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.

When you say obsessed do you just mean we are aware that children and adults need a good amount of quality sleep. It’s not uncommon for children who are consistently sleep deprived to be labelled with conditions such as ADHD and other behaviour disorders. I know that I often don’t get enough and it leads me to be being short tempered so I can only think this might be worse for small children still trying to get a handle on the large emotions.

good sleep hygiene is key to getting quality sleep no screens for the hour or more before going to sleep. Not eating too close to bedtime.

if you struggle to wake up in the mornings you need more sleep, sadly it’s very undervalued in todays society.

Saying that everyone has to figure out what works for them, their children and their life. I don’t judge anyone for the way they do it.

People do whatever fits with their own life, maybe leave them to it and out your kids to bed whenever suits you? But as a teacher I'd say they definitely aren't obsessed with getting kids to bed early because I watch lots of very tired children trying to stay awake in school who aren't going to bed early enough. My own kids definitely still need about 11 hours and sleep 8-7. I don't understand why what others do would even affect you?

When my DD was 2 and under she was so tired by the end of the day that she needed bed between 6:30/7pm. We got in to the 7:30 bed routine when DS was born (DD was 21m) and it worked for us as we wanted some quiet time in the evenings. They obviously woke early but I preferred to get ready and out early to do whatever we were doing. Parks/soft play and so on where always so quiet so it worked for us. I had friends who did later bed/long lie, but neither of my two could stay up late - they still struggle with it now in fairness. I don’t think that it’s an obsession, it’s really down to individual children/families.

I didn't realise it was a UK thing but it has made me realise why next door's kids are running around shrieking until 11pm 🙄

I’m amazed reading how much everyone’s kids sleep! My 12yo has just woken me up, it’s at 5.30am. They were both awake til about 10.30pm. I guess there are mums that aren’t even tired?! We are absolutely exhausted and don’t get a second together without the kids; as soon as they’re asleep we go to bed ready for the early start.

I'm a lark. I wake by 7am. 6 yo Ds is the same. I'd actually love for him to be up a bit longer in the evening so i could spend more time with him, but we tried it for a while, and he still wakes at 6.30 (despite blackout blinds etc), he was just too tired.

Some countries in the habit of keeping children up later have real issues with kids simply not getting enough sleep,,eg spain https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.theolivepress.es/spain-news/2012/10/18/spanish-children-tired-in-mornings-new-study-finds/amp/

Also how do these kids last til 7pm for food?! Ds school serve lunch at about 12.30, there's no way he can last til 7pm. He'd be starving at 5.30, would need a huge snack then wouldn't want the meal.

The times we've attempted later meals both my kids are too tired to eat well too. I still eat with them i just eat earlier, which suits me better too.

Doesn't always work like that. My daughter is now 6 and over the years I have tried everything to get her to sleep earlier, nothing as worked. I guess just like adults children have an inbuilt body clock and sometimes there isn't anything you can do about that.

Definitely a cultural thing but i embrace it. Mine are in bed by 7 and awake at 7 - any later and we would be late for school. If they get less than 12 hours they are revolting. Horses for courses as everyone has said, as long as they’re getting enough sleep it doesn’t matter does it.

Yes I wouldn’t expect to be tired with a 12 year old. Why would they wake you at 5.30?

For reference my 13 year old sleeps from about 9/ 9.30 and has to be woken at 7.45am. They need sleep!

Kids can become over tired and that presents an itself with early wake ups and poor sleep patterns.

Your child is 12 why are you indulging them in getting up before 6am and allowing them to wake you up!

If they wake up early they can entertain themselves in their room until a more reasonable hour!

I don't see how you get no alone time when your child is nearly a teenage. I'm assuming there are no additional needs as you don't mention them?

Surely you should be sending them to play in their room at a reasonable hour or to bed with the option to read but not come downstairs. Your situation is madness.

I'm trying to imagine a universe in which I, as a teenager, would have thought it appropriate to wake people up at 5:30, or where I as a parent would just allow that. I certainly would not have woken up that early at that age, but even if they do, they're way past the age where they can and should be taught that other people don't get up that early and they should entertain themselves if they do. You can't really have thought this was standard for a 12 year old?

I agree that a 12 years old shouldn’t wake you. My daughter often wakes early but never wakes me up.

I think sleep schedules are down to how families are and their schedule.

We still eat our dinner at 5-5.30pm, it’s just how it is. My kids would be starving if I made them wait. But my husband works from home and I am currently home studying. My usual job is in education so I am home to cook straight away.

As adults in the house, my husband and I sleep early. I have fibromyalgia so need at least 9 hours sleep so I currently sleep from 10 until 7.

When my kids were small, it worked better for me to put them to bed early. But as I said in my last post they never slept past 6 at times even when they went to sleep later. So I preferred to get them to sleep before 7 to allow me to have adult time! Some would be shocked but as toddlers mine would often go to sleep at 5.45pm if it was needed!

Our DS2 wasa very early riser, always 5-something so one Christmas we made sure he had later nights every night for about 2 weeks and he started sleeping in more, this meant he wasn't so exhausted by 630/7pm and wasn't waking at 5am. Its only adjusting their body clocks surely.

If you are in the UK, what happens when the clocks change? I remember that it took a few days for our children's body clocks to adjust, but they did.

I'd be fuming if my 12 yo woke me up at 530am. By 3/4 yo mine knew what an acceptable time was to disturb anyone.

Also at 12 I would be expecting the kids to be occupying themselves during the evening and it not being all 'kid time' till they are in bed.

That sounds great, thanks.

Depends on the region. But yes most kids get a longer break at lunchtime but they are out playing until quite late

?

I guess you are assuming that adults watch TV all night it's at least a week since I watched any

Why has a 12yr woken you

They can read play quieting - get their own breakfast

I would firmly be telling them not to disturb you till after 7M

I'm Pakistani by origin but am very British. Half of my family operate the Pakistani way and half the British way. I recently tried putting my kids to sleep at 7/8 and I hated it. We could never go out in the evenings and our family time just went down the drain. My kids wake up around 7am and sleep at 10/11pm which is normal in a Pakistani household. They just have longer naps which I love because I can relax/cook/nap in that time. Not sure what I'll do when they go to school, many Pakistani kids nap after school and stay up late. Overall they get the same amount of sleep quality. It's just what works for everyone I guess.

We usually go out in the evening for a walk or see family.

Many people also have different sleep needs which can be a culture, environmental or biological difference. Some cultures sleep 6hours as a norm and people in the UK sleep more than most around the world. Some individuals have a dip of energy in the evening and some individuals have a dip of energy mid afternoon. It's all very interesting but I think the most important thing is that we go by our own and children's cues.