Parents How early is too early to get up for a meet?

[momof5]

I have a dilemma for an up coming meet. She has a 9am start time to I am trying to avoid a hotel stay(money and a babysitting issue). We would have to probably leave at 5:30 in the morning for a 2 1/2 to 3 hour drive depending on the weather. I have never had to leave so early for a meet before so I don't know how it will affect her. It's about an 1 1/2 earlier then she usually wakes up and I doubt that I can get her to fall asleep earlier. She is usually quite energetic once she wakes up. I do know that the two meets we were at last year were she was recovering from illness and was a bit worn down she didn't do as well. I will probably feel bad if she runs out of gas though.

What has been your experience with these early morning travel experiences and do you think this is an ok decision?

 

[kristilyn73]

We live 2 hours from the majority of our meets and that is exactly what I do.. We get up about 5 am... do a quick shower/hair and start driving around 6:00... Have a breakfast snack on the trip.

I have also found this helps with making sure DD is not groggy.. If we were to spend the night at the hotel we would probably sleep in till 7:30 then rush around... this way is more relaxing.

 

[bogwoppit]

We have had to leave at 5am for a 7am start time, we did this for the first 3 years that bigger bog competed. It was really tough but we only have three meets a year and they all started at the same time.

Competing early meant she had energy, but she always crashed early that night.

I always made sure the hair was done the night before, that food was ready to go in coolers and did the drive through for tea and hot chocolate. Had a blanket and a movie for in the car and we did not talk about the meet at all. Gave her a chance to wake up and relax before the meet.

 

[sportzmomov3]

For us, DD is not a good morning person, and the early meets we've had at 8 or 9, which are more than 2 hrs drive away, usually end up as hotel stays. If your DD is good to go even if she has to get up extra early, then forego the $ in accommodations. We don't usually have far meets, so it hasn't been an issue staying overnight. I have sympathy if you have more than 2 meets that far away with early start times!

Good luck with your season!

 

[gymmomntc2e6]

We have left at 5:30 am before to get to an 8:00 am start. It was a little rough but funds were low so we made the best of it. She slept a little in the car, had some breakfast.

 

[UnoMas]

We do hotel stays for early morning meets...mainly because I am not a morning person and DD does not sleep well in her curlers...so getting up any earlier than necessary is generally avoided in my house!

 

[emorymom]

I have been wondering how much floor room would be in my minivan if I pulled out the 2 captain's chairs in the middle row, left them at home and put down some kind of mattress on the floor between the rear seat and the front seats, and then just pulled into a campground for the night. If the front passenger seat came out too that would be better but I don't think it does. Just musing.

 

[cathiann]

WEll for us that wouldn't work--I know Beth would be way too tired. But if your daughter is an early morning kid, might as well try! What time would she have to get up though??

 

[socko]

If you have to LEAVE by 5:30 am then realistically, she has to be up at 5 at the latest.

My point of view on this is, I've already invested a ton of money in coaching, leos, other travel etc...what will give her the best chance to perform her best? With meets such as you describe, we stay in a nearby hotel the nite before so we know that we are near the venue, we know how to get there, we don't have to worry about car trouble and my daughter can get a decent nite's sleep.

A 3 hour car ride immediately before a meet wouldn't work for my daughter but you can try it out for this meet and see how it goes...if she tanks from the ride, no sleep etc, you can plan differently for the next meet. It's only one meet...

 

[bogwoppit]

Have you checked out Pricelin and hotwire for bargain hotels rooms, we use them all the time for travl and we get huge discounts on great hotesl. You choose you location and the star rating and then you either bid (Pricleine) or see the price (hotwire), after you had paid you find out what the hotel is called.

We even use this for family travel as with a bit of research we can find out exactly what hotels we might WIN before we pay. Use www.betterbidding.com to check out the hotels won by others.

Persoanlly we love the fun of the hotel, but the quality of sleep just isn't the same as at home. I am always thrilled to get a later start. Though of course when we opt for a very early morning start we leave ourselves open to getting lost, oversleeping or a huge snowstorm disaster.

 

[momof5]

Thanks everyone for your opinions. I am glad that other families have done this and it has worked out ok. I will give it a try and if she tanks I will probably have to find a plan B for the next time. Socko- I agree with your point. I have spent a lot of money for this chance to compete I would hate to see it wasted because she didn't get enough sleep.

Even if I can find a cheap hotel room, I can't get around the child care issue. Grandma and Grandpa are out of town and there aren't too many people that I can give 4 kids including one with special needs with for the night.

I hope once she starts competing there will be alot of adrenaline!

 

[thnkGd4kds]

Make sure she's especially well-fueled with her diet the days/week before and the day of her meet, just as you probably do, anyway. Pack bottled water and something like a banana or a protein bar in her gym bag for her to snack on during the meet, and stress to her the importance of doing this during this and, really, any other meet. (A nibble here and there will help during any meet, but especially one in which sleep patterns have been disturbed for whatever reason.) Try having her get to bed earlier the week before a meet; she may naturally wake up earlier then, and, even though I'm sure she won't naturally wake up at the time she needs to for this meet, at least it will be closer to it. (We do this with our dd, who is homeschooled and usually wakes up at about 8:30, so any early start time, whether we stay in a hotel or not, takes some adjustment!) If you do these things, I think she'll be fine; her body will be well-fueled, she'll be rested, and adrenaline will kick in! As another poster said, though, be prepared for her to crash later that day and let her rest more that afternoon/evening and the following day.

 

[Bobby]

If money is tight I'd be tempted to wonder if she may not sleep in the car on the way to the meet that morning?? Could you just get her out of bed with just a quick visit to the bathroom, then put her (still in her PJs) straight in the car and start driving? If you've left enough time (for a breakfast plus get dressed plus do her hair) at the other end she might sleep as long as usual (or almost), plus have a really restful unstressed journey to boot.
... Suggested by someone with no experience of such things.

 

[socko]

Sorry momof5 I didn't realize that the babysitting issue was leaving the four other kids with someone while you go up to a hotel with your gymnast...I guess for this meet, I would just make the best of it. Like I said, it's only one meet.. Do you generally have someone to watch the other four when she has away meets (like the grandparents) ? Or do you and your husband split up for the meets and one takes her and the other stays home with the rest of the kids? Are you still bringing all 5 to the meet anyway? If that is so, then probably from a logistics standpoint, it's easier to stay in your own house the nite before.

 

[momof5]

Grandparents usually watch the kids but they will be in Hawaii. My husband will stay home with the kids and he will probably be home between 2 and 4 am that morning since he will have been traveling. Hopefully he will not be late or that will throw everything off.

 

[Gymmonkeymomma]

Neither of my girls, but esp. Little Monkey does not do well on long car rides so anything more than 2 hrs for an 8am report would mean a hotel stay. If she had a later report, I would leave early and have her change once we get to the venue and has time to rest and recover from the car ride.

Tomorrow she has an 8am report with a 40 min ride and I had her in bed at 8:30 today, lol. We will be getting up at 6am which is even a bit early for me (so why am I still up at 11pm????)

 

[NOG]

If you have to LEAVE by 5:30 am then realistically, she has to be up at 5 at the latest.

My point of view on this is, I've already invested a ton of money in coaching, leos, other travel etc...what will give her the best chance to perform her best? With meets such as you describe, we stay in a nearby hotel the nite before so we know that we are near the venue, we know how to get there, we don't have to worry about car trouble and my daughter can get a decent nite's sleep.

A 3 hour car ride immediately before a meet wouldn't work for my daughter but you can try it out for this meet and see how it goes...if she tanks from the ride, no sleep etc, you can plan differently for the next meet. It's only one meet...

My dd also doesn't do well with a long car ride right before competing. We would have to be there and hanging out for an hour to get her out of "car ride mode - sometimes upsets her stomach. Really isn't feasible for us to do the up at 5am and on the road for 2 1/2 hrs before competing. I am such an over-planner, I would also be worried the entire drive that there might be a detour or accident making the commute come to a standstill (not probable, but possible, therefore I would worry, lol). So we also usually find a decent hotel at a reasonable price close to the facility and everyone gets some decent sleep and the morning isn't rushed and dd is stretched and ready instead of nauseaus.
If your dd doesn't have the cramped car ride/car sick thing, try it . If I could save a hotel stay I would. Sounds like we're lucking out this year (so far anyway). 3 out of the 1st 4 meets are afternoon or evening. DD actually prefers the am slot, but at least with the pm meets, $ is saved.

Good luck!!! Can't wait to hear which way you decided to go, and how it worked for you.

 

[NOG]

Sorry! I missed the part where you also had child care issues. That can be very tough to work everything all out to everyone's advantage. Good luck! I hope that it all works out and that your dd has a phenomenal meet!

 

[Mom2Brats]

We've only had 3 meets so far and 2 were over 4 hrs away and had to leave that early both times. It wasn't a big deal. I think it depends on your child, though. Allison doesn't sleep well in hotels, so I'd rather let her sleep in her own bed and get up early. And yes, the younger sibling thing makes it hard, too. A friend of mine watch ds for the state meet (dh was gone AGAIN) and that wouldn't have been possible if we hadn't done it all in one day.

 

[Monkeygirlsmom]

this makes me happy that we dont have meets more than 45 min away!
we stick to the local ones!