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?

Mine don't. They are 5 and 6. Personally weekdays we are only just home before 7pm, then we all eat/ chat etc before they go to bed around 9pm. Weekends and holidays we are often out later in the evenings so they go to sleep when tired. They will sleep in after a late night though so can get enough sleep

Ie we are in Greece atm. Outside/ eating last night until around midnight. They slept in until 10am, then had a nap 4-5pm. They are out atm with granny eating ice cream locally and it's gone 10pm

Both DS's 5 years & 6 months are tucked up in bed at 7pm every night. Love my evenings & they both sleep through till 6am. Works perfect in our house.

Our girl is 7' she starts getting ready for bed at 7.15, lights out 7.45. Occasionally, she has a late night, but only once in a while and never on a school night.

I don't think there is a right answer as to what time bedtime should be as children are different, but there is definitely a wrong answer. It seems people aren't always aware of the importance of good sleep patterns for children. Sleep is so vital to children, benefitting their health and education. Of course, some children will always experience some problems with sleep, but for most it is entirely possible to create good sleep habits.

I will confess, DS1 was a non-sleeper and often still up at 9.

DS2 just fell into the routine with DS1 (by then, a wonderful sleeper to make up for 3 years of horror).

DS2 does sometimes have these weird evenings where he re-appears at 8:30 and stays up until I go to bed - but it's not malicious, or a habit, and I remember DS1 doing the same with wierd 4am wakings at a similar age.

YANBU

God no. I was in bed by 6pm until about 10 but realise this was a bit mad. I would however appreciate some calm quiet evenings in my road after seven pm. Current,y too much shrieking and acting out.

Oof do I detect a slight whiff of smug about this thread

(7.45-8 chez Gharlique)

YANBU

My twins are only 13.5 months but they are exhausted by 6.30 pm and are rarely awake past 7.

My 2.5yo is in bed for 7, 7.15 at the latest.

We need to get up at 6.30 so DH & I can be ready for work so an earlier bedtime suits everyone. Can't see it getting much later when they're older.

My 2.5yo no longer naps so he needs an early bedtime or he's like a drunken belligerent old man, falling all over the place and crying.

So envious of all these early bedtimes. Mine (8 & 12) don't go up til 9pm and even that is a daily battle with the older one. Youngest wakes at 6am every day without fail and if I try and get them to bed earlier than 9pm they just dick about coming up and down stairs to tell me they can't sleep.
I want evenings to myself too

8, 3 and 18 months here. Youngest asleep by 7, eldest 7.30.

DS goes down at 7.15 (bedtime routine starts at 6.45ish - milk, bath, cuddles and story), but regular wants to get up by 5am. We've just been discussing trying to get him down earlier, in the hope he might sleep later. He's 18 months.

I am exactly the same. I have a four and a half and a two and a half year old, both early risers, particularly now we have such light mornings. I put them to bed between 6.30 and 7pm (sometimes 6pm if it has been a particularly busy day). I also like to go to bed early as I get up at 5.30am 3 days a week for work and up with DDs at the crack of dawn when I'm off.

Sounds about right. Mine are 3 and 6 and go to bed at 7 and 7.30 respectively. For the last two nights they have been up until 9 due to family visit and a day out and they have both been hell on earth today and getting the three year old to bed tonight took putting him back ten times. I don't think I am ever going to allow late bedtime again!

Like Ilovehama, I'm jealous of all these evenings with kids asleep.

DS 6 is up in bed by 7.30pm but is never asleep before 8.30 and often it's after 9pm before he gives in - he is a master of keeping himself awake. He's also up at 6.30-7am every day so I get it at both ends. He functions absolutely fine on 9-10 hours sleep and has since he was 4. The only reason he goes to bed at 7.30 is because I've had enough by then!

Yanbu at that agee my dd was the same, always in bed at 7pm.

That said she is now 10yo and its not quite so easy to convince her its bedtime! I let her stay up a bit later in the holidays now but only by about half an hour.

Seven and four year olds go to bed at seven. Thirteen year old has to be in bed by ten, but will regularly take herself off earlier. It's all a case of whatever works best for your family.

Thats completely normal- all you are doing is sticking to the routine that works for them and you. Just because others have kids outside later - maybe that works for them - or perhaps they are grumpy in the morning or maybe they are not.

Mine were like yours and would have been grumpy and I am like you in that I needed my evenings. It actually doesn't last long so enjoy it - by 9 years old they are starting to stay up later e .g 8 /9 pm so you will start to lose your evening past a certain age.

I really think encouraging a good sleep habit from a young age has benefited my children enormously in their lives. I'm glad I persisted.

Mine are also in bed at 7pm, weekends and school holidays too. They are nearly 9, 6 and 2. The older two are allowed to read in bed until 7.30, but then it's lights out. They don't complain about going to bed and I like my evenings to chat to DH and relax. They all need their sleep and are up at 7 regardless of how late they go to bed. Kids need their sleep (and I need a break by then )

i did at that age. They need the sleep/routine. DD is Y4 and staying up a little later in the school holidays has only been a very recent thing.

YADNBU!

same here! mine go to bed at 7. My mother in law is snotty about it but they just become unmanageable if they go any later.

My children are adults now and don't seem to have suffered for sleeping a lot less than most of the children mentioned on this thread. Neither of them slept much during the day as babies, both gave up daytime naps as toddlers (much to my horror), neither was every ready for bed much before 9pm unless they were ill, and both were up bright and breezy by 7am at the latest - often a good bit earlier. They were notably healthy children most of the time and always active.

Just the luck of the draw. I wouldn't want anyone whose children are like mine to read this and think they are doing something wrong or that their children are abnormal.

YANBU - it's what works for your family.

My 3 (9,7 and 4) are usually in bed by 8.30pm weeknights - they get up at 7.30am

Weekends and especially holidays- we don't worry about bedtimes. We've just come back now from the beach! They will be in bed about 9.30 - 10pm tonight.

At the moment they are snuggled up under a blanket on the sofa with a friends 2 children - watching a film.

I'm drinking beer outside!

I was always a bit rigid about bed time, my inlaws used to say I was being a bit mean, then they witnessed Ds1 begging to go to bed "Mummy bed now bed now" when I let him stay up, it was only 30 minutes late and he was 3. They never questioned it again
Dd just turned 11 she's in bed by 9 and up with the larks everyday no matter what tie she goes to bed. Up until 8 she was in bed by 7 always.

Not unreasonable. Mine are 5 and 2 and go to bed at 7. It wont be changing anytime soon as they both need waking at 730 during the week. Weekends they still go to bed at 7 and usually get up about 830. 2yr old also naps 1 till 3. Keep doing what you are doing if it works for you.