Independent Mornings?

Every kid is different. My oldest was the most independent. She was probably only about 4 when she started getting up on her own. We put the channel on PBS, so all she had to do was turn it on. We left cereal bars and such out in case she was hungry. She was also very easy & well behaved. Never got into anything. I don't know that I would have trusted my son up alone at that young age.
My other two were a little older, and they had the older sis to look out for them.
Just keep in mind, safety. Make sure your house is child safe.

I like to try and sleep a little on the weekends and dad likes to have that opportunity to spend a little "alone time" in the morning.

I have a 4 yr old and 5 yr old. I put thier tv on sprout or pbs at night and turn it off. That way, all they have to do is push the little button to turn it on. I leave bananas, granola bars, raisins, other little snacks in a bowl on the table. They can help themselves to that. I also leave a cup of milk in the fridge that they can handle. They are perfectly ok to pour creal, but I have to leave an empty bowl and spoon on the table.

This gives them the capability to be up by themselves for a little while, but truthfully, they rarely are happy to do that. Even though it's set up for them, all they want to do is climb all over me and try to get me up. Those cute cuddly little cock blockers!

Leave a cup of milk in the fridge, the cereal box or covered filled bowl and spoon on the table.
I guess you'll never know until you try it.
But I would probably be "observing" from a distance the first few times.
We have a neighbor's child that's on the spectrum and he has left the house several times while his mom was sleeping in--do you have any concerns about that? If so, maybe a door alarm would be a good purchase.

I woke up this morning at 7:30. I came upstairs and found my 4 year old daughter watching TV, eating dry cereal. This is the first time it has happened. Usually she just comes and wakes me up if I don't happen to be awake before her. I think figuring out the TV probably won't be a problem for your son. As to breakfast, can't he wait until you get up? Surely you aren't planning on sleeping in for hours on end while he is on his own. You are probably thinking an extra 45 minutes or so, right? If he can't wait, there is always dry cereal, cereal bars, muffins, etc. Keep them on a shelf he can access or set them out the night before.

My son is not on the spectrum, so I'm not sure if my answer will be helpful. However, since he has been about 4.5 I have been comfortable letting him get up before me. I usually leave a cup of juice or milk in the fridge, plus water by his bed, but he waits on breakfast until I'm up. He is more than happy to play on his own in the morning for 45 minutes or an hour and he has never shown any inclination to do something crazy like leave the house without me. However, our bedrooms are on the ground floor, so I'm always aware of where he is and generally know what he's up to, even if I'm snoozing a bit. If it's too quiet for too long, I'm awake and checking out what he's up to.

I did this as a child, starting by age three and a half. I agree you might want to monitor your son the first few times but independence is never a bad thing. We have a house alarm with a door chime so no one can open a door without making a loud noise. Alternatively they sell door chimes at home centers. Personally my older brother (about 2 years old) and I would get up to play or watch TV. We managed the milk jug on our own and foraged as necessary. I had a habit of climbing onto the kitchen counters which was unnecessarily dangerous since I was and am a clumsy person. If you left the high reach items on the counter or the table, then that would be a good idea. You might also want to pre-pour cereal in a lidded bowl if you have concerns about his pouring skills. Besides it cuts down on creative breakfasts if your son can't find proper breakfast items. Ahh...the taste of nacho cheese Doritos with maple syrup. No wonder I can't eat either to this day.

GO FOR IT! My son was responsible for himself early in the morning (he's 8 now) and my daughter is almost 4 and she is also responsible for herself (my son helps,but if he is not at home, she still takes care of herself in the mornings).

My solution for breakfast is breakfast bars. If he can't open it on his own, open it hte night before and put it in a ziplock bag. My kids can open ziplocks, but not necessarily the packaging that food comes in.

When my son was little, before I discovered breakfast bars, I would leave him a peanut butter sandwich on the counter - perfect for breakfast (in a ziplock of course).

I put juice boxes in the lowest cabinet we have and they can get to juice boxes themselves too. If your son can't open the straw yet, go ahead and open it and put it by the box. Pretty much every 4 year old can stab it into the hole by themselves.

Preset the TV if you are okay with that - put it on the channel and volume you want and then just have him push the red button to turn it on.

Life is HEAVEN when they take care of themselves for an hour in the mornings!

My daughter is only 3 and if the tv is not preset (which I do forget sometimes), she will just play with her dolls in her bedroom (she wakes up first in our house...around 5). They both (my kids) know not to come in and wake me up.

Good luck!
L.

Communicate with him. "Ohhh, honey, mommy is soo tired and would like to sleep in in the morning until 8:30 or so...can you help mommy?"

Show him the clock "You can get out of bed when the little hand points at the "7." You can wake mommy when the little hand points at the "8."

Show him where his breakfast is...milk in a cup in the fridge, a bowl of cereal on the table with a spoon all ready to go (Saran Wrap it).

Put the TV on the channel he usually likes in the morning, with the volume at a pre-set acceptable level. Turn off the TV and then show him several times how to turn it on.

Remind him a few times while you're putting him to bed that he'll need to be extra quiet when he wakes up...because "mommy is soooo tired."

Best of luck!

I also have a 4 1/2 year old, but it has not occurred to me to let her get up on her own. I just worry about what could happen with me not being able to hear her. My husband and I take turns sleeping in. He sleeps in on Saturday, and I sleep in on Sunday. If one of us is still tired throughout the day, we give each other the option to nap later on.

My four year old has been getting up independently since she could go potty all on her own. Around 1.5 years I'd guess. A couple of things help. 1. We set the TV to the appropriate channel, select TV on the remote etc. then she would just press the power button. 2. We put a bowl of cereal & a child size cup of milk in the fridge. She can pour the milk in her cereal that way and isn't pouring it or the cereal all over the kitchen! She has a small table & chairs in the kitchen and she knows to sit there and eat her cereal.

Put the cereal in zip locs and milk in smaller containers that he can handle. I am sure he can understand that remote...he is a kid!