Welcome to the club! It seemed to me that I was always going to be up early! Things have started to change this year however, my early bird whose now 7 has at long last started to get a bit later, 8-8.30am whilst we were away. I must admit we did tire them out with busy days, a late dinner and they didn't even crawl into bed until about 9-9:30. You do get there eventually. Up until now we have coped by providing them with colouring books, reading books and trying as best we can to keep them quiet.
Strangely enough, our kids, who are 6 and 10 seem to sleep much better and longer when we are camping
Most mornings we have to wake them for breakfast!
Our two boys are a nightmare for waking up early aswell (5 and 2 years). They also don't get the concept of talking quietly at 6am. I've noticed it takes them a few days to settle into the camping routine. On the first morning of our last camping trip they were awake at 5.30am and me and the hubby ended up taking them for a walk on the beach. Total shock to the system walking on the beach at 10 to 6 in the morning but at least I could relax knowing they now couldn't wake up the whole campsite
Maybe I've spotted a niche in the camping equipment market? Do expensive tents have darker bedrooms? If someone was selling a 'blackout' insert for the hanging bedroom thingys I would certainly buy them! I guess it'd be hard to make because of the different shapes and designs that are around? The sleep thing is causing us real concern about taking weekend trips, not just our sleep but also being seen as social mis-fits on the sites because our children will wake everyone up. We try our best to keep them quiet, but unfortunately my two were not born with mute buttons, and they have a volume setting seemingly designed for the hard of hearing. Luckily this weekend we were on a site that wasn't too busy, but if we were camping in a large field full of folks I think we'd be the subject of some of those angry posts on the message boards about noise that seem to appear every Monday morning. The beach early in the morning actually sounds like heaven to me, unfortunately we were in Buckinghamshire!
MIne are 5 & nearly 4 and they are old enough to understand that it's very early in the morning and therefore they must have a lie-in or just whisper. Their toy box is next to the bed and so are the books, so they are allowed to look at the books quietly. We are all in the same room so they can see that we are still trying to snooze!
------------- Angie ~~
~ If you see someone without a smile give them one of yours ~
I don't know what your bedrooms are like but could you go somewhere like dunelm mill and but some black curtain lining (they do all different colours) and just safety pin it to the bedroom around the seams ? then its not a permanent fixture? just an idea.
Our kids are usually so tired from the night before they dont get up til at least 7. Actually eldets get up at 7 so she can get to showers before everybody else, youngest about 9 (OH about 10 unless we going out for day).
Im usually up and about from 6, just make sure the kettles full and I have plenty of reading material.
Mike J
------------- It'll work out in the end!!!!
I didn't do it !! Nobody saw me do it !! You can't prove anything !!