How much sleep needed at 7 years old?

[ssd]

Can anyone tell me the avaerge amount of sleep needed for a 7 year old and also for a 4 year old? I know they're all different, but I just feel my two don't get enough sleep, although maybe the oldest does and I'm being unrealistic!

P.S. If you have a child that has always slept 12 hours + per night and doesn't get up at 6am., PLEASE don't tell me!

[Cam]

What time do they go to bed? My 8 yr old dd will wake up at the same time every morning (6.30/7.00 am) no matter what time she goes to bed. So when she was 7 it was 7/7.30 pm bedtime, now its 7.30/8.00 pm. I feel that's only just enough on school days but its hard to make it earlier when its still light.

[roisin]

DS1 is 7: needs 10.5 hrs sleep
He's nearly 8 and a year ago needed 12 hrs.

[ghosty]

sigh ... ssd ... sympathies ...
My DS has never ever slept 12 hours.
He needs at least 10 but whether he has that is another matter.
Goes to bed at 7.30/8pm ... finally, after many shenanigans falls asleep around 8.30/9pm ... wakes up a couple of times a night needs a drink/cuddle, it's too dark/scary/light/hot/cold blah blah blah.
Always awake by 6.30am, usually awake around anytime from 5.30am.
He is happy, healthy, doing well at school ... just needs less sleep ... My DH doesn't need much sleep either ... always awake at 6am and restless ... I think DS inherited DH's sleep gene

[ghosty]

My DS is 5 ... I dread to think how little he will be sleeping at 7

[ssd]

BTW they both go to bed at around 7.45pm and are hopefully asleep by 8.15-8.25pm, IF NOT EARLIER. bUT THE 4 YEAR OLD WAKES (sorry!) at 6am and the 7 year old wakes between 6.15 and 6.50pm. The 4 year old is shattered and falls asleep at tea time , the 7 year old keeps going but is knackered in the morning and arguementative with me! Sleep or lack of it has always been an issue in this house, I can't ever see it getting better.

[hercules]

11 hours.

[ssd]

Hercules, how about the 4 year old?

[hercules]

12

[hercules]

Should add that's my experience. Dont know what experts say.

[roisin]

ssd - I do know what you're going through; mine were early risers for a long time, and ds2 still tends to. One thing that did help us, which you may want to try, is an alarm clock. It sounds silly, but it worked. They were regularly getting up at 6, when ideally they shouldn't have got up til 7.30. I bought them a new alarm clock, and set the alarm for 7 am. I said I told them I expected them to stay in bed until at least 7 am, and that every time they managed it they got a sticker/marble/piece of pasta ... whatever current reward system is.

DS2 was 6 today (my baby ) and still tends to be shattered in the late afternoon. If he's very tired I sometimes put him in the bath at 4 pm to wake him up a bit to find the energy to eat his tea, and we always have an early tea.

Hope something in there might be helpful to you.

[ssd]

Roisin, happy birthday to your ds, it was my ds1's birthday on Saturday!

The sleep thing is awful in my house. For years ds1 slept in with me as he wouldn't stay in his own bed, tried everything and nothing worked. Now at last he's in his own bed but is wakened up by ds2 early in he morning or by dh going to work (our house is cramped and the bedrooms are tiny and close together.) so any noise is easily heard. But ds2 was a great sleeper until we moved him from bed to bed and room to room trying to stop him waking up ds1 who was knackered going into primary 1. So now ds2 is a rubbish sleeper who always wakes up twice a night and calls out for us and eg. today has been up since 5.30am. I'm always done in and stressed with cold sores and colds. Today I'm really tired and I childmind and I've got kids coming today at 8am for the whole day and I could cry. Sorry to moan to anyone who's read this, I'm just so tired and I've got cramp coming on that doesn't help!
Again apologies for this long moan, I don't have anyone else to moan to today and my dh will come in at 6 and will be knackered too, so it's good to get it off my chest here. Everyone at the school gates is always saying how easy it's getting now the kids are getting older, but of course they don't work and they have big houses with plenty space where a waking child doesn't immediately wake up the whole house

[ghosty]

ssd, try doing a sticker chart with rewards.
Currently DS is on a 21 night sticker chart. After 7 stickers he gets to play playstation, again after 14 nights and then after 21 nights he can go to a friend's house for the night (friend of my choice obviously!) He is desperate to go to a 'sleepover' but I have told him he can't until he sleeps all night as it wouldn't be fair on the other mum ...
We have done this a couple of times (with other rewards) and it really works ... backslides a couple of weeks after the 21 nights. What it tells me is that DS isn't really scared etc but just having a laugh to see how far he can push me ....

[roisin]

ssd - sorry you're having such a tough time of it, I'm sure it will get better soon. My boys share a room and always have, but they don't disturb each other. DS2 nearly always gets up first, but he goes downstairs to play and doesn't wake anyone else up! I think he started doing this when he was about 4 - before then we always all woke when he did. Hope it happens for you soon.

[Cam]

ssd, just wondering if you can adapt your sleep to theirs a bit, ie go to bed early yourself?

[LIZS]

ds is getting to sleep later and later. Goes to bed between 8 and 8.30 but often after 9 when he eventually nods off, sometimes later, and usually up by 7. Very hard to convince them when it is still light outside.

[ssd]

Cam and all others thanks for answering. Yes we do go to bed early, but you need a bit of tv time to relax and chat don't you? Still we'll both be going to bed soon!

P.S. I got a sleep this afternoon when the kids were in nursery/school, had to drag myself out of bed at 3 to get them .
I'm convinced this isn't normal when your youngest is 4 but hey ho who needs normal!

[Cam]

ssd, another thought, maybe you should go to your gp if you're so tired? Could be a slight problem like thyroid or something causing your lack of energy?

[ssd]

Cam, that's very kind of you to be concerned! Thank you.

Actually, I know exactly why I'm often tired. Both my ds's haven't been good sleepers and it feels like I've had 7 years of broken nights and that's not being over dramatic! Also I work about 30 hours a week around the kids eg. I'm always here for them but I work over and above that, eg. childminding during the day, babysitting at the weekends(evenings), and working in a shop on a Saturday. So I've taken a lot on but hopefully this will change when my youngest starts school in 2 years.(if I ever decide what to do)

Thanks again!

[MazJSimpson]

ssd, my boy is 7 this year and always used to wake at 6.30 until he was 5 and at school. I put him to bed at 8 now and he sleeps till 7.30 most days, sometimes a bit later. He was waking earlier for a while so I put out his breakfast stuff and showed him how to make his own cereal and switch the telly onto cartoon network.

He now gets up when he wants and makes his breakfast and watches telly for a little while! Which he is quite happy to do as it's the only time he can watch it undisturbed! He also likes the feeling of independance (doing his own breakfast).

[Sonnet]

It sounds like you have a lot on your plate ssd, no wonder you feel tired.
A lack of sleep makes everything twice as bad dosn't it?.
My 8 yr old DD dosn't get enough sleep IMO. I try to get her in bed by 7.30 where she reads until 8. SDhe dosn't mind going to bed it is just getting through all the other things plus homework that dictates bedtime. She often reads past 8pm (thinking I don't know - but as she is on the 3rd floor, unless I purposely go up there to check I don't!). I have to drag her from under the duvet at 7am. Her natural time of waking is about 7.30 to 7.45.
My 4 year old I try to get into bed by 7pm at the latest ( earlier if I can !)story read by 7.10. I then leave her with a story tape until 7.30 BUT I always have to wake her up too which would suggest she isn't getting enough sleep.

I often think that sleep is a habit - could you get yours to bed earlier??, letting the older one read for a bit and the younger look at books or listen to a story tape? - in time they might sleep earlier?, if not at least they are resting.

Friends of mine who have 4 children have a 7 O'clock bedtime rule despite age. thechildren then either get to read or listen to a story tape/cd etc. The [parents say that it gives them a definate end to the day and since they implemented it 2 years ago the children do go to sleep earlier.

i do hope you feel livlier soon!

[ssd]

I know and accept a lot of my kids sleep problems are down to me and also our circumstances, my dh worked shifts for years and the boys never knew when he'd be home/ missed him like mad/ or I had them ALL TO MYSELF too much and would give in for an easy life. And I was rubbish at CC, MY DS1 WAS SICK THE FIRST (sorry) and last time I did it and it killed me.
I'm quite a soft touch and find it really hard to send them back to bed whatever time, one whisper of "mummy I'm scared/cold etc. and I give in every time....oh well I'm only human