To think this child should be in bed?

[Rollergirl1]

I had to make a late night trip (around 9pm) to the supermarket yesterday. While I was there I saw my next door neighbour with her 18month old DD in the pram. NDN does not work so it's not as if she is not able to do her shopping during the day. Although she is a single mother so I fully understand that she doesn't have the help from a partner. But this is not just a one off occurence. Quite often I have seen them when i am driving back from the gym or if I am out for a run, and it is generally around the same time.

Now I know that everyone parents differently but personally I think that children thrive on a regular routine. And more importantly, surely the child needs a good nights sleep?

I, too, snorted at the 'go to Spain, you'll combust' comment ^^

DH and I wet our pants watching Peppa fucking Pig go to bed at 7pm. DS, 2.4, doesn't eat dinner until 9.

Plus the Spanish are far less judgy about each others' dc.

mine go to bed at 8 and always have. thats when they naturally seem to fall asleep.

in spain and other places like that children seem to be up and out at all hours.

i think you need to do one of two things:

1. talk to her about it, ask her why she is out so late, does the baby have a routine and so on...offer to help her or baby sit if the baby does need sleep but she finds it easier to shop later on....stop speculating and feeling and get the facts.

2. Mind your own business.

But even at school age. Most 5/6/7/8 year olds need 10 ish hours sleep. That's recommended by the NHS etc. so if they go to bed at 10pm and wake 8am they are still getting this.

Ds4 has a routine he gets up at 6 has a nap around 10.30 till 11 and goes to bed at 8.30.

However, if we need to go anywhere in the afternoons he falls asleep and then im lucky if I get him to bed at 10. Even if he only has 20 mins.

Id love him to go to bed at 7. Unfortunately not all dc want to do what you would like them to do.

All very well to keep toddlers up late if you don't have to go to work or school but we need to be up at 7am. DD age 3 is a night owl and was still awake at 9.30pm last night so had to be dragged out of her pit this morning, then climbed into my bed and went back to sleep...

At that age, my DD used to have really long siesta naps in the late afternoon (2-5pm ish). Nothing I did could change her pattern. Of courseshe wasn't ready to be back in bed at 7pm! And she still had her own routine, just not one you'd find in a sleep training manual.

It would have been perfect for living in Spain . In the UK of course you get lots of . Oh well.

You're right though, OP, children do need an appropriate amount of sleep. It just doesn't need to be between 12.30 and 1.30pm and 7pm and 7am!

Wouldn't have suited me, liked mine in bed by 7.30 so I could flop down with a large glass of wine but hey each to their own. None of your business I'm afraid.

OP conceded she was BU on page 2 in case anyone hasn't RTFT.

Why? Who says what time a child should go to bed? My biggest bug her is my brother puts his to bed early therefore spends little time as a family after coming in from work.

I once took DS 2 weekly food shopping at 2am. He wouldn't sleep had terrible teething issues and I was going stir crazy at home trying to settle him.
Got home unpacked and both went to bed around 4am. Was great the next day as we could just laze around and eat all the goodies we had bought

Ha my Mum used to live in Spain and she did say once she was kept awake at gone 1am by the Spanish kids outside for some Festival. I was a single parent when I used to visit her out there and it was great being able to stroll along the seafront, have a coffee or gasp...beer --or a meal without feeling someone was going to make a sarky comment about children should be in bed