Are UK parents obsessed with getting their kids to bed early?

[RosieLeaLovesTea]

Am I the only one that thinks UK parents are obsessed with getting their kids to bed early? I see posts of 7pm/7.30pm, some as early as 6pm.

I work full time and don’t get home until 6.30pm. We don’t eat until 7pm. So generally 9pm is bedtime. Plus it means that if we do go out at weekends our kids are used to going to bed a bit later.

Yes I agree, and then everyone moans about how early the kids wake up

Yes, very strange. No wonder some children wake so early.

It’s always seemed a little early but courses for horses. I preferred a slightly more normal wake up time lol

It was quite a culture shock. And a confusing one too.

About 7.30 when they were little.

I want a grown up evening! They didn’t get up especially early.

Not in this house, I struggle to get them asleep at 9/9:30! I do prefer the later wake ups though and the thought of a 5:30am start stresses me out!

Yes it is definitely a British thing. A lot of British people prefer to spend alone adult time, which often means the children eat separately from them. My 5 and 2 year old average a 8.30-9.00pm bedtime which is far more realistic and beneficial for family life.

It depends entirely on how much sleep your child needs. I don't think 7-7.30 is too early at all for most primary ages children. A significant amount of them will need to be up at 7-7.30 in the morning so even if they fall straight to sleep which is unlikely then it's only 12 hours of sleep. A child going to bed at 9 and falling asleep at approximately 9.30 would need to be getting up much later in the morning.

Not obsessed but dd is 4 and needs her sleep so goes to bed around 7pm in the week. She's fine to go a bit later if we're out for dinner at the weekend or something, but can't cope with later on a school night. She always wakes up 6-6:30 no matter what her bedtime!

Not in our case but it’s really hard, DD needs 11hrs sleep.
She’s usually asleep for 8.30/9 but we need to leave the house at 7 so she’s usually too tired to get up. She’s a natural night owl though as are we.

We don’t get home until 6.30 or later although she eats at nursery. But it’s still
a huge rush to get her asleep. At weekends
she will do 9-8 through choice.

We start bedtime around 6.30 and they’re usually all asleep by 7.30. They wake around 6. (Very young kids though.) So yeah, we do early, but I’m not “obsessed” with the idea. It’s just how our routine has fallen into place. I’m sure it all works different for different families.

So true! Mine went to bed around 8pm and woke at 7.30 as little ones, sometimes lying on longer on non nursery/school days.

I partially agree. Both my DSs go to bed around 7:30 (2 and 5). The two year old sleeps in and the 5 year old is up 5:30 every day. BUT because of life and childcare he'd need to be up by 6 anyway to get ready for the childminder before school so you can't just change bedtime for the hope of a weekend lie in.

We ate as a family at 6.30pm as soon as they were on solids

I’d imagine it’s because school starts at 9, breakfast club/nursery often 8 so given that most young kids need 11-12hrs that’s what works

My daughter needs a good 12 hours of sleep and we have to leave the house at 7.15 due to the nature and location of my job (late start not an option in this career). Therefore she has to be in bed by 7 and it’s till not really enough sleep for her so she sleeps in at the weekend.

I do like an adult evening though 🤷‍♀️ by 7pm I am starting to get short tempered and snappy, I am just done with parenting 😂 so it works for me.

Mine has had to get up at 6.30am 4 mornings a week since he was 9 months old for nursery / us to gwt to work

If he went to bed late he'd not get enough sleep

He's 11 now, goes up at 8.30pm and is flat out asleep by 9. Some of his pals are still up texting now and its 10. 21pm - I've just heard his phone go!

When DD was 6 last year I was told at school she was really emotional and too tired. Her bedtime was 8 but she wouldn't fall asleep until 9-10. I moved her bedtime to 7 and she improved massively at school. She's now nearly 8 and bed is 8 again. She struggles at school if she sleeps less than 10 hours. She's up at 6 for breakfast club at 7.30. She loves having a long time in morning before school. Weekends bed is anything up to 11 if she wants.

What time do your children need to get up in a weekday @RosieLeaLovesTea ?

Yes! Including me. We run the bath at 6:00 straight after the kids’ tea. The older two go in then come down until 7:30, the little one goes in after then up to bed for 7.

I like time with husband, the children don’t have to go straight to sleep, but I want to have conversation and watch tv in peace.

I have 2 little children and need them in bed by 7:30 so I can get shit done! No family support. I'm not 'obsessed' by anything, I just need to do stuff like ironing and can't during the day with a 15 month old crashing around!

I'm with you! My 4 and 1 year olds only sleep 9.5-10 hours a night so we do 9/9:30 to 7.

Yes. And then complain when they wake up at 5 am! It's weird.

Not everyone in the U.K.,(we aren’t!) but lots of my friends do seem to be yes. I do get it because then you get more time to chill as adults in the evening. My 5 year olds often sleep 9/930-730. Which is enough for them. We do often put them to bed earlier with an audio book though depending what we are doing. Evening on the beach or bbq’s at friends etc we don’t rush back for bed at 7 like some people need to. 1 year old normally goes to sleep around 830, but can stay up later happily if we’re out and about.

Yes. I have no idea how the hell people get their school age kids to bed for 6pm / 7pm.

Beavers start at 6pm. That's 6 to 8 year olds.

How?