in. So say Sat morn you get up and let your partner lie in, then on Sun she gets up and you get a lie in.

Just an idea.

 

[chickenlegs]

I opened this thread because we too have an early riser. Then I read "7 o'clock"!!! I would LOVE to have a 7 o'clock riser! Billy was up this morning at five, and yesterday morning at twenty to five. His brother, however, will sleep until half six. I think it is just one of those things I'm afraid.

 

[Pearls18]

My husband and I have always alternated "lie ins" I get Saturday and he gets Sunday. However, we have always encouraged not getting up before 7 which was simple until this summer (son was 4) he just suddenly seemed to not need as much sleep any more and as a pp said would be awake and that was that, so I did a gro clock so that he wouldn't come into our room until 6.30 (as the sun was waking him up at 5 which was too early for everyone!) so once he saw the sun on his clock he comes into us and we give him permission to go downstairs, he gets himself a banana and watches tv. We then get up when DS2 gets up which will be after 7 (well whoever isn't getting a lie in that day!) I've never given in to really early rising, but at the same time I knew my ritual weekend lie ins were gone the day I got my BFP! I wouldn't expect him to understand what a weekend is yet, I think it's healthy they wake up the same time every day.

 

[Lauraxamy]

Yep definitely normal! Mine are often awake 6:30-7:00, it's very rare that they sleep past 7:30am and I really don't think anything will change that.
I don't really mind though, I quite like having a routine.

 

[MARCif]

I've seen someone put a digi clock in the child's room and cover up the minute half and just tell them 'it's not time to wake up or leave the room until you see the the 9'
Just an example, that you could draw from. Seems to me an okay way to do it, if your child is pretty obedient and understands.
Hope someone else can give good ideas too!

I think that's exactly the kind of solution of I need, my kid is quite obedient, i will first try this way, i might have some good results.

Thank you