Anonymous
08/30/2023 13:45
Subject: How to make early morning practices a positive experience
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:My son has to be at the pool at 4:30am 4x a week for practice. Which means he is up around 4:10. He doesn't tend to eat much before practice, sometimes just granola bar or a few fig newtons in the car.
What works best for us is him going to bed early. He is in bed by 7:30 every night. I know that sounds insanely early, but even he knows he needs the sleep. He has always been a kid who will put himself to bed when he is tired. If he were a kid who still wanted to stay up late we would not allow him to do morning practice. I do think it helps that he swims 4-5 mornings because when you are up that early most days you naturally want to go to bed early too. He also doesn't do any other sports so we don't have anything in the evenings that keep him out and up late.
It helps that he has friends in this practice that he enjoys swimming with.
For us parents- we also go to bed early. We are in bed by 9pm and head to the gym after we drop him off. I like beating the crowd at the gym and getting my workout out of the way early.
I wonder in situations like this about siblings. How would you manage with a sibling who is on a normal schedule?
We are a two parent family. So the parent that gets up early doesn’t handle the later evening activities. But sometimes, we just have to suck it up and sleep less.
This is us.
I naturally wake up at 2, 3 or 4. I don't set an alarm. I am rarely asleep by 4 am. I have been this way for as long as I can remember.
So I do early morning drop offs and pickups for swim.
DH does afternoon drop offs and pickups for younger sibling and for older sibling if she chooses some afternoon swim. DH does most afternoon drop offs and pickups for music and Math as well.
I love the early morning schedule for my DD. I am excited about her possibly becoming a morning person like her mom. I firmly believe morning people get a better start to the day.
Younger DD goes to sleep much later than older DD. She love to read late. So she sleeps from about 10-7. Older DD sleeps from about 7:30-4:15. We are at the pool by 4:30. She eats breakfast after swim practice.
Anonymous
08/30/2023 10:50
Subject: How to make early morning practices a positive experience
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:My son has to be at the pool at 4:30am 4x a week for practice. Which means he is up around 4:10. He doesn't tend to eat much before practice, sometimes just granola bar or a few fig newtons in the car.
What works best for us is him going to bed early. He is in bed by 7:30 every night. I know that sounds insanely early, but even he knows he needs the sleep. He has always been a kid who will put himself to bed when he is tired. If he were a kid who still wanted to stay up late we would not allow him to do morning practice. I do think it helps that he swims 4-5 mornings because when you are up that early most days you naturally want to go to bed early too. He also doesn't do any other sports so we don't have anything in the evenings that keep him out and up late.
It helps that he has friends in this practice that he enjoys swimming with.
For us parents- we also go to bed early. We are in bed by 9pm and head to the gym after we drop him off. I like beating the crowd at the gym and getting my workout out of the way early.
I wonder in situations like this about siblings. How would you manage with a sibling who is on a normal schedule?
We are a two parent family. So the parent that gets up early doesn’t handle the later evening activities. But sometimes, we just have to suck it up and sleep less.
Anonymous
08/29/2023 15:21
Subject: How to make early morning practices a positive experience
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:My son has to be at the pool at 4:30am 4x a week for practice. Which means he is up around 4:10. He doesn't tend to eat much before practice, sometimes just granola bar or a few fig newtons in the car.
What works best for us is him going to bed early. He is in bed by 7:30 every night. I know that sounds insanely early, but even he knows he needs the sleep. He has always been a kid who will put himself to bed when he is tired. If he were a kid who still wanted to stay up late we would not allow him to do morning practice. I do think it helps that he swims 4-5 mornings because when you are up that early most days you naturally want to go to bed early too. He also doesn't do any other sports so we don't have anything in the evenings that keep him out and up late.
It helps that he has friends in this practice that he enjoys swimming with.
For us parents- we also go to bed early. We are in bed by 9pm and head to the gym after we drop him off. I like beating the crowd at the gym and getting my workout out of the way early.
I wonder in situations like this about siblings. How would you manage with a sibling who is on a normal schedule?
I posted above. One kid, the more competitive one whose main sport is swimming, swims in the mornings. Younger sibling, who would never get up that early, swims and has other activities in the afternoon. We drive back and forth to the pool a lot
Luckily younger sibling's activities don't keep us out late so we can still get to bed at a reasonable time. Even younger sibling is in bed by 8:30.
Anonymous
08/29/2023 13:25
Subject: How to make early morning practices a positive experience
Anonymous wrote:The key is consistency. Make sure they go to bed at the same time every night. No later than 8 for a 4:30 practice. Do not let them sleep in or stay up on the weekends more than an hour off their regular schedule. Obviously there will be an exception here or there.
Eat cereal or a granola bar or breakfast bar on the way to practice. Then eat something larger on the way to school. If they get on schedule, they do not need to sleep in the car to maximize sleep. They will already get enough.
If your kid doesn’t want to do that and complains about it, switch to an afternoon group. It’s just not worth it. This is the only way you can swim in the morning without compromising health and wellness, which you need to swim a good workout anyway.
As for the parents, you just do it. It’s not fun. But you just suck it up.
Agree and most importantly they need to be able to be a student during the day. I know it wouldn't work for our family or my kid who wants to pursue other things besides swim as well so we would never do the morning practices. He has a friend who does it and it's their whole life (which is a fine decision...kid loves it). He tells me X kid is never ever seen outside of school by any school friends.
Anonymous
08/29/2023 13:23
Subject: How to make early morning practices a positive experience
Anonymous wrote:My son has to be at the pool at 4:30am 4x a week for practice. Which means he is up around 4:10. He doesn't tend to eat much before practice, sometimes just granola bar or a few fig newtons in the car.
What works best for us is him going to bed early. He is in bed by 7:30 every night. I know that sounds insanely early, but even he knows he needs the sleep. He has always been a kid who will put himself to bed when he is tired. If he were a kid who still wanted to stay up late we would not allow him to do morning practice. I do think it helps that he swims 4-5 mornings because when you are up that early most days you naturally want to go to bed early too. He also doesn't do any other sports so we don't have anything in the evenings that keep him out and up late.
It helps that he has friends in this practice that he enjoys swimming with.
For us parents- we also go to bed early. We are in bed by 9pm and head to the gym after we drop him off. I like beating the crowd at the gym and getting my workout out of the way early.
I wonder in situations like this about siblings. How would you manage with a sibling who is on a normal schedule?
Anonymous
08/27/2023 20:23
Subject: Re:How to make early morning practices a positive experience
Anonymous wrote:My DS11 has his best practices in the am. Sometimes it’s hard for him to get up but, once he gets going, he’s in a better mood all day. He likes having his after school time free on those days.
It depends on the kid but some do well with the early practice.
I just posted above, but should have added this as well. My son really is in such a better mood on the mornings he swims. He may be tired going into the pool but comes out all smiles and chatty on the way home. I also agree that it isn't for everyone and parents need to figure out what works best for their family. We have friend who have a top swimmer who will only do afternoon practices because mornings do not work for any of them.
Anonymous
08/27/2023 20:18
Subject: How to make early morning practices a positive experience
My son has to be at the pool at 4:30am 4x a week for practice. Which means he is up around 4:10. He doesn't tend to eat much before practice, sometimes just granola bar or a few fig newtons in the car.
What works best for us is him going to bed early. He is in bed by 7:30 every night. I know that sounds insanely early, but even he knows he needs the sleep. He has always been a kid who will put himself to bed when he is tired. If he were a kid who still wanted to stay up late we would not allow him to do morning practice. I do think it helps that he swims 4-5 mornings because when you are up that early most days you naturally want to go to bed early too. He also doesn't do any other sports so we don't have anything in the evenings that keep him out and up late.
It helps that he has friends in this practice that he enjoys swimming with.
For us parents- we also go to bed early. We are in bed by 9pm and head to the gym after we drop him off. I like beating the crowd at the gym and getting my workout out of the way early.
What works best for us is him going to bed early. He is in bed by 7:30 every night. I know that sounds insanely early, but even he knows he needs the sleep. He has always been a kid who will put himself to bed when he is tired. If he were a kid who still wanted to stay up late we would not allow him to do morning practice. I do think it helps that he swims 4-5 mornings because when you are up that early most days you naturally want to go to bed early too. He also doesn't do any other sports so we don't have anything in the evenings that keep him out and up late.
It helps that he has friends in this practice that he enjoys swimming with.
For us parents- we also go to bed early. We are in bed by 9pm and head to the gym after we drop him off. I like beating the crowd at the gym and getting my workout out of the way early.
Anonymous
08/25/2023 20:59
Subject: How to make early morning practices a positive experience
We did morning practices from 7th grader on. My swimmer now is in college- from day one we made our kid set the alarm and wake us up. We were not going to wake them up. Make sure your kid is organized and everything was ready to go the night before. They had a light snack in the car and ate a big breakfast before school. My husband and I were very grateful the day our swimmer got his driver’s license. It was really not pleasant. Especially in January/February.
Anonymous
08/25/2023 19:01
Subject: Re:How to make early morning practices a positive experience
This will be very kid and family dependent.
Does the kid want to do the morning practices?
Is the kid able to go to sleep early(ish)?
Does the kid want to eat before or only after practice?
Is the kid organized to get schoolwork done?
How far is the driving?
Asking what works for all of these things to the general public isn't necessarily going to help. Here's why:
- My kid does not eat before morning practices. Some of his friends do.
- We do not live close to the pool.
- Some noted that their kids prefer the mornings to the afternoon practices. Ours isn't a choice: mornings are in addition to, not in place of, afternoon practices.
etc.
Does the kid want to do the morning practices?
Is the kid able to go to sleep early(ish)?
Does the kid want to eat before or only after practice?
Is the kid organized to get schoolwork done?
How far is the driving?
Asking what works for all of these things to the general public isn't necessarily going to help. Here's why:
- My kid does not eat before morning practices. Some of his friends do.
- We do not live close to the pool.
- Some noted that their kids prefer the mornings to the afternoon practices. Ours isn't a choice: mornings are in addition to, not in place of, afternoon practices.
etc.
Anonymous
08/24/2023 18:39
Subject: Re:How to make early morning practices a positive experience
My DS11 has his best practices in the am. Sometimes it’s hard for him to get up but, once he gets going, he’s in a better mood all day. He likes having his after school time free on those days.
It depends on the kid but some do well with the early practice.
It depends on the kid but some do well with the early practice.
Anonymous
08/24/2023 14:44
Subject: How to make early morning practices a positive experience
The key is consistency. Make sure they go to bed at the same time every night. No later than 8 for a 4:30 practice. Do not let them sleep in or stay up on the weekends more than an hour off their regular schedule. Obviously there will be an exception here or there.
Eat cereal or a granola bar or breakfast bar on the way to practice. Then eat something larger on the way to school. If they get on schedule, they do not need to sleep in the car to maximize sleep. They will already get enough.
If your kid doesn’t want to do that and complains about it, switch to an afternoon group. It’s just not worth it. This is the only way you can swim in the morning without compromising health and wellness, which you need to swim a good workout anyway.
As for the parents, you just do it. It’s not fun. But you just suck it up.
Eat cereal or a granola bar or breakfast bar on the way to practice. Then eat something larger on the way to school. If they get on schedule, they do not need to sleep in the car to maximize sleep. They will already get enough.
If your kid doesn’t want to do that and complains about it, switch to an afternoon group. It’s just not worth it. This is the only way you can swim in the morning without compromising health and wellness, which you need to swim a good workout anyway.
As for the parents, you just do it. It’s not fun. But you just suck it up.
Anonymous
08/24/2023 14:34
Subject: How to make early morning practices a positive experience
Anonymous wrote:More importantly parents how do you deal with morning practices, getting kid to school, and getting yourself to work?
It’s kind of annoying becuase I don’t enjoy getting up at zero dark thirty, but getting them to school and then going to work is not hard. I drop my kid at practice then go home, shower and get ready for work. My kid showers at the pool after practice and gets dressed for school. When I pick them up I bring their breakfast and school backpack (they get it ready the night before) with me, they eat (our pool is part of a bigger fitness center so there are places to sit and eat breakfast), and then I drop them off at school. I go into the office on the days my kid swims in the am, so I just head into the office after dropping them at school around 7:20. All of this is not so much of a hassle because of our proximity to the pool. There’s a reason why every thread asking what team to join is full of the advice to look at the team with the site close to your house.
Anonymous
08/24/2023 14:10
Subject: How to make early morning practices a positive experience
More importantly parents how do you deal with morning practices, getting kid to school, and getting yourself to work?
Anonymous
08/24/2023 12:59
Subject: How to make early morning practices a positive experience
Anonymous wrote:If your child is swimming early mornings before school and you think your child is getting enough sleep, performing well in school, and is overall in a good routine, can you please share what works for you? Do you practice 5 days a week to stay on a consistent schedule? What time do they go to bed? How much and what do they eat before early morning practices? Do you let them eat in the car on the way to practice to maximize sleep? How do you get them awake enough to start practice? How often are they also swimming or doing conditioning in the afternoons if they are regular morning swimmers?
My kid’s group (MS aged kids) do not do 2 a days, but they do practice 2x a week in the early mornings. My DC goes to bed around 9 and has to be up around 4:30-4:40 (we thankfully live 5 minutes from the pool) on those 2 days. DC does not eat before practice (the practice is 90 minutes), but does have a protein heavy breakfast after practice before going to school (smoothie or shake, avocado toast, yogurt, etc.). Because it’s only 2x a week, they just deal with it. Since there is no evening practice on the days they go in the morning they fall asleep earlier on those nights. DC practices 5-6 days a week, whenever DC has a week where they need a break and skip a practice they definitely choose to skip one of the morning practices.
Anonymous
08/24/2023 12:35
Subject: How to make early morning practices a positive experience
If your child is swimming early mornings before school and you think your child is getting enough sleep, performing well in school, and is overall in a good routine, can you please share what works for you? Do you practice 5 days a week to stay on a consistent schedule? What time do they go to bed? How much and what do they eat before early morning practices? Do you let them eat in the car on the way to practice to maximize sleep? How do you get them awake enough to start practice? How often are they also swimming or doing conditioning in the afternoons if they are regular morning swimmers?