to think that 7pm is not "exceptionally early" bedtime

[fishandlilacs]

for a 5 yr old and 17m old.

A throw away remark from my friend the other day. We were chatting and I commented that my dd rarely sleeps past 6am, I hasten to add this was a comment not a complaint, as a household we have always got up around 6am asmy DH gets up for work at that time. My friend said "well they do go to bed exceptionally early" and it sounded quite judgey to me.
They go to bed at 7pm, the baby goes straight to sleep and DD sometimes reads in her bed for a bit but usually decides to turn the light out before 7.30, at weekends shes allowed up til 8. Any later and she gets tired and emotional and cant cope with school.

[WildlingPrincess]

7pm in my house.

[NeverKnowinglyUnderstood]

Not too early. when my two were little, they were in the bath at 6.30 lights out at 7.
even now, ds1 9 and ds2 6 bath/shower is before 7, ds1 lights off before half past and ds2 lights off at 8

[Monty27]

Crack on. Sounds healthy. Bit later weekends for the 5 yo possibly.

[NeverKnowinglyUnderstood]

sorry just to add you don't need to be a sahp to be around at home before 6pm. there are plenty of part time workers.

[MacaYoniAndCheese]

My 6 year old goes to bed at seven and sometimes my eight year old if he's been particularly high maintenance.

[CouthySaysEatChoccyEggs]

It doesn't sound 'exceptionally' early to me. It hasn't suited 3/4 of my DC's, but I would think it's a pretty standard bedtime for very young DC's.

My DD usually went to bed at 8pm at 5yo, but she would fight sleep until 9pm. Falling asleep at 9pm she naturally woke at 7am back then. Mind you, I would rather get up at 7am than have had her in bed asleep at 7pm. Horses for courses. I don't do mornings...

DS1 just didn't sleep. Not once through the night until school aged, and even then it was a measly 6 hours. Now he's 11yo, and goes to bed at 9.30pm on a school night, and gets dragged out of bed at 6.45-7am. I've tried putting him to bed earlier - but he's no easier to wake up. Like me, he just doesn't do mornings...

DS2, on the other hand, would be asleep by 7pm at the latest at 5yo. And would naturally wake at 7am. In fact, he did pretty much that from 7wo, despite being bf! He's now 9yo, and needs a bit less sleep - he is asleep at 9pm, and naturally wakes at 6am every day.

DS3...well...he's 2yo, and after hours of PUPD, he finally fell asleep just 8 mins ago. He will be awake again at 1-ish, and be up for the day by 5.30am. Bleeeuuuurrrrgghhhh!!!

Did I say I'm not a morning person...

[auntmargaret]

Never, sorry, you're entirely correct. I guess I'm just focused on 9-5ers, like me.

[GiddyStars]

My 4 and 2 year olds are in bed at 7pm sometimes I can still hear them singing at 8.30pm Once they are in bed I tend to ignore any chatter and let them get on with it unless they really need me. They go to sleep when straight away usually and I need my evening. If they go to sleep late they still get up at the crack of dawn...

[Bogeyface]

My almost 16 year old has a ten o'clock "bedtime"! when I say bedtime, she goes to her room and goes to bed when she is ready, its so that there is some adult time downstairs and she is winding down for sleep. Often though she will go to bed at 9 ish if she has had a long day.

My lot go at....

7pm 22 mth old
7:30 7+8 year old
8:30 11 year old


Not exceptionally early at all. As long as they get the sleep they need and it fits in with your life, who cares when they go to bed?

[MTSgroupie]

Their baby bedtime is too long ago for me to remember but when they were 5 it was in bed 7pm. Story time. Lights of 7:15pm

[Softlysoftly]

I think 7 is standard ours is 8 because it just works out that way on the days I work.

7 at the age of 17 though I think is very odd, please don't do that to them. Were you Ok with it? !

[BOF]

I put my 12 year old to bed at about seven, generally. Ok, she has SN, but it's the only way to give her the feeling of what she needs as a teenage 'lie-in', as I can't explain to her that she needs to be out of bed for school.

Whatever works for your family is fine.

[golemmings]

My children also go to bed at 7. Mind you, so does my dad. I ring him every night once the kids are down and he's often grumpy at me because I've woken him up.
7pm reasonable for kids. Less reasonable for adults unless there's a specific reason.

[Fantail]

I would say normal.

DD 2.2 wakes around 7 and is asleep by 7.45pm. I would love her to fall asleep earlier, but no matter what time I put her down at the moment she falls asleep at 7.45pm.

Most children need 10 hours + for a reasonable length of time.

[mumnotmachine]

My 10yo didn't sleep through the night until a year ago, so his sleep was always all over the place.
I found be letting him stay up later he slept better, so he goes between 9.30 and 10 school days, and around 11 on weekends

My 14yo dd up till about a year ago was still going to bed by about 9.30, but now if shes in bed by midnight shes doing well!
They are up by 7 on a school day, but no set routine on weekends- rarely see dd before 1pm on the weekend!

[ConfusedPixie]

Yanbu, it's not too early, I know an eight year old who goes to bed at seven! Every family and child is different surely, like most adults go to bed at different times.

[xfrillyknickersx]

my 7 year old is in bed is in bed between 7 and half past and either reads or watches a DVD til 8 then lights out and he gets a good 10-12 hours sleep.

[StinkyElfCheese]

We have moved to a block with communal area it drives me med that young children are still running about screaming there heads off at 930 a night 4 yr old's have bath 7 bed by 730 7 yr old bed for 730-8. They get up at 630 ...... I have been warned thy or only gets worse over thw summer holidays. We have had a 5yr old knock to play with my children at 930 on a school night

[BikeRunSki]

4.5 yo and 18 month old here. They and I get in from work/ nursery at 5.45 ish, snack, then upstairs 6.30 ish, in bed for stories 7 ish, lights out 7.30. Works for us. If DH is home in time 4 yo plays out on his bike for a bit, but the baby is a complete car crash if she is not in bed by 7.

[emmyloo2]

Our DS is 2.5 and 7pm would seem early for me but only because we would struggle to get him to bed at 7pm. We work FT and so he goes to bed between 7.45pm and 8pm. However, he is a shocking sleeper and wakes at 5.30am most mornings so I get the worst of both worlds. I try to get him to bed earlier, but it's a struggle!

[goldenlula]

It sounds fine to me, all mine are in bed by 7.30 most of the time and they are 2, 4 and 7. 7 year old is allowed later nights at the weekend.

[Tailtwister]

7pm for both our DC too (5 & nearly 3). If they nap during the day for some reason (very rare) then it's sometimes a bit later. I go by the general rule that they tend to need around 11-12h sleep at that age and since we get up at around 6.30-7am then that's what works.

I suspect that DS1 may want to go to bed even earlier when he starts school after the summer. His cousin is exhausted come 6pm and she pretty much crashes around 6.30.

[ellajayne]

I don't think it's early. 7 is normal here for an almost five year old and two year old. Ignore her and carry on with what works for you.

[ben5]

my 9& 7 year olds go to bed at 7.30 on school nights. They are allowed to chat quietly to each other or read. they normally fall asleep by 8.30 at the latest. They have to be up by 7.30am on a school day. ds2 is normally up by this time but ds1 isn't. At the weekend ds can't make past 9pm but ds1 can easily make 11pm but has to go to bed when we do!! ds1 will sleep in in the morning at weekends if he has been up late!

[VitoCorleone]

Mine both go at 7pm. My 1 year old goes to sleep pretty much straight away and my 4 year old normally plays in his bedroom for a bit then gets himself into bed.