To think 'He's my child and I will put him to bed when I want to!'

[Misunderstood48]

I have a 13 Months old DS and his bedtime is at 8pm.

Ever since he was 6 weeks old he has been sleeping 12 hours a night every night so we always have put him to bed at 8pm and he doesn't wake up before 8am.

I went shipping last night with my DS and on three seperate occasions my DS was told 'You should be in bed!' It is not the first time it has happened, in fact nearly everytime I go out at that time I get this comment.

AIBU to think mind your own business and to put my DS to bed at 8pm?

Move to France. When we had DS and I was gearing up to go back to work I did a survey of our friends to see what their daytime routine was and more importantly evening timings (as I don't get home from work 'til 7pm which is considered early here).

No-one replied bedtime before 8.30pm. 8.30 is fairly standard (gives you time to get home from work, play a bit, feed, bathe and put the baby to bed) and later is very frequent.

My 9 month old DD goes to bed by 1800 and I'm told it's too early..... just can't win

8am

Spatsky - i agree with the spanish woman - early to bed means early to rise

My 3 yo DD goes to bed between 9 as 10 pm (i'm portuguese), wakes up at 9.30. Has afternoon nursery and activities after. We have dinner at 8 and she's rarelly out after that. It works for our family
When she starts full time school we'll have to adjust but it will mean missing out on daddy time.

My two year old goes between 8.30 and 9. We don't get home until after 7 like Baaartimeus says above three days a week. This before 7pm malarkey seems to be a UK thing.

My ds3 is 16 months and I put him to bed about half 7. He sleeps in my bed and it takes him ages to go off so he probably falls asleep about half 8. When he was a baby he used to just come up to bed with me, now I go up to bed with him.

Me too nickel. She made me have a proper look at why we are obsessed with getting babies to sleep by the magic 7. Stuck with it myself though for my own selfish reasons, happy to get up early for the sake of an evening wit husband having a quiet meal and watching grown up tele.

I am about your 12-hours-sleeping child.

Ignore them, people like to comment that's all. Mostly it's just making conversation.

I should point out though that late to bed doesn't always = late to rise. My dds (4 & 2) are early risers. No matter what time they go to bed (and believe me we have experimented with EVERYTHING), 6.30 will always be a lie-in in the Cyborg household. And neither of them have ever ever ever slept twelve hours in one go. I think we had ten once. [thinks].

Oh and yeah, these days they are in bed by about 7.30 as I am done in and need to lie on the sofa without being jumped on, talked to death and bombarded with requests.

And the youngest still wakes in the night...

My DS (19 months), like yours, has been in a routine since about six weeks. Although he goes to bed at 7.30, 8 on a weekend if he's been a good boy! Sometimes later if we go to his nan's for dinner.

I've never had comments about his bedtime, but if I did I would look them in the eye and quite pointedly say, "No his bedtime is 7.30, deal with it!"

ooh, I prefer the lie-in in the morning!

I know I got asked by a shop assistant in tk maxx why my dd wasn't at school.
I replied none of your business get on and serve me!

I assume it was the recommended routine in the past - my mum used to go on about having us in a strict 7-7 routine.

DD used to be 8-8. I have no desire to get up before then unless I have to. On the days I worked we didn't get home until 6.15 ish. 8-8 suited us so much better.

I know some children wake early no matter what but I do wonder how many early wakers have also been put to bed early from babyhood.

Oh my god have to at the 12 hours a night!

Unfortunately people just love to give their opinion on other peoples children. I have been at the end of some annoying comments - especially as I look very young for my age.

When DS was 6 months he had been poorly with a cold that had messed up his sleep pattern. I'd had a very busy day and he had napped later then usual at about 4:30pm. So after dinner I decided to do my food shopping at the local 24 hour Tesco - DH was away at a business event so I couldn't leave DS at home. It was about 8:30 when I got there and within 5 minutes I had a woman in her 40's saying 'shouldn't little 1 be in bed'?

My reply in my head was 'really? Do you think so? Wish I had thought of that you stupid bitch keep your nose out!

In real life my reply was polite and short but I wish people would mind their own.

YANBU, We've always had 8pm+ bedtime.

Due to DD1 being lovely to put to bed once she was tired and a nightmare if she wasn't. She'd just play up until gone 9pm and be over tired and vile. DD2 refuses point blank to behave any differently to big sister.

I've collected the odd dirty look for having them up, but not many as they aren't being whingy.

Sadly the DF (who's DCs went to bed at 6.30) was wrong. Neither off them was tired when they started school.

Yanbu! Ds is six and always went to bed at 8pm and slept a good 12 hours. We only ever needed to be up at 8am so it seemed pointless getting him up sooner. In fact, as a baby, before I went back to work from maternity leave, his sleep routine was 10pm to 10am, from a very early age, not heard of many other kids with that! Now he goes to bed at 830 and in the holidays even later, as he's always guaranteed to sleep a good 11 hours from whenever he falls asleep. I'm a nightowl and hate getting up early so I love it! Think I'd die with an early bird child and I like that we always have ample time in the evenings at week for his various cavities and eating out together. I work full time so wouldn't see much of him if I was packing him off to bed at 7pm and extra time in the mornings would be pointless as what can you do with that?