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.

Surely what matters is the amount of sleep a child gets not the time when they get it.

A child who sleeps from 9pm to 7am gets as much sleep as a child who sleeps from 7pm to 5am. Another child might go to bed at 9pm and wake up at 5am but have an afternoon nap for two hours. They all get 10 hours sleep.

My daughter needs 10 hours sleep, so it suits my routine that she sleeps at 8:30 and gets up at 6:30. I can shower, and get lunches and bags ready in the morning before she wakes up.

Maybe rather than just saying what time your child goes to bed you should say what time they wake up as well.

7 is the late end of bedtime for us

In an attempt to get a lie in it was 830 last night - they woke at 4am and 530am

Back to 6 tonight - if I have to get early the least we deserve is a small boy free evening

Good points marcopront. A friend of mine used to let her children stay up but it meant she she wasn't woken up at stupid o'clock in the morning. She said she used to go to toddler groups and saw women yawning their heads off because their little darlings had woken them up at 5.30, while she sat there feeling refreshed and wide awake because she had had a decent night's sleep and been allowed to sleep in until a sensible time of the morning.

A lot of people don't want to accept that if you put your children to bed at 7pm or even earlier, they will wake very early (having had their 10-12 hours). They said- oh but I tried putting them at 10 and they still woke at 4am. However, large swathes of european parents keep their children up late 10/11pm and they do not wake at 4am! Of course in time, they adjust their sleeping pattern, and ususally sleep til about 8/9am or later, or if they prefer have a 2 hour nap in the daytime.

I used to put mine to bed at 7pm when they were very little, but at least I was honest with myself that I wanted the evening to myself and wasn't mystified why they woke sometimes before 6am!

My youngest dc (dd2) is 9. It's only recently that her bedtime has moved to 8pm. She's up by 7 every day (has to get up by 7.15 anyway to leave for school at 7.55).

Make the most of the evenings. Now we have a teenager (eek dd1 is 13) her official bedtime is 9.30 but both dh and I are often in bed before she is!

Weegiemum I am so tired sometimes that my 9 year old is awake (in bed) after me, I just go straight to bed after checking on her!

Mumsy - pleased for you that you have sleep entirely sorted then - well done

wish I could go to bed right now! heat exhausts me and DC, shes nearly zonked out, shell be going soon.

her BT is usually around 8pm-7am and she has 2 small sleeps during day if she can, wish i could go too.

6 and 4 year old - upstairs by 7, in bed by 7.30, lights out by 8 at the latest. The hour includes bath, stories and a chat and lots of pissing about by the two of them

It isn't that hot. We have enjoyed temperatures of around 20 - 21 degrees today, but it has cooled down considerably now.

Its a bit cooler now, but DC and I have a few medical conditions and anything over literally 5 degrees feels like the sahara desert to us. and its only may-imagine later on!

DC came out in a heat rash today- again, its only May.

My 2 and nearly 5 year old go bed at 7pm. Sometimes earlier if they are being difficult.

7pm household here too.

Seems normal to me.

8-9pm does not seem normal to me!

DD is 3.5 and goes to bed at 7.15 and wakes at 7.30. She only naps in the day if we happen to be in the car when she is especially tired.

7pm seems very early to me. But then, I'm not English.