To think that a club ending at 7.30 is too late for a seven year old?

[BoredByTheChore]

My Dd is interested in playing badminton. The only kids club locally finishes at 7.30. She already does brownies which also finishes at 7.30. I think that this will be too many late nights for her as by the time she has come in, showered, had a snack etc it will probably be nearly 8.30. I think it's too much and we should wait a year or so. Dd and dh both think I'm super mean and that loads of kids her age do similar. She does NOT cope well when she's tired and can be a right madam with no sleep. What do you think?

Sirfred general activity level increases the ability to sleep enough, especially if the activity is outdoors. Children who don't get enough time running about in the sunlight and fresh air don't feel tired enough fall straight to sleep early, it doesn't mean the active child needs more sleep, just that the inactive child has difficulty sleeping enough especially if over stimulated mentally close to bedtime.

Yes the on average was an error in my phraseology - the average 7 yo needs about 11 hours sleep.

I think you'd need to provide evidence for your 11 hours, it's very, very high compared to any research I've seen for the average.

And children who are getting so little activity that they are completely sedentary might sleep more if they were not sedentary, but then that child already has enough problems that a lack of sleep is low on their priorities and would likely be fixed by fixing their activity levels. That child is a complete strawman in this discussion, as we know the child is not sedentary, and that change really is only for the most sedentary.

I am glad you have decided to let her give it a try. 7.30 would be fine and is fine for my DD who has just turned 8. We tend to do an dinner a little bit before she goes, then no shower that night. Then when she gets home she sometimes has a little snack but not always, gets ready for bed, then either chats to us for a little while or goes to bed to read then hen lights out usually 8.30ish. Her usual lights out time is 8 during the week on nights with no activities as most morning she needs wakened at 7am. However, I do understand that some kids can't function as well if they regularly miss out on a little sleep. See how it goes and you can always reassess after a month or whatever. I hope she enjoys the club.

Sirfred NHS and millpond say ten hours 30 minutes on average at 7, which is only 30 mins less than 11 hours.

The German stuff I have says 10 hours 45 or 11 hours, maybe German kids sleep more but 30 minutes isn't much of a difference.

Even if 10 and a half hours is average bedtime needs to be 15-30 minutes earlier depending whether it's just a quick wash, toothbrush and pyjamas or whether showers or stories or reading independently in bed are involved - longer if all those things are part of bedtime of course.

She doesn't need the snack. She does need the shower after badminton - it's pretty energetic. But I agree - 7.30 is too late - mine would be heading up to or already in bed at that time on a weekday.

Sounds fine to me. No way would I be giving a child a snack right before bed though - what is the point?

This is a good time to try it - there's half a term left of school days and it's light evenings. Even if she's a bit tired now doing it, come September when it starts again things may be entirely different - that's months away. Not convinced she's going to need a shower - mine weren't sweaty at all at 7.

It depends on your child but personally I don't see the issue.

Surely there shower could be beforehand /skipped? If not, then that's still not a rediculously late bedtime.

DS(6) swims 7-8pm two nights a week. Those nights he is asleep at about 9pm.

He gets up at 6.30am, if not earlier, regardless of what he's done the evening before. He may not be typical though as he's just never seemed to need much sleep.