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Post by sockthing on Aug 2, 2014 6:24:55 GMT
Doesn't matter how well or badly he's slept, kipper is awake before 6 most days. He's got a fantastically good blackout blind in his bedroom (quite envious of it actually!)
But once he wakes for any reason that's it... He won't lie there dozing or turn over or play quietly he's straight into our bed and when kippers awake he TALKS, and when he talks he talks LOUDLY and incessantly, and the instant he's awake he is constantly in motion even if tired!!!
Anyone got any experience if those gro-clock things ? I'm tempted but wondering if it will be just another distraction/reason to wake up and fiddle with something and get excited about!
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Post by moo on Aug 2, 2014 6:41:36 GMT
Ooohhh sorry sockthing never heard of them.... Bad luck re kipper getting waking up times.... I can see how annoying it would be if you are not up too.... ( wish I could sleep beyond 5.30 am!!)
I look forward to hearing your replies with some explanation of what they are/do....
My 2 are the same I have to say but as I am always up first it isn't a problem...
Good Luck .....
xx. moo. Xx
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Post by sockthing on Aug 2, 2014 7:21:19 GMT
Thanks moo, it's a picture clock with lit up stars or pictures instead of numbers, to help LOs understand that it's not getting up time till the picture changes or there are no stars left (or similar).
I wouldn't mind anywhere so much except he doesn't sleep through!
Respect to you being up at 5.30 daily! I actually love that time of day - when it's on my own terms!
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Post by milly on Aug 2, 2014 12:13:00 GMT
Dd1 used to do this - maybe not quite so early though - and we trained her to go downstairs and watch TV. She couldn't do it without telling us (!) but at least we got some peace when she had gone down. (Dd2 could a. Sleep for England b. Will go down to watch tv without waking us)
It might cheer you to know that when she reached the age of 8 she magically changed - started sleeping in and all bouncing on us etc stopped!!! Now it's a case of repeated nagging to get her up... .
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Post by milly on Aug 2, 2014 12:14:55 GMT
PS never tried the clock but can imagine dd1 would have come in to ask / tell us about it anyway!
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Post by mudlark on Aug 2, 2014 16:34:30 GMT
Hi Sockthing,
Peewit and Lapwing, 5.40 every morning what ever day they have had what ever night they have had, and yep bouncing like tiggers from the first moment!
I bought one of those clocks you mentioned after having read all the reviews on amazon and had them ready to use, however I have never used it as I fear as you do that Lapwing in particular will fiddle with it all night, take it to pieces, try and use it as a torch and a myriad of other uses I haven't even thought of. So I have not dared use it as once I had revealed it to them it would be hard to then remove it.
I am thinking of a wall mounted clock and teaching them to tell the time, but part of the problem is getting them to play quietly until its a reasonable hour, even 6.30 would be better!
While I am thinking about it I have instigated the dreaded sticker chart for mornings when they play quietly without waking Mum and Dad up, after every 4 mornings they get a treat. So far it has had limited affect!
It's just too early isn't it sockthing! 5.30!! day after day!! let me know if you have any success with gro clock or anything else! Mudlark
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Post by lolapola on Aug 2, 2014 18:45:53 GMT
Hi Sockthing,
I use a Gro Clock and it works really well with my two (6 and 5 .... 6 and 4 at placement). My boys wake at 6, which is just about bearable, but when they arrived, they would shout "MUMMY!" at the top of their voices until I dragged myself into their room!
The positives:
- The boys love it, and if I forget to set it on my way out the room, they always remind me.
- It gives them a clear signal for when they can get up and make noise. (Also, the 12 little stars round the edge disappear evenly spaced through the night, so if they wake at 2am they see lots of starts and know they need to go back to sleep).
- You can adjust the light level on the clock so it can almost work like a night light, or be turned dimmer if the light keeps your LO awake.
- There are two alarm settings (ie alarm 1 and alarm 2) so you can programme in a weekday get up and a weekend get up (or a day time nap get up for younger ones). - confusingly, the two alarms are depicted with a moon and a sun, why not 1 and 2?!
- You can lock the clock by pressing and holding one of the buttons for 3 seconds (ish) so that if the child tries pressing buttons, nothing happens.
- I no longer get shouted awake in the morning - hurrah!
The negatives:
- I didn't find the instruction manual that clear - it took me a while to realise that you set the get up time (similar to a normal alarm clock) and then manually 'set' it to sleep (for some reason I had it in my head that you could set the 'go to sleep time' too - typing this now, I'm realising that was a bit dim of me!
However, as soon as I had the clock and alarms set and I got used to it, it is very quick and easy to set each night.
- It runs on mains with no battery alternative, so if the LO pulls the lead out ... Game Over! (but heavy duty celotaping would sort that!)
No batteries also means you can't take it camping ...
... I'm taking the boys for their first camping trip in a week's time and I'm dreading not having the clock with me!!
Best of luck, I hope you find a solution to your daily rude awakenings - the Gro Clock has certainly worked for us!
Lolapola x
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Post by lolapola on Aug 2, 2014 18:58:19 GMT
PS: I meant to say, I got the clock before the boys were placed (bought on a whim from Boots) but delayed introducing it for the very same reasons as Mudlark, but the boys rarely fiddled with it after their very early interest and because it is something that they like and use they got used to it very quickly.
I also meant to say that when I first introduced it, I set the get up time very early (ie just before their usual wake up time) and then very gradually set the alarm later and later (3 or 4 minutes later get up every morning) so that within just over a fortnight I had gently pushed their get up time to 6.45 (now 7am at the weekend) - much more bearable.
L :-)
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patanya
Bronze Member
Married Adopter
Posts: 50
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Post by patanya on Aug 2, 2014 21:35:32 GMT
Hi lolapola, I also have one and would love to use it. Do think LO will fiddle but willing to try. Only problem can't work out to set it.
Would you mind telling me how to set it please?
Thanks v much.
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Post by littlemisscheerful on Aug 3, 2014 10:11:07 GMT
My yd was an early riser. I used to go into the lounge with her, with a duvet, and put on some tv for her, and me doze on the sofa.
Now 12, rarely awake before 9-10 at weekends, - those early mornings seem a distant memory now!
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Post by lolapola on Aug 3, 2014 18:01:52 GMT
Hi Patanya,
Just seen your post - I'll try and give you a step by step guide, the boys are in bed now so I'll see if I can grab a few minutes tomorrow when the boys are playing.
Lolapola x
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Post by sockthing on Aug 3, 2014 18:40:28 GMT
Thanks ladies!
He is a total attention needing leaky bucket and once he is up he wants 1:1 .... (It's incredibly hard to wean him off us!). I don't want to let him have telly only because we have a set time for telly later in the day and he'd hate that to be changed and I think he gets plenty enough as it is.
I'll think on about the clock.... I feel exactly like you mud lark, but interested to read you won through Lolapola!
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Aug 3, 2014 20:12:51 GMT
One suggestion that I have had, although not used as Biggy would just mess with a clock, is...
Put a digital clock near the bed (so they can read it) and cover the minutes up with a piece of paper. On the piece of paper, write a number (6, 7 etc) that is acceptable to you for getting up. When the hour matches the piece of paper, they can get up.
Not or sure that makes much sense, but not sure I can explain it better. Friend who told me, said it worked well for her son, who was just 5 at the time.
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Post by littlemisscheerful on Aug 4, 2014 17:04:13 GMT
Trouble with not getting out of bed til such and such a time is, what do you expect them to do if they are awake.
If they will play quietly on their own, then that's fantastic but my dd would problably lie there passively, which I didn't like. Other kids would be no doubt up be up to mischief.
Sockthing, I understand what you mean about not too much tv, - mine did and do much more electronics than I actually approve of, - but, realistically (for us), when they were little they didn't do free play like others do, now they're a bit older, they don't have lots of friends to hang out doing stuff with - yd doesn't like doing pretty much anything - am struggling this holiday already on that front!
Sorry, massively off topic.
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Post by milly on Aug 4, 2014 19:33:12 GMT
Re TV - I know how you feel. When dd1 was younger I admit we didn't have freeview or access to iPlayer and Netflix etc so she didn't actually watch TV much at other times (getting free view was the start of a slippery slope, fuelled further by dd breaking her leg when she was 9....)
Mine watch too much TV and use the computer too much for my liking but sometimes I feel that one has to take the easy way out for pragmatic reasons. I try to balance it with other activities when I have the time and energy. And I do think TV etc does give points of contact for children socially - so have encouraged things like watching XFactor as a way of supporting relationships - but kipper is too young for such considerations of course.
Hope you can find something that works for you.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 6, 2014 8:58:22 GMT
I remember when mine we little and used to wake at 5am.
I used to take them downstairs, stick a DVD on for them and I would lie on the sofa under a blanket and doze for another hour until the DVD ended.
Sometimes you have to use TV even if you dont want to, because sleep for a parent is more important than principles as without sleep, everyone suffers.
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