Anyone else have a low sleep needs kid?

[Stilettosandbrokenb0ttles]

My daughter is nearly 5, in reception.

Our typical bedtime routine is going upstairs around 7pm, bath/shower followed by pjs and stories then lights out 8pm. Only she VERY rarely goes straight to sleep, most nights we get 1-2 hours of repeated coming downstairs, asking for things, general messing about. Its 9:30 now and shes still up.

Ive done loads of research, tried loads of things, tried later/earlier (in case of over tiredness) times, she doesnt watch much TV anyway but never screens close to bedtime, etc etc but nothing works.

I suspect she is just a low sleep needs kid - I wake her up around 7:30 for school without too much fuss, and most weekends will wake up naturally around 7:45-8. Every now and then she will lie in until 9 or so on a weekend which I guess is her catching up, but I just feel so guilty having such a young child going to bed so late! Shes practically got the same bedtime as me.

She doesnt seem tired - she is like the duracell bunny in terms of energy and is constantly dashing around, cartwheeling, swinging and hanging off things. She talks constantly and generally a pretty happy kid.

Everyome else we know that age seems to be asleep by 6:30-7, 8 at an absolute max.

Is there anyone else out there like us?? Did it ever change? Was there anything like AdHd or similar at play?

Yes mine definitely are. My eldest daughter is a night owl (sounds like your daughter might be too?) and at 8 is rarely asleep before 10.30. My youngest is 5 and she only seems to need 9 hours a night.

I’ve tried forcing them to sleep earlier and the night owl just won’t go to sleep, and the 5 year old just wakes up insanely early.

Autistic kid didn't sleep early. Now a night owl.

7:30am is a pretty late start for a 5 year old. We leave for the childminders 15 minutes after that 3 days per week.

10h sleep is normal for 5. Lower end of normal, but still normal. Definitely not diagnostic of neurodivergence. The parents with kids asleep at 8 are probably starting the day around 6-6:30.

Is late bedtime a problem for you? Ie do you need to change it?

She’s not low sleep need at all, she is sleeping 10-10.5 ish hours a night on a weekend when you aren’t waking her up. Presumably she’d do the same the other days if you left her too. She’s just in the habit of going to bed late and waking up late. My 5 year old sleeps the same hours but goes to sleep at 7.30 and is up around 6. 10-11 hours is normal at their age. Most of my friends children of a similar age are in a similar pattern.

I was like her. My mum took me to the doctor about not getting to sleep until very late. I just used to lie in bed and read and draw until I fell asleep. It still takes me ages to fall asleep and I’ve always been able to function on very little sleep. Now I’m old I wish I could get a bit more sleep though! I’d take the pressure off sleeping for your daughter and focus on her staying in bed. With my own children I had a rule that they could have what they liked in bed (books, toys) as long as they stayed in bed. It worked really well.

Tonight I could still hear her at 10, then she was asleep when I just poked my head in at half past.

Dont especially need an earlier bedtime, but 10pm just feels so late! I'd guess she usually gets 9.5 hours where 11 seems more typical/optimum.

We live a 5 minute walk from her school which starts at 8:40 so 7:30 is fine fortunately although it does still feel a bit of a rush!

But will you still wake her at 7:30 tomorrow?

Yep, slept 5 hours a night pretty much from birth and 11 years later doesn’t need much more than that. It’s been fun(!)
Left to own devices they’d go to bed between 11 and midnight and get up 8ish so it is the “right” amount of sleep, albeit on the lower end. Trying to shift the whole pattern earlier to make it to school on time is also fun…