If you put kids to bed at 6pm ...

[ichifanny]

Just out of interest , I keep hearing parents talking about kids getting up at 4am - 5am I have 4 including a baby and apart from the newborn stage it’s never happened to any of mine unless they are ill or otherwise disrupted . Is it not just the case that if you put your kids to bed at 6-7pm then it makes sense they will be up with the larks ? Does it happen often that kids who go to bed about 8.30pm -9pm still get up early ?

My dd sleeps roughly 8pm-8am

She's 3

As a baby from 6 months to about two years old it wasn't unusual for her to sleep 6pm-7am or even 8am all the way through

My children could go to bed at 6pm or 9pm, and would still be up at 5am

My 3 year old goes to bed at about 9. Is up by 5 and never sleeps through the night. Hasn’t napped since 18 months old.

Mine go to bed at 7pm (both asleep already) they are 7 and 4. They will be up at 5:30am tomorrow. That's just how it is. If I put them to bed at 8, or 9 or 10pm then they would still be up at 5:30am 😬 It makes no difference to them what time I put them to bed as to what time they get up, apart from the fact that they are then foul all day! I also love having my evenings with dh and the boys really enjoy their routine of upstairs at 6pm for bath, teeth and story. It's been that way since they were six weeks old.

Some kids are just naturally early risers. My DS (nearly 3) goes to bed at 7. If he stays up much later, he's a grumpy mess. He tends to wake between 530 and 6, but has gone through the 4am stage also. I've tried putting him to bed at 8, and even 9. If anything, that made him wake nearer 5! So at least I figure if he goes by 7 he gets enough sleep and I get a little bit of adult time to make up for the early mornings

Yep. What popsy said for my 2 eldest when they were little. Putting them to bed later is the first, most obvious, thing I think parents of early risers try. Weeks of hellishly tired kids later and no improvement in the time they get up, defeat is conceded.

My 4 year old is up as soon as it’s light, always has been. My 2 year old will sleep until 10am left to her own devices. I think you’re either a lark or a night owl and you’ve just been lucky!

Interesting .. not intending to judge other people’s parenting i have friends who complain their kids get up early but always put them to bed also .

DS1 wakes at 6ish regardless and this is a distinct improvement on how he was a couple of years ago. He goes to bed at 8pm. We did try moving bedtime later once and it had zero effect (other than making him grumpy from lack of sleep). If bedtime is earlier however he wakes earlier. Sigh!

Does it happen often that kids who go to bed about 8.30pm -9pm still get up early?

I don't have the energy to parent my 1yo until 9pm, so yes she goes to bed between 6 and 7pm and is awake between 5 and 6am. But that will change as she gets older. My middle wakes later and the eldest even later than that

My DS wakes at 5 on summer time and 6 on winter time. Has done since he was 1 week old, he is now 9. I once let him stay up to watch fireworks at midnight (winter) and he woke up at 645

My 7 year old asks to go to bed by 7. Yes, he's up before 6. Keep him up late, and he is still up at 5.30, just tired.

The 10 yr old goes to bed at 9. And is up at 5. That's not much more sleep that I would like to get!

DD goes to bed between 6-7pm, she sleeps through until 8am usually, she's 2. In fact if she goes to bed later she tends to have a really unsettled night.

Oh, bed time has always been 730-8pm, although since he turned 9 it's more 8-830.

Doesn’t matter what time I put DS down, he wakes up between 5.15 and 6.30. We have to be up at 6 at the latest in the week anyway so it’s not a problem tbh.

I could put my kids to bed at 11pm and they'd still get up at 5! Believe me I've tried!

Yes captainmarvellous it comes down to which you have the energy for I don’t have the energy to get up at 5am so would rather have them awake until 9pm .

But I see it doesn’t make much difference to some . It’s gave me something to think about and I think I’ve probabky just got lucky so far with my children’s sleep patterns it’s interesting to hear how diverse children are .

My 2.5 year old has never slept through the night. However she reliably is in bed for 12 hours pretty much, maybe longer. So if she goes to sleep at 7.30 she will wake a few times in the night and have a quick settle and then wake around 7.30/8am. Although it would be nice if she slept through I must say I would hate for her to wake before 7 😬 I am a night owl and find it hard to wind down before 11pm.

I prefer my child to be an early riser. It works for us.

It does have to be dark for her though so we have a black out blind. If we go away anywhere that lets the light in not only will she not go to be early (in summertime) she will also wake as soon as the sun comes up. Blackout blinds are my saviour.

People have different body clocks, it's natural. So glad to hear that you're not judging.

Dd1 has always woken up early no matter what time she goes to bed. She's a teen now, and still up at 6am, even if she stays up late.

Dd2 is the opposite and has always loved a lie-in.

They were like this as babies, toddlers, pre-teens and now as teens.

I have one lark and one owl. The time they go to bed doesn't affect when they rise - or, indeed, when they fall asleep; some kids just sleep more than others. When they are adults, I think I shall call them at midnight and 6 am just to let them know I am awake.

It's understandable they're diverse though. I've never understood this obsession with getting kids to follow an identical sleep pattern like the magic 7-7. That's not how adults sleep. Sure, we have to try and help them get enough sleep to get up for school etc but they're going to have their own natural sleep pattern.

I actually struggle more now they're older and go to bed later, I'm often in bed before them in the school holidays! Luckily my husband is a night owl.

2 year old goes to bed between 6pm and 7pm. She still wakes up about 6am even if I keep her up later. Tonight she is actually refusing to sleep I've been trying for an hour and she will still be awake at 6am tomorrow .

As a baby she used to sleep from 6pm and could sleep about 16 hours if I left her. Take me back 😭