Guys, this daylight savings is throwing me through a loop. I thought our 6:30am wakeups were hard, but the past 2 days my 14-month-old is waking up at 5am. It’s only 8:30am and I feel like we’ve gone through a whole day together.
I feel like such a POS mom, but I’m seriously struggling. I’m too tired to think when he gets up, so I let him solo play while I have coffee and scroll on my phone. He had breakfast and is cranky, but I want him to stay up for a while. He doesn’t want to play, so I let him watch TV.
I don’t know how to occupy our mornings now that they’re so long; our whole schedule is thrown off. And the mornings are freezing too, so we save our walks for the afternoon, and I’m too tired to leave the house in the mornings, I fear.
What do you do to fill your long mornings? Please tell me I’m not a POS mom!!
No advice but all the sympathy. I’m up late working most nights and my almost-12mo’s new wake-up time is 5-5:30am. I am struggling and feel selfish, but I just wish he would sleep more. He also gets bored and fussy and is clearly tired. I just keep telling myself this is a season of life and it won’t last forever. Hang in there.
@Tan
This is so true. Not just a season of life, but also a mini phase. We’ve gone through worse weeks and sleepless nights. All things considered, a toddler that sleeps through the night and wakes up early isn’t the worst (for me, since I have the option of going to bed early).
Nothing has lasted and eventually we’ve found something that clicks. Just need to be reminded of that.
You’re not a POS! Being a parent is not an easy job and we are humans…sleep is crucial! I follow some accounts on Instagram that have little activities for toddlers to do to keep them busy in the morning while the parent has their coffee. It usually involves some sort of motor skills activity and it’s super low effort for mom/dad to set up the night before. Let me go find the account and I’ll edit it in my comment if you’re interested
EDIT: the account is stayathomeactivitymom and her name is Brittany Bacharach.
My baby usually wakes up around 7am. But once in a while he wakes at 5 or 6 and it’s not ‘I’m crying, feed me’ wake but ‘it’s party time’ wake.
So what I do is keep the room absolutely dark, I hold him in my arms, stroke his head, and look at him until he calms down and falls back to sleep.
Obviously that’s not going to work on every kid, but my idea is to keep the room dark and quiet to show that it’s still nighttime; I’m not interacting and playing with you, buddy. Please nap so I can too.
@Luca
That’s a great idea! I honestly thought when he woke up that was it, but maybe I should try changing him and getting him back down. He most likely will cry if I leave him again, but it’s worth a shot!
Honestly? The exact same thing solo play and TV while I drink coffee. I know they say no screen time, but I think everything is an “in moderation” thing. Didn’t we all watch TV in the morning as kids?
I honestly think the no screen time thing is for the parents who straight up replace parenting with an iPad etc. if you tell them it’s black and white, they’ll view it as black and white. If you tell them there’s wiggle room, they’ll push the boundaries.
As for solo play time, peds office in my country tells us that’s actually great for development! From babies are born here, the peds office constantly push “tummy time, solo play time, do itttt.”
You are absolutely not a POS mom!! My 11mo has always been an early riser. She’s been averaging 6:30 wakings lately, but 5/5:30 was the norm up until recently.
If she wakes before 6:30, I try to resettle her first. Sometimes she’ll go back to sleep (usually I have to hold her though), but other days she’s just ready for the day she has a change, then we go downstairs and I start my coffee. Then she has her bottle while we watch Bob’s Burgers (we’ve started her young lol) and when she’s finished, she plays in her playpen while I enjoy my coffee. I give myself half an hour or so usually, but on early days sometimes it’s longer. Then she plays in the kitchen while I make breakfast, and we’re caught up to our usual routine.
It is absolutely fine letting baby play on their own while you take a minute! I used to feel really bad about not engaging with baby every second of her wake windows but now I let her play if she’s happy to. If teeth are on their way or she’s tired, she’s clingier and wants to involve me. But otherwise, she likes to play by herself and is finding new ways to play with her toys.
And if it’s any consolation, our clocks went back last weekend and she was crabby for a couple of days, but then was back to her usual wake-up time. Hang in there!!
I’m doing everything I can to put the baby back to sleep. A feed, or rocking, or even snuggling in our bed. But this is temporary, so just do what you need to do (TV, snuggles, etc). Your schedule will get back to normal soon enough.
You’re doing great! I have a 10-month-old who the doctor says is the energizer bunny, and what’s helped me is building out little routines. We also purposely don’t entertain her all the time. Independent play is super important for learning, so if she’s rummaging through my pantry I remember to keep her safe, but she’s actually learning.
One thing I am going to try to add in is going to the library once a week, maybe a coffee shop, and when it’s over 40 degrees get a walk in (even if you do a second one later in the day). I’ve also been looking at some sensory activities/setting up play buckets - look them up on Pinterest!
I am aware she’s only 10 months and have no idea if this helps for a 14-month-old since this is my first, but mostly this serves as a reminder that you’re doing great, and baby is safe and healthy.
No advice. Just solidarity. I have a 3-month-old who wakes up 2-3 times a night the mornings feel sooo long. Now I’m back at work where I can’t nap with her, so I’m tired.
Solo play is great for them; it’s good for them to explore and bee bop around. You are NOT a POS.
In solidarity - My girl is a super early riser too; we’ve fully been walking around looking for where is open for lunch at 11 am before. I let her take her time with her breakfast, let her solo play, we take it easy in the mornings when she’s not in Care.
My son woke at 4am for the first 3 years of his life. TV was a lifesaver. I couldn’t have functioned as a normal human (and tbh I still didn’t really some days) without it. If anyone judges you for watching TV at 5am, tell them they’re 100% welcome to pop round at 5am and visit and play with your child. Watch how quickly they shush
Maybe I’m a bad mom, but at 5, if he’s not whining or crying, I just let him be. Today we made it to 7 am where he stood up and yelled mama lol, but hey mama needs her sleep, and sometimes he falls back asleep.
solo play and TV while I drink coffee. I know they say no screen time, but I think everything is an “in moderation” thing. Didn’t we all watch TV in the morning as kids? 
the mornings feel sooo long. Now I’m back at work where I can’t nap with her, so I’m tired.