To ask what time your DCs go to bed and whether that’s early enough

[Lucycantdance]

My DC7 and DC5 go to bed around 7pm. But sometimes have a later night on the weekend so Sunday night can even be as early as 6.30pm. They fall asleep quickly. DC7 wakes up at crack of dawn at 6am-7am no matter what - even if he went to bed at midnight it wouldn’t matter. He’s always needed loads of sleep. DC5 can cope a bit better.

Someone made me feel like a bit of a cruel DM the other night for these bedtimes - their DCs stay up a lot later. In fact on Sunday nights in summer their DC5s are still out playing gone 7pm.

I don’t feel insecure in any way about it. Mine just cannot cope with late nights especially before school. To be fair I go to bed at 9pm ish! But I’m just intrigued about what the range is for other children?

7 is fine, ignore them.

ds13 goes to bed between 9.15 & 10. He seems to cope ok on that, with plenty of energy and little grumpiness. . He gets up happily at 7am for swimming on Saturdays and sleeps in until 9am on Sundays.

My grandchildren, 4 and nearly 7 go to bed at 9. Sometimes the 4 year old is ready for bed at 8.30. The eldest gets up around 6.30, the youngest around 7. My children wouldn't have coped with a bedtime as early as yours do and we are all adults who don't need a lot of sleep and can power nap. We often go late evening shopping, to the park outside of winter.

8pm for my 8 year old, 8.30 at the weekends. It's enough for him. At 5 years old he was going to bed at 7pm.

Personally I wouldn't be putting a 7 year old to bed as early as 6.30 but my DS would be up way to early if I had. All kids are different.

My 5 year old bed time has always been in bed for 7 and she might do some colouring or listen to a story until 8 - very rare it's later than that even in holidays

My friends children of same age it's more like 830pm

But we have to be up for work at 6am every week day whereas friend doesn't work so they get up at 730

Someone made me feel like a bit of a cruel DM the other night for these bedtimes - their DCs stay up a lot later.

Ignore ignore ignore. They are being ridiculous.

Good quality sleep is vital for health and learning. One of the best things you can do for you kids is encourage healthy sleep, it is as important as nutrition.

'cruel'

My neatly 5 year old goes to bed between 7-7.30; she gets up early and I find that if she stays up late then she still gets up early and is just grumpy the next day. I wonder if there’s a bit of jealousy as you’re getting a decently long evening to yourself whereas they aren’t

My 4 year old is always in bed by 7

My kids have always gone to bed at 8pm. They are 8 and 5 now.
We are in southern Europe and people here are shocked by how early our kids go to bed. Equally I'm always shocked by how early kids in the UK go to bed.
At the end of the day it's horses for courses, if it works for them and you carry on. There will always be someone judging how you parent no matter what you do.

Ds2 is 7 and goes to bed at 7:30, well that's the aim, sometimes it's closer to 8. He wakes up about 6:30.

Dd is 11 and goes to bed at 9, ds1 is 14
And goes to bed at 10.

My 4 year old goes to bed at630 everyday. He is knackered and goes straight to sleep. I think your kids times are fine.

My 4 almost 5 year old has a 7pm bedtime, asleep by 7:30 most of the time.

Occasionally she stays up later but not often. She usually wakes around 6:30am. If she stays up later, like she did for the fireworks on Friday, she still wakes at around 6:30. And is then cranky all day because she's tired.

My DS8 goes to bed at 7.30 on school nights and he also gets up around 6am.

He sometimes tells me that X or Y from school goes to bed at 8.30 or 9pm... my response is always that they probably get up later in the morning so still sleep the same amount of hours.

My 4yo goes to bed at 8-8.30 and wakes up around 7.30 to get ready for nursery. They will sometimes stay up later at weekends or on holiday, but they usually sleep a bit later too and are not hugely affected by lack of sleep (or will just have an afternoon nap to compensate). I know lots of children who have earlier or very set bedtimes, because that's what they need otherwise they are cranky and exhausted. It's what works for the individual child/family.

My very nearly 4yr old goes up to bed at 7.30pm.
Teeth, toilet, story and he's usually asleep by 8pm.
6.30 would be ridiculously early for us, we'd still be eating tea, he doesn't have his milk until 7pm.
We also have a 9mth old baby who goes to sleep at about 8-8.30 and sleeps until 5.30-6ish.

My very nearly 4yr old goes up to bed at 7.30pm.
Teeth, toilet, story and he's usually asleep by 8pm.
6.30 would be ridiculously early for us, we'd still be eating tea, he doesn't have his milk until 7pm.

Almost exactly the same here with 3.5 year old. I don't judge early bedtimes but I am pleased that ours doesn't need to eat tea at 5pm - with a small snack they cope perfectly well occasionally eating at 7 if that's what the day dictates, and are fine if we're still out and about at that time. I have friends whose children sometimes need to be in bed by about 6pm and think it must be very limiting for them. I don't know how you get round that though because some children do just need more sleep. Ours gets up earlier than a lot of these early-to-bed sleepers too and never really gets into the tired/hysterical stage by bedtime that they often describe.

@Ponoka7

My grandchildren, 4 and nearly 7 go to bed at 9. Sometimes the 4 year old is ready for bed at 8.30. The eldest gets up around 6.30, the youngest around 7. My children wouldn't have coped with a bedtime as early as yours do and we are all adults who don't need a lot of sleep and can power nap. We often go late evening shopping, to the park outside of winter.

My family is like this. My toddler goes to bed usually at 8 sometimes slightly later. It isn't absolute strict in that if she isn't tired it can be a bit later and if she is, a bit earlier but usually around that window of time. However that's plenty for her. She wont sleep if you try earlier or will get up at stupid o clock. Neither her Dad nor I need much sleep so this wasn't unexpected for us. She still does settling down for bed earlier but it takes a while!

My rising 5 goes to bed between 6.30 & (rarely) 7.30, on school nights he is often shattered and needs to go to bed early.

The only time he is up til 7.30 is things like bonfire night. Like your DC he wakes at 6am regardless of bedtime and too many later bedtimes result in grumpiness and bad behaviour.

I would also add that as a household we have to be up, so no one is staying up late.

My DC need 11 hours sleep a night. We have to be up at 6.30 as I start work at 8am (when I'm at the office, I'm up at 6 and on a train at 7am). The children are at childcare by 8am, so sleeping in til 8am isnt an option.

I have a 5yo & 11mo. They're sleeping by 7.30pm (sometimes the baby is asleep by 7.00pm depending how he's napped during the day).
Up between 6&7am which is fine (or will be when the baby sleeps through )
5yo is cheery, eats well, learns well and hardly ever gets ill. Kids need lots of sleep.
If there was a party or special occasion then I wouldn't be strict on bedtime.

12 year old lights out at 9.30 on school night and 11pm on weekend.

6 year old 8pm on a school night and 8.30 at weekend.

Both wake up at 7am and aren't tired so works for us.

Kids need lots of sleep

some kids need lots of sleep

We are in southern Europe and people here are shocked by how early our kids go to bed. Equally I'm always shocked by how early kids in the UK go to bed.

Spain has a huge problem with its population not sleeping enough. They get almost an hour less on average than other populations, and there are big issues with children being too sleepy at school.

My 7 year old goes at 8 and my 5 year old at 7.30

They all go up at 7ish
3yo asleep 8ish
6yo asleep 8.30ish
7yo asleep 9ish
Bedtime is long and drawn out but lovely.
7yo wakes at 7am
6yo wakes at 7.15am
3yo wakes at 7.30am