To put my children to bed at 7pm every night?

[DreamCloud99]

Including school holidays and weekends?

My twins are 4 (almost 5) . I find that if they don't have enough sleep they are grumpy, rude and uncooperative the next day.

They also get up at 6am , no matter what time I put them to bed !

I can hear children out playing in the sunshine and one of my twins is already fast asleep

The other is in bed quietly playing a game .

I selfishly enjoy my evening time and as I go to bed myself around 9:30pm, I like to keep them in routine so I can have some down time .

But I'm not sure if this is mean? AIBU?

I have teen twins but still remember the countdown to 7pm at that age for peace and quiet, you need it!!

All good as far as I'm concerned. My 4 and 6 year old are usually asleep by 7.00 and today was no exception.

I do this, but there are years for dc to stay up later, I'm sure they wont need 11 hours sleep their whole lives.

All of mine go to bed at 7.30, but 8 at weekends. And tonight after a holiday and such a glorious sunshiney day.

7 every night sounds pretty early and very rigid.

I'm thinking I'll switch to 8 as standard, 8.30 weekends once we approach summer holidays.

My youngest is 3. I want them to get a bit of the enjoyment of our lovely summer nights, but still clear off early enough for us to have a bit of an evening.

Mine are 11 and nearly 9 and go up to bed at 7-7.30 with lights out at 8.

My 10 year old has only graduated to an 8pm bedtime this year, and he's not up till 7. He needs his sleep!

My twins were in bed by 7 at that age. One would be alseep, the other would be playing quietly. They needed the routine as much as I did. We kept it the same even on holidays - we did fun things in the day but were always back in time for bed. Sacrificing an evening out was far better than having a grumpy time next day.

If it works for you why rock the boat?

We have two, aged 5 and 3, and they go to bed at 8pm every night. DC1 is a pretty easy sleeper - if she goes to bed late she'll rise late - but DC2 rises at 6ish no matter what.

Also DC2 likes the routine of watching the Simpsons with me on C4 when I come home from work!

*goes to bed at 6

This thread has made me feel loads better. My DD is three and a half and has just conked out at 7pm exactly. Dp and I have said to one another that 7pm is her bedtime and whatever time she gets up she needs to be asleep for 7. She doesn't often sleep in last 7am and mostly wakes between 6 and 7 but any later than 7pm to bed and she's grumpy the next day.

I do tend to relax a little at weekends but during the week I'm regimented about bedtime (as much as I can be with STBXH doing everything he can to fuck it up).
I don't intentionally keep them up late at weekends but I'm just not as proactive and tend to play more. Still in bed by 8/8.30 though.
As otherwise they are tired next day and it's a downward spiral.

Dd is 4 and DS 21 months so not in school yet!

Both my children aged 4 and 1 both go bed at 9pm, always have, I can't get them to sleep earlier and they both get up at 6 am. No grumpiness in the day.

Nope, YANBU. Mine go at 7:30, and that's plenty late enough - DS (nearly 6)'s head is asleep almost as soon as it hits the pillow, and like your's he'll be up sometime between 6 and 7 the next morning no matter when he goes to bed. And, just like yours, they will be grumpy and upset the next day if I don't (and I think that's less pleasant for all of us)

I do remember hearing other kids out playing when I was little, but hold no lasting bitterness (especially since I remember falling asleep while listening to them)

Children need sleep for development. It sounds like it works well for all your household so keep doing it. My dd aged 6 has a 730 bedtime and gets up at 6am regardless as to how late or early her bedtime is. I'd go insane if I didn't get a couple of hours downtime of an evening.

It may be the school holidays, but I still have to go to work. And that means being up and out of the house with them all (aged 8,6 and 3) dressed, breakfasted and with a packed lunch for holiday club. Therefore they are all still in bed by 7pm, meany meany that I am.

YANBU. My two fall apart at about 7.30pm so we put them to bed at 7.00.

6.30 has been bedtime fairly frequently in the last two weeks too - they're both knackered!

The kids next door have only just gone out to play in the garden in the last 1/2hr or so though!

If they're always up at 6 then you are doing the right thing - children need their sleep! DD is 5 but will happily sleep in until past 9 so weekends and holidays I let her stay up later - in the summer it barely gets dark here in Finland so putting her to bed with the sun is shining brightly in her window seems a bit pointless as even with blackout curtains its far too bright in her room. If she was an early riser though I'd find some way to make it darker in her room and keep an early bedtime.

My DCs are older now, but when they were that age (and until they were quite a bit older), they went to bed at 7. We didn't mind them reading, but the evenings were our time to relax and catch up with each other. They generally needed to be in bed at that time anyway and usually went to sleep quite soon after.

This thread has reminded me of one summer evening when my DHs sister and husband had come to stay (they live overseas so we don't see them often) and we were sitting in the garden with a bottle or two of wine, chatting. The window above us was slightly open and a little voice came through, 'mummy, daddy, please can you talk more quietly? There are small people up here trying to sleep'. Oh, how the tables have turned now!

Mine have gone to bed earlier tonight despite school holidays!
Generally it's 7pm no matter what because they need the sleep & I need the break

This is reassuring for me, my DS is nearly 2 and is always down and asleep by 7, which some of my friends with similar aged kids think is too early!

I had been worrying about when he would be stealing my evenings from me but looks like I reasonably have a fair few more years

DS goes at 7pm too.

The neighbor's kids are a similar age and are still up and outside at that time, playing about. But who knows what time they get up? Maybe they get up at 9am? DS has to get up at 6:30am to get to nursery and me to work.

I'll keep him on an early bed time as long as possible - he obviously needs the sleep and I need my evening to relax!

YANBU, I put DS 16 months to bed at 6.40pm and he's up at 6am unless teething, growing pains or ill.
The older DC now in their 20s went to bed no later than 7pm up until around 11-12 years old but were allowed to read quietly until 8pm.

DD's bedtime was 8pm when she was still napping in the afternoon, but once the naps stopped she was hysterical by 8 and I moved it forward to 7pm. She is now 4, rarely wakes during the night and is awake at 6.30.

My friend lets her DD of the same age stay up to 2am 10pm most nights. She is almost proud of how 'grown up' her DD is and is incredulous at my DD's early bedtime. However, she also moans about her DD's frequent temper tantrums and has huge problems getting her out of bed in the mornings, and they don't get up until 9-10am. I think it will be a shock when she starts school in September

Can't see an issue myself.
I now have a 13 yo that is in bed by 9.00pm, holidays or not.. Now I suspect that THIS will get me a lot of YABU lol