Bedtimes.....8 and 10.

[Illbefinejustbloodyfine]

Dc share a large bedroom. No alternative. Dc10 needs less sleep, not due to age, but has always been like it. Wakes and leads out of bed. DC 8 wakes, rolls over, goes back to sleep.

Anyway, they're going into yr 4 and 6 this week and im wondering in what a suitable bedtime is. They do their reading in bed at bedtime.

Im a single parent and like a bit of child free time in the evening, I'd prefer them upstairs at 8 30 (as in ready for bed) but can play/read til 9/9 30? Does that sound similar to others?

They have friends who are up til all hours ....

Parents need some time to themselves before they also get to their own beds. I am usually asleep 9.30/10.

Mine are up 6.30/7 each day.

My 8YO typically goes to bed at 8.30/9. My 4YO is usually about 8 just because we struggle to do dinner after work, clubs etc. then get through the evening routine any quicker- some days we don’t get in until 6.30pm! Both are up for the day pretty considerably at 6.45am. For an 8 and 10 year old 9pm is probably a good compromise on weekdays then maybe you could do 9.30/10 on weekends so the older one doesn’t feel like he’s being babied.

I have early risers. 5am/6am so my 7 year old goes to bed around usually 6pm but can be later 6.30/7pm if we are running late.

My 10 year old goes to bed around 7.30 to 8.30 little later if a weekend. He is free to read if he isn't tired.

We've tried later bedtimes numerous times and they are just grumpy But still get up early.

Overall it works for us and we are never late or rushing out the door for school or holidays.
Ultimately you know your children and how much sleep they need.

How will you manage when your kids are older then? I go to bed any time up to midnight though. I do wake up early in the morning but we all have different sleep needs. I’d rather sacrifice the sleep and get time to myself later.

I do have teenagers too and they're independent and don't need a bedtime routine like their younger siblings! They get supper on their own, listen to music or read on their own etc. Completely different set up.

The younger ones require more input.

3 year olds and 5 go bed 6:30pm the 9-15 year olds all go between 7-7:30 although 15 will game till 9 his lights off 9:30

Same here. My 10 year old going into year 6 gets into bed at 9 and lights out at 9.30 if it's not a Guides or taekwondo night. More like 10 on those nights. Lights out at 10.30 at the weekend.

My 8yo needs a lot of sleep so she's in bed at 7.30 and reads until she sleeps which is usually about 8/8.30, she begrudgingly gets up between 7.30 and 8, at the weekends she would sleep in until lunch time if I let her.

My 10yo is the opposite, she goes to bed at 9.30 but can happily be awake until 11.30, and she gets up between 5/5.30 every morning.

It’s on the lower end of the scale yes.

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/recommended-amount-of-sleep-for-children

She was up late last night so didn’t get to sleep till 10pm and then up at 7am and she’s totally fine. Her wee friend down the road would be an absolute disaster in this situation though!

So we have to get up at 615-630 as I live overseas and school starts early. We leave the house at 7...

This means my 12 year old is up the stairs to bed at 730 and lights out at 8.

I'm in bed myself at 9 to read until 10-1030.

I really need some child free time after work all day, I'm not looking forward to bedtime going any later!

7yr old in bed at 8pm. I do like the incremental 15 min thing though, good idea

If you pick up from afterschool club at 6pm, bedtime at 7pm is basically impossible.

Mine's 6 and bedtime (actual sleep time) is around 8.30pm. More like 9pm if he's been to Beavers. He wakes up naturally around 7-7.30am.

Thanks all, big variety. We dont do after school activities really, they gave up cubs as tge group wasn't great. I suppose the issue is the shared room. It wouldn't be fair on dc1 to go to bed at 8. He'd say awake for about 3 hours!

My 7yo (8 in November) is bedtime 9pm and needs to get up at 8am but he usually wakes between 7.15-7.45am as he’s always been an early riser.

My 12 year old was asleep at 9 like clockwork for years. For the last year or so it's moved to 9:30.

My 9 year old has never needed much sleep, we aim for her to be asleep by 10:00 - same time I like to be asleep!

My yr 5 has lights out at 8, probably asleep around 8.30 and is up and 6.45.

I say we don't do after school stuff, they do swimming, get picked up by GPs/other family 2 days which means getting home at 7.45 earliest.

I think i will stick to the 8.30 "bedtime" with 30 to 60 minutes before sleep time.

Same ages and also a single parent. We all go to bed at 9.30. Wake up at 7.30. Works for us. I don’t get in from work until 7/8pm so would be difficult to do earlier, plus Spanish kids stay up until 10/11 and they’re fine.