Little fella is not a morning man, anyone got any good wake-up tips?

[Gobolinosmum]

Hi All,

Little fella is happily sleeping in his new big-boy bed now and we have 3 weeks today until my C section with babby no. 2. We've made loads of routine/habit changes this month to minimise the amount I need to lift him after the op but still have one stumbling block.

He's really not a morning man and when he wakes up from a night of sleep or a nap, he's groggy, crying, confused and unsteady on his feet. I can sympathise as I'm like that most mornings too!! The trouble is, his first demand when I go into his room is to be picked up and carried downstairs to have cuddles on the sofa. He absolutely won't be removed from his sleeping bag for at least half an hour after waking. This is all fine now but I was hoping i'd be able to get him into the habit of climbing out of bed himself and crawling downstairs with my supervision like he does in the daytimes, thus eliminating the need for me to lift him. I've tried tempting him with breakfast, toys, promises of fun activities that day but he's not up for anything when he's sleepy. Any attempt to persuade him to walk at all ends in him lying on the floor having an inconsolable breakdown.

Anyone got any good ideas/experience of helping to make mornings easier for little ones and mums?? Maybe I'm just asking one thing too much of him, he's only just turned two after all, but I don't want it to come as a shock to him in 3 weeks time when not only is there an impostor baby in the house but to cap it off, I'm suddenly unable to lift him out of bed in the mornings.

 

[*Becky*]

would he be happy just to stay in bed until he is properly awake? Maybe try some books and a drink?

[Gobolinosmum]

Yes I could try some books, he's usually desperate to leave his room though. Perhaps i'll try books tomo morning. It's strange as he spends loads of time playing in his room and loves it in there. He was waking up happy and playing with his teddies for 20-40mins for a while but that's stopped now. Now I think about it, I think it coincided with me putting blackout blinds on his windows a couple of weeks back. He was waking up naturally with the daylight around 7am but perhaps it's because he's waking up in the dark that he's upset? He woke up at 5am all last year and then suddenly just beore xmas started sleeping in til 7. I was so pleased that I put up the blackouts in the hope of preserving the 7am start once the lighter mornings creep in. Maybe I should try taking them down again??? He's always been happy napping in broad daylight and the blackouts haven't made any difference to his nap length.

The other thing I wondered was whether I should switch him to a duvet instead of a bag. Then he might feel a bit freer when he wakes up. He finds it hard getting out of bed in his sleeping bag. I'm very loathe to do this though as he loves the sleeping bag so much, he doesn't have a comfort toy (never took to one) but getting into a cosy bag with his dummy makes him very happy and sleepy. It also means he's happy to sleep anywhere so long as he has it, i.e. friends spare room while we have dinner or strange new places when we're travelling etc. Really don't want to lose the bag!!

[anna*]

You can get bags with little cuffs and holes for their feet - so he's still in a bag but with his feet sticking out the bottom corners (and socks or feeted sleep suit I guess?

[Gobolinosmum]

Aww, bags with foot holes would've been a fab idea but have just bought him all new bags as he grew! He switches ends of the bed several times a night so think a duvet would be a disaster...

[anna*]

I bet it would be an easy modification if you know anyone with a sewing machine who would help you out? You can buy ribbed 'cuff' stuff - you know the stuff you get round the hem of a sweatshirt - by the metre, and there's already a seam in the right place on the bag which would just need to be opened up.

[Gobolinosmum]

Yes, you're right - actually I'm a costume maker by trade so I should really get the machine out and do it!! Thanks!  xx

What do you think about the blackouts...would you take them down so when he wakes it's light enough for him to play? I suppose I could easily put them back up if his sleep goes wonky when the mornings get lighter...

[anna*]

Got to be worth a try?

IME, preparing a kid for the arrival of a new baby sibling - everything just changes as soon as the baby is here. You know, when you can show DS your scar/stitches, and explain that it hurts because the Drs had to take the baby out, that's way different than trying to practice now where it's all just theoretical to him. Preparation is good - don't get me wrong - but even if it seems like it's going 'wrong', you'll figure out a way to make it all work once the new baba is here.

[clazzat]

I don't think I would take the blackouts down - as someone who has blackouts on every window! We have lights on a timer that come on at an acceptable time in the morning, so that might help you?  If you can, you could maybe put a mattress on the floor in his room and have your morning routine be that you take the baby into his room and give the first morning feed with you all snuggling on the mattress reading a story or something, and then go downstairs when he is a bit more awake.

[*Becky*]

Good idea from Clare re the waking up issue.

I would take the blinds down though if it were me. We have them and they are a pain IMO. If your lo can sleep fine without them then make the most of it! I would always advise them for babies and lo's like mine who are spirited monkeys though!

[Gobolinosmum]

Yes good idea Clare about stories and feeding baby in his room, or if baby is asleep I can just have some time with him. I did turn his old cot into a daybed sofa in his room which we could sit on for stories, if I can persuade him to climb out of bed and onto daybed. Maybe that's where Anna's idea of foot holes in sleeping bag will come in handy! Not sure i'll be able to get on/off a floor mattress for a couple of weeks after the C.

I might try taking the blackouts down and see how he does once the mornings get lighter.

Yes I know you're right Anna, I should probably not worry but after last time's emergency C, I'm terrified of going through those first few weeks again but this time with a toddler to care for. I'm so worried that he will suffer from me not being able to do all the things I normally can. Of course Daddy will be here for the first 1-2 weeks depending on how long I can persuade him to stay home but last time it was a good 3-4 weeks before I felt strong again. Feeling the need to be prepared!

[goldmom]

A drink of milk from DS's sippy seems to help him wake up.

[clazzat]

I am lucky in not having had to have a c-section, but everyone I know who has had more than one has said that the recovery from an elective was completely different from recovery from an emergency, so it seems that you are likely to find that you are on your feet more quickly after this one and hopefully a bit more mobile and less "useless", iykwim!

[HenaV]

Hi!

I had an elective C-Section and I hve to say compared to friends who had meg emergency C sections I was definitely better off. I don't know if that's because you're prepared for not being able I do x,y and z or because the very nature of it isn't as brutal. I wouldn't me too concerned through, I think you'll be fine and up and about in no time. I had my step daughter over the Summer holidays the year I had R, it somehow pans out and you work ways around things yk?

R is rubbish at getting out of bed after a nap (it can take 45/1h) sometimes. I got fed up of trying to coax her which incidentally just irritated her anyway so now I open et curtains, perhaps put some music on upstairs (just to create noise I make sure she doesn't drop off again!) and get some jobs done r sit on my bed check emails, read etc. And she will et out and come and see me. I have found by doing this it makes the whole thing more manageable and less stressful. You could use the wake up time to feed the baby or whatever it is you need to do. I find leaving her to choose to get up means she does it sooner

Hth x

[Gobolinosmum]

Thanks guys! Yes I hope I'll be up and about quicker this time as won't have been through 44hrs labour first. I think going in well and rested and prepared should hopefully make a big difference.

Books in bed plan went out the window this morn as he typically had his first EW in ages, 6am all snotty and miserable. Maybe you're right HenaV, distraction and creating a good wake-up atmosphere in the mornings might be the way forward. I might try the music idea and maybe some more toys in his room. I'd deliberately not put many toys in there to avoid him getting up to play in the night but so far he's not interested in doing that and they might help him to cheer up in the mornings when he's feeling groggy. I wonder if letting him take a toy of his choice up to bed with him would help...he might be happy to see it it in the morning and want to play.