To send my four year old to bed at 6pm

[hibbledibble]

People seem shocked it's so early, but she gets grumpy and tired at 5pm. What time do your nearly school children go to bed at?

Mine is 4 (nearly 5) in Reception...he goes to bed around 8.15/8.30 and is asleep for 9. Wakes up full of energy at 7.30.

He's still at after school club most days at 5, and sitting down for dinner at 6...

You aren't necessarily "wrong" though, everyone has different routines, we don't need to leave the house for school until 8.40, you might need to leave for breakfast club at 6.30 etc...

@Camomila

Mine is 4 (nearly 5) in Reception...he goes to bed around 8.15/8.30 and is asleep for 9. Wakes up full of energy at 7.30.

He's still at after school club most days at 5, and sitting down for dinner at 6...

You aren't necessarily "wrong" though, everyone has different routines, we don't need to leave the house for school until 8.40, you might need to leave for breakfast club at 6.30 etc...

Same as my 4 year old and she’s at school. She’s literally just gone off to sleep- up at 7.30am. She rarely gets tired.

They are all different though. I’d love a long evening like yours!!

What time is use up in the morning? Does use sleep well?

Why not if they need it? Mine is six and goes to bed at 7, at the age of 4/5 he would go to bed at 6.30.

It’s fine. Some kids need a 6pm bedtime and it will get later naturally

6 year old here, year 2. She goes to bed between 6 and 6.30pm asleep for 7. We’re up at 6.30am though as she has some additional needs and does physio, and needs time to digest food plus we do reading and spellings/homework before leaving for school at 8.45am so we have nearly 2 hours in the morning to do all that in.

One of mine at that age only needed about 8 hours sleep. So we got back from after school club at 6ish, then had 3 hours of playtime and together time.
My other DC at that age needed about 11 hours sleep. On long days at nursery and wrap around care we hardly saw each other. Sometimes we would do bath and bedtime properly, other nights just a quick change and toothbrush and in the morning a shower or bath. Then at the weekends a catch up nap too!
They are all so different. Similarly my DC who doesn't need much sleep would have an hours nap 1x a day at 2y, plus about 9-10 hrs at night, whereas the one who needs lots of sleep would have 2 naps of 1.5-2.5 hrs and then sleep 12 or 13hrs at night!

People have judged me for having a 4y Dc up at 10pm, and judged me for having my other 4y Dc tucked up in bed at 6.30pm. You can't win with everyone, so just do what's right for your child and Family

My eldest went to bed at 6.30 until about 6 months ago (he's 5). He needed it. Sometimes still does.

He's always woken between 5.30 and 6.30 though. The later he goes to bed the earlier he wakes.

DC2 (2) is a different kettle of fish, 8pm bed time (DC1 still goes at 7) and sleeps till 6.30/7.

Different kids need different things.

Mines 7 and she's in bed lights off at 7.15pm. At 4yo she was in bed at 6pm.

I could only dream of this!!

My 3.5 year old goes to bed at 8 every night and has done since about 2 years old. She just doesn't get tired.

6pm would be bliss 😂

My son just turned 4 and goes to bed at 7pm. Generally asleep by 7.30pm. If it works and she needs the sleep then there's no issue. I'd only change it if it meant she was getting up too early in the mornings.

She sleeps till about 7am. She's asleep almost as soon as her head hits the pillow.

She gets so tired I have even wondered about reinstating the midday nap, but she's probably a bit old for that now, plus not an option when primary starts.

Dd is 6.5 and its bath at 7pm, lights out at 8, usually asleep at 9.30ish, i have to tickle her awake at 7am or she naturally wakes up at 7.30. Her best friend is in bed and usually asleep at 6.30pm and awake at 6am.

The only difference is I work full time so DD has been at nursery/school and wraparound clubs between 7.30am and 5.30pm since 8 months old. If she went to bed earlier we wouldn't see her mid week. We tried earlier bedtimes but they don't work. Her best friends mum works around school hours. As a PP said every child is different.

The night before DD started full time school nursery (aged 3.5 - we’re in Wales) she was still up at 10:30pm, as was normal for her. Within a week she’d adjusted to a 9-9:30pm bedtime.

I usually don’t eat lunch till about 4pm, so 6pm bedtime would never happen here.

4yo DS goes to bed at 6.30 and 7yr old DD goes at 7.15. I love it! Nice few hours to ourselves on an evening. They are both up at 6.30am regardless of what time they go to bed and we do leave early for school club.

Has she always been like this? She may be having a growth spurt. Mine always sleep and eat loads more when having one.

Saying that, mine has always gone to bed early, always 7pm. It’s only now at nearly age 8, that my
Girl is lasting until 8

My just turned 4 year old goes to sleep around 7.30pm to 8 ish. If he goes to sleep any earlier he wakes for the day at 3am or something ridiculous, which means he struggles to get through the next day at nursery and I can't function at work either.

What matters is meeting your own child's needs though. If it works for your child, it's all good!

My 4 year old (5 in May) goes to bed at 6.30. some nights I hear him purring about in his room until near 7 but he's always sleep by 7 and sleeps through until about 7am. He's always needed a lot of sleep at night although funnily he wasn't very good at keeping when he was younger and he dropped his last nap before his second birthday

Sorry, full of typos!!
Purring = pottering
Keeping = napping

My eldest went to bed at 6pm on Reception. We left for school at 7am... It started at 7.30. (and finished at lunchtime... It was fantastic).

I think they’re all different and some genuinely need the earlier bedtime. Some don’t.

You know your child and can judge what they need.

7 year old DD here. In bed at 8, reading etc and asleep 8.30/9. We wake up 7.30/7.45, to leave at 8.45. We have been back at school for two weeks and this is current and normal routine. During lockdown it was regularly 11 pm

4 y/o goes to bed at 7 and usually asleep by half past. Went at 6 tonight. The first week back is wiping him out!

My 7.5 year old and nearly 10 year old
Go to bed at 19.30. My lot have always loved their sleep. My almost 13 years old DD is less keen on going early but from Monday onwards she'll be back to half 9.