If your kids wake up at the crack of dawn when visiting...

[Anonymous]

Honestly I'd just skip the visit for a couple of years, or only visit during warmer months where you can get the kids outside early in the morning.

We only traveled and stayed with my ILs when DC1 was a baby. By the time DC2 was born we were staying home. It's just too stressful and not tenable.

[Anonymous]

My kids were this age spread and I was the queen of finding a bakery to take them to. And guess what. It always had other parents with toddlers trying to kill time before other people woke up. Solves your breakfast problem, so maybe you can get a park or store visit in after.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your family sounds pretty selfish. My siblings get up early, make coffee and enjoy time with their nieces/nephews! Often we are pushed back to bed to relax and parents/siblings cover the kids.

This! What's the point of visiting these people if they don't want to interact with your young children, OP?

Staying home is your best option, but if you feel you MUST go, then get your own Airbnb or something. This doesn't sound like any fun. Plus, saying your "baby was really bad over Thanksgiving" is kind of a rough indictment for a 1-year-old.

I have my own kids, but no one wants to play with your baby and toddlers at 5:30 am.

+1. Not wanting to get up at 5:30 doesn’t mean people don’t want to visit/play with your kids at all. They just don’t want to do it at 5:30.

[Anonymous]

OP I would try and keep them quiet until 7 personally. Snacks in bed, screens for older 2. At 7 I think you should be able to get up and let them play. If your relatives don’t like this maybe stop visiting for a while.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If I ever have grandkids I will get up with them and let the parents sleep. I'm a natural early riser and so was my grandpa. He and I used to make pancakes together, it was the best.

+1 this is my parents. It makes so much sense and they love spending time together. Having grandkids or niece/nephews that age should be viewed as a treat, not a disruption.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here- It's a struggle to leave the house in the morning. Do you keep a suitcase near the door and change in the family room? Changing 3 kids plus myself into clothes, hats, coats, shoes and diapers is really loud. The baby especially sings and is noisy, which would wake the whole house. Being able to watch TV in the mornings would help, but not really since the baby doesn't watch it.

And sorry about saying the baby was bad. Baby isn't bad, just had a bad time sleeping.

This is a really rural area. They don't have hotel suites, just gross Motel 8 style hotels.

I was just curious how everyone handles this. My kids can't be the only ones up at dawn.

OP everyone is saying they "handle this" by the other house occupants not making a big deal or caring about some moderate amount of noise that is normal for kids. Whether the kids are playing inside or getting ready to go out. This isn't "the princess and the pea" - in the family group vacation homes I've stayed in, I didn't make a big deal about other ppl's noise - it's just par for the course.

And others are saying that the extended family and grandparents are usually willing and even excited to get up early too, to help or take care of the kids!

[Anonymous]

"Sorry family, we're still recovering from Thanksgiving so we're going to stay home for Christmas this year!"

If you do go, maybe a shorter period of time? You can take kids to a diner/McDonald's/playground in PJs, someone will judge you, but who cares. Maybe you and DH can trade off, would Grandma take a morning?

Otherwise - if you're in a house with little kids, sleeping until 10 is just not going to happen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Your family sounds pretty selfish. My siblings get up early, make coffee and enjoy time with their nieces/nephews! Often we are pushed back to bed to relax and parents/siblings cover the kids.

This is impressive! Do your siblings have their own kids?

Be grateful you have such a helpful and engaged family - this is not the norm.

[Anonymous]

I agree that it's unfair to wake the whole house up at 5:30, but it's equally unreasonable to wait until 10AM to start the day. Can you negotiate that a hot breakfast starts being prepared at 8AM, and anyone who wants to sleep in can make a second batch or reheat leftovers. Does everyone in the house go to their rooms when your kids go to bed and sit quietly for 5 hours until they're ready to sleep?

[Anonymous]

I think you are worried too much about the noise. Does the noise stress you out at home? You may be overthinking it. When I stay with family I know there will be sounds I'm not used to, it's part of the experience! Maybe cut yourselves (and your kids) some slack? That being said, one thing my family does is look for kid activities that I know everyone won't want to do and we go do that -- no one will mind 15 minutes of noise in the morning! Get dressed and head out, grab some donuts or whatever and then go to a KidZone type place and let them burn off some energy and be as loud as they want to be.

[Anonymous]

Sounds like you are being more sensitive than neccessary? Kids make noise. Preferably not at 530am, but 100% definitely before 10am. Lay clothes out the night before and hustle the kids in to the car. Adults can go back to sleep after your 15 minutes of loudness getting kids out the door. Drive to a restaurant or play zone. Put the winter clothes in the car the night before and bundle them once you're out the door and find a place to walk around outside. Then when you get home they can take warm baths and eat 2nd breakfast.

I would aim to keep the kids quiet until 730 but would feel zero guilt after that. Anyone who complains is not worth your time.

I remember my mom putting out plastic spoons with cereal when we stayed with my grandparents because apparently the metal spoons were too loud.... 30 years later I'm still kind of offended by that! A grown adult should accept that little kids are noisy and plan for it. They can wear earplugs.

[Anonymous]

If I had to drive my kids to a park or restaurant at 6am, I’d rather just stay home.

Op we just had our kids rest in their beds until 7am, even if they work up earlier, then watch tablets and eat dry cereal until the others awaken.

But mostly we just didn’t go.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your family sounds pretty selfish. My siblings get up early, make coffee and enjoy time with their nieces/nephews! Often we are pushed back to bed to relax and parents/siblings cover the kids.

This! What's the point of visiting these people if they don't want to interact with your young children, OP?

Staying home is your best option, but if you feel you MUST go, then get your own Airbnb or something. This doesn't sound like any fun. Plus, saying your "baby was really bad over Thanksgiving" is kind of a rough indictment for a 1-year-old.

you are nuts. Grandma does not have to get up at 5 or 6 to prove their love.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your family sounds pretty selfish. My siblings get up early, make coffee and enjoy time with their nieces/nephews! Often we are pushed back to bed to relax and parents/siblings cover the kids.

This! What's the point of visiting these people if they don't want to interact with your young children, OP?

Staying home is your best option, but if you feel you MUST go, then get your own Airbnb or something. This doesn't sound like any fun. Plus, saying your "baby was really bad over Thanksgiving" is kind of a rough indictment for a 1-year-old.

you are nuts. Grandma does not have to get up at 5 or 6 to prove their love.

Thanks for weighing in, Grandma. Sounds like you're grouchy and it's time for your nap.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your family sounds pretty selfish. My siblings get up early, make coffee and enjoy time with their nieces/nephews! Often we are pushed back to bed to relax and parents/siblings cover the kids.

This! What's the point of visiting these people if they don't want to interact with your young children, OP?

Staying home is your best option, but if you feel you MUST go, then get your own Airbnb or something. This doesn't sound like any fun. Plus, saying your "baby was really bad over Thanksgiving" is kind of a rough indictment for a 1-year-old.

you are nuts. Grandma does not have to get up at 5 or 6 to prove their love.

Thanks for weighing in, Grandma. Sounds like you're grouchy and it's time for your nap.

Wench people like to sleep in. Even people who live their family. Hey a dumb A litmus test.