To ask what time your 9 year old goes to bed?

[MrsOverTheRoad]

DD finds it really hard to wind down. It's currently almost 9.00pm here in Australia and she's in bed reading...the trouble is that she can do that till' about midnight if allowed.

When I get firm and say lights off now then she will toss and turn for ages...she genuinely finds it hard to sleep.

She doesn't have sugar or anything she shouldn't...we don't buy squash or fizzy drinks....sweets and cakes etc are a rare treat.

She's not hungry or thirsty...she's well fed and she gets TONNES of excersise...she runs round all day...very active kid....can that be the issue? Too active?

She is fine and happy in school...no complaints from them or her regarding that.

What CAN it be??

Is she tired in the morning? Maybe she genuinely needs less sleep. My 9 year old goes to bed at 8 (most nights, sometimes 9) and wakes at 7am, so i know he needs 10-11 hours a night.

Mine goes to bed at 8pm weeknights and is allowed to read til 8.30pm, then lights out.

On weekends, she goes to bed at 9pm then can read until 9.30pm.

She gets up most mornings around 8am. So she needs 11-12 hours.

My 9 year old goes upstairs at about 8pm and lights out at about 9.15ish during the week, an hour later at weekends. She wakes up independently at 7am every morning.

Sorry forgot to add - what time does your dd get up in the mornings?

TBH, if she's getting up just fine in the mornings, and her evening alertness isn't anything new, then there isn't a problem with having a slightly later bed time than most 9yos. But midnight is a bit too late if she has school the next day! Maybe allow her to read until 10pm and then remove any distractions from her room to encourage her to wind down?

Does she have enough exercise?

Scrumple she gets up at 7...she's had about three colds this winter (winter here!) and I can't help but worry it's because she's run down.

Groupie not to be rude but did you read the OP properly?

I have a 7yo night owl. We do lights out at 8.30 and he lays down and listens to an audiobook until he falls asleep. It usually only takes him 20-30min to drop off. Might work in the same way to help your dd settle?

Light out by 7.30pm on a school night. The alarm goes off at 6.50am and she needs to be up and active not tired and dragging herself around. She needs that amount of sleep else everything else suffers.

My nearly-9yo has never needed much sleep and copes perfectly well going to bed at 9pm ish and getting up at 7am ish He's allowed to read "for a bit" so lights out 9.30-10 ish.

He's quite a worrier, though, so some nights - maybe once or twice a week - he finds us at 10pm or later to check he isn't going to be blown up by a terrorist / get run over by a lorry / die of Lyme Disease.

I don't think "too active" really computes for a child of 9?!

Sorry, me again, some other suggestions to help her wind down:

• Check the temperature in her room. Too hot? Too cold?

• Is her mattress and bedding comfortable? I only discovered my DD's mattress had a sprung spring when changing her bedding at the weekend.

• Are there any noises from outside or from neighbours that are disturbing her? We have a horrible electricity generator outside of our house and the buzzing is awful during the summer when the windows are open.

• Can you try getting her in for a bath immediately before lights out rather than before reading? I always feel sleepy after a hot bath but if i get on and do something afterwards i waken right up again!

• What about a weighted blanket to stop her tossing and turning so much?