If your children go to bed at different times what does the staying up one do?

[fartyface]

All gone at 7pm to date but the 8yo is still awake now for the second night in a row. We have been creeping it to 7.15 by reading in bed.

Dh and I normally go for a bath / shower etc at 7ish and normally have about 40mons to ourselves getting over the day and it would be sad to leave her downstairs on her own at that point.

What do you do?

One used to have staggered tv time so the little one had one programme on her own then they had one together and then the big one had one programme on her own while the little one was having her story. That was when their tv programmes were about half an hour so it worked well.

Thanks for your reply. We are not really TV people. The others wouldn't tolerate it therefore :)

My 8 year old just potters in the time between her brother going to be (7pm) and her bedtime (8pm).

She does crafts or looks at books. It's generally a quiet, low key time.

Do they share a room? Could she not just play or look at her books but in her room?

Reads, sometimes colours/ draws.

They get ready for bed at the same time, then read. The older one gets to read for a bit longer before lights out.

7.15 seems a bit early for an 8 year old. My just turned 8 has lights out at 8.15.

Both ours go up at 7. We read to them for up to 30mins together. The 5yo then goes to sleep while the 8yo can read herself in her own room for anything up to 8.30

OK. Reading or playing in room is fine then. I guess it is just hard now as they spend so much time reading or playing it is not the novelty it once was.

Sister allegedly shares room but generally sleeps in with younger brother. There is potential for trouble when those two get wind of the older having different rules, which is also why it can't be too exciting.

Thanks

DD(6) starts reading a book on the sofa, usually with DH but sometimes on her own, while I give DS(1) his bottle (he refuses to let DH give it to him atm). Then he goes upstairs with one of us (we alternate) at 19:25 for teeth and a story in bed.

DD reads downstairs with the other parent until about 19:45, then she goes up for teeth, PJs, etc. In bed by 20:00, sometimes she reads but usually just goes to sleep. She's always had her bedtime story on the sofa before going up to bed, and now it has the added bonus that we can talk at a normal volume and not disturb DS when he's trying to go to sleep.