GD tips for EARLY morning....

[Fairy4tmama]

Ds wakes at about 5 am every day and it is really hard on me....and him some mornings I cope OK but others (like today I dont). It's not just that he is such an ealy riser but rather his behavior upon waking that is so difficult particularly when mommy is still in a sleepy haze. He wakes and I nurse him for as long as possible but as soon as AM nurse is over he becomes TOTALY rambuncious(sp?) kicking head butting yelling. I try to get up and move us out of the room as soon as possible but I really need his cooperation for about 3 minutes to; move the baby to the crib, put a pair of sweat pants on and... well actually thats it but getting these things done is next to impossible while he is screaming and bouncing off the walls. I know my attitude is feeding his behaviour but it just seems like we repeat this cycle every day. The baby gets woken up and screams, toddler head buts me while I try to get clothes on so I can pick up VERY grumpy baby and I loose it and yell at toddler :. The situation usualy continues down stairs untill I can slowly get us all to regroup ie get baby back to sleep occupy toddler and get my self some freakin coffee. I really need some more tools in my gd bag to make it though this very ugly first hour of the day!

By the way dh works nights so he is not even home from work yet

[Satori]

I had a similar problem and my solution is not looked well upon here. I have a TV in my room and turn it on to PBS and let her watch cartoons while I take a few minutes to get my eyes open. I find Lazy Town (recorded from Sat morning) keeps her glued to the TV for at least 15 minutes :

[PuppyFluffer]

Is he cranky or just wild?

I know that cranky waking kids do well with a little blood sugar boost. Maybe a fruit cereal bar beside the bed for him to eat will give you a few minutes to do what you need to do. I know, crumbs in the bed suck! But I would take that over a head butt any day!

[EnviroBecca]

I may be way off-base here, but I wonder if it might help to delay his morning nursing until sometime after you're out of bed. I've heard that some kids, when they're ready to drop a nursing session, don't realize it consciously and instead act up right around the time of the nursing. Maybe it could be a special new thing that he's old enough to eat this other snack as soon as he wakes up. (I'd go w/dried apricots or something non-crumby.) It's possible that he'll just start the wild behavior as soon as he finishes the snack, but MAYBE changing the first thing he does upon awakening will change the next thing he does.

[quakerlady]

I have to confess that with my 2 year-old early riser (she's up nursing somewhere between 3 and 5, will stay in bed with me if I really work at it until somewhere between 6 and 7) gets to watch TV until 7. Only PBS. I am inhuman before 7. (with my first baby, I got spoiled. She would keep nursing back down to sleep until 9 or 10 if we didn't have to be anywhere. I didn't even realize how lucky I was!)
I have to have a cup of tea or coffee and wait for the sun to be up high enough for my brain to work before I am anything but a food source for her.

[Fairy4tmama]

Originally Posted by PuppyFluffer

Is he cranky or just wild?

Nope just compleatly wild infact he is smiling and laughing....he actually acts like a kid whose just eaten a cup cake : But hey maybe a snack would at least occupy him for a minute or two!

EnviroBecca, thanks I hadn't considered that!

quakerlady & Satori I actually would be willing to try this but I don't have any TV reception and we only one VCR/dvd player which is in the living room

Originally Posted by quakerlady

I have to have a cup of tea or coffee and wait for the sun to be up high enough for my brain to work before I am anything but a food source for her.

: ITA