To ask what time your DCs go to bed and their age?

[Goosey3]

Been living in a temporary house for a few weeks now - we’re here until our new house is ready. Have always lived in semi-detached where none of our main living space has adjoining walls with next door (lounge/bedrooms etc).
In this current house our lounge has an adjoining wall with the neighbour, as does our bedroom so for the first time I’m very aware of the noise from next door.

Really lovely family around the same age as DH and I. They have 2 children - ages 7y and 15m. Both of their children seem to go to bed around 10.30/11pm each night! It struck me as being pretty late but whatever works for their family I guess 🤷🏻‍♀️ Tonight I can hear the kids singing and laughing and it sounds like they’re watching a kids TV show of some kind 🤷🏻‍♀️ One with lots of songs lol

We just have 1 DS at 1.5years and he’s usually asleep by 7/7.30pm on a good night. Usually 8ish on a bad night.

Just curious really - what age are your DC and what time is “bedtime” in your house? 😊

6 year old 7.30pm.
11 year old 9.15pm

@Crumpetloveliness exactly, a child that goes to sleep by 6 and is up at 6 still has the same amount of waking hours as a child that goes to bed at 8 and is up at 8.

Waxonwaxoff no backstory, all NT, just all have needed their sleep, and these times are all firmly within the recommended hours for sleep.
Wake between 6-7, normally by 6.30, always before 7. My older ones are now adults and only had lie ins when they were hungover, even as child free adults they were up early.

While the times Duck has are unusual, I wouldn't say there's anything wrong with them if they suit the children.

My own dc are all upstairs by 7:30 during the week in term time. Even my 11 & 12 yo. They both like reading in their rooms. The 11yo usually settles himself down to sleep between 8:30 & 9 & the 12yo around 9:30. My 4 & 6yo are usually asleep by 8 & my 9yo by 8/8:30. With the exception of dc3(9) they're all fairly early risers (between 6 & 7:30). Dc1 & 2 both know they could stay down longer if they wanted & sometimes do but it's their choice & they choose to go up & read. Weekends & school holidays they usually go up in stage between 7:30 & 9/9:30. If we're actually on holiday it's usually 10-11, but they just crash out straight away without reading, they love it but naturally fall back in to their 'normal' routine once we're home.

To answer the original question, yes I do think it's late but each to their own.

Yeah, that's true but my child goes to bed at 8 and wakes up well before 8. He's never slept for 12 hours straight, it's about 10/11 usually. Fair enough if that's what yours do, but if I put mine to bed at 6pm he'd be up at 4!

DSs are 2 and 5, bedtime is 7-7:30. It works for us - I like that we can get a babysitter and go out for things like theatre without missing much time with the kids and I like that we have plenty of time in the mornings with them before school/nursery.

Fair enough if that's what yours do, but if I put mine to bed at 6pm he'd be up at 4!

Most people say the same. It actually works the other way round for mine, especially when they were younger, if they went to bed late they'd be up even earlier.

Mine also don't read/listen to audio books in bed, they get into bed turn there light off and are asleep within minutes, which apparently is also odd.

My 7 year old goes to bed at 7 but had an hour to read, draw, write in her diary etc. on a weekend she can either stay up til 8 with us and then have an hour in bed till 9, or she can go to bed at 7 still but put a film on until 9pm.

6 month old goes down at 7pm.

6&8 year olds here. We aim to be starting bedtime routine by 7.30, in bed by 8, lights out around 8.30.That goes later in the summer and on weekends when they don’t have to be up early the next morning.

When do/did they have time to do things like homework, playdates with friends, activities like football, Scouts, dance whatever if they were in bed so early? How did they get their downtime?

1 year old - 6/6:30pm
3 year old - 7/7:30pm

Dc is just over 2.5 years old and for the last year has gone to bed at about 9pm. It would be late for many, but that’s just her consistent bedtime , she goes to bed with no fuss and sleeps well. Usually wakes about 7.30am, which is grand. As much as I’m an early bird, I’d struggle with 6am wake ups I think😆

Mine are 11 and 14. They go up for showers etc around 8/8.30 and lights out by 9. Both get up around 7am. Pre school and early to mid primary years it was 7/7.30pm. Also surprised at Duck’s times because DD’s both have activities in the week which finish around 6/6.30/7pm and they eat tea after this so no way they could go to bed earlier.

Comparing bedtimes seems utterly meaningless if you don't know wake up times?

Based on the length of time it takes the kids to get ready and school run we have a target wake time (currently 7am). If they are not waking at 7 we move thier bedtime earlier (15 mins at a time) until they are. If they start waking too early we know it's time to move their bedtime later.

I do miss the days before they were at school when they could stay up later and we'd all sleep in late!

10 year old goes to bed at 9pm. Although he dicks about far too much after that so I am threatening to move it to 830 so he's actually down by 9pm

@DyingForACuppa I did realise that after I’d posted 🤣 Mine is 18 months old and a long lie seems like a distant memory 🤣 the later he stays up, the earlier he wakes up 🤣

I work PT and my DH works away from home for weeks at a time so I do envy the neighbours routine in some ways I suppose! I’m straight in from work and straight into bath/bed routine so I don’t get much time with DS on my work days. And keeping him up later isn’t really an option as I need him awake by 7am at the latest for me going to work. I know I could let the routine slide at the start of the week when im not working but it just throws things off for the rest of the week and isn’t worth it 🙈

Blimey @Ducksurprise I would never see my children at those bedtimes as I didn't get in from work until 6 and their dad, gone 7. Thankfully I only worked 3 days a week. Then had stables, cricket, football, musical theatre after so dinner wasn't until 6 at the earliest. They were never late for school.
Can't remember what time they went to bed but they're adult
Now (one still 17) and manage to get themselves up and to work and school on time.

10 yr old at 9pm
16 year old at 11pm
Schoolnights

8 yo and 12 yo both in bed at 9pm
The 12 yo is up at 6.45 though and the 8yo at 7.45. They both love a lie in at weekends.

My children didn't go to bed until at least 8pm from toddlers. I didn't get in from work in the city until gone 630 and my ExH didn't get in before 730. We'd had hardly ever see them if they went at 730/8. So depends on your working pattern as well.

7 year old about 7.30-8

Have a 4 month old and they go at 7-7.30

6 Yr old, 9.30, 13 year old 11. Neither of mine could stay in bed from an early age before 8.30pm. It works for us and they both get up no problem for school. It's knackering and makes for a very long day but thems the breaks with my kids.

We tried everything over the years but it just wasn't worth the tears and stress. And they both fall asleep straight away and the whole night through.

DS gets up at 6.45am for school and I get DD up at 7.15am.

When mine were little, I was a bit of a stickler for bedtimes. As toddlers, they'd be in bed for 7/7.30pm for a 7am wake up time (ds slept through, dd not so much).

They are 15 and 13 now. Both spend much of their evening in their bedrooms - homework, messaging friends, watching stuff on the laptop. For 13yo DD, it's screens off (and on charge downstairs) at 9.30pm. She can read if she wants until 10pm, but often chooses just to go straight to sleep.
I need to keep tabs on her because, left to her own devices, would stay up silly late - and she already finds it a struggle to get up in the morning (needs to be up at 7.45am latest).

15yo DS, on the other hand, I can pretty much leave to his own devices these days. He brings his own phone to the kitchen at around 9.30pm unprompted, then will read until about 10.30/11pm. He's super sensible, and I can trust him to put his light out when he's ready to go to sleep.
He's first up in the morning without fail, at around 6/6.30am despite not needing to be up until 7.45. He likes to get up early, make himself a cup of tea and a bowl of cereal, then scroll his phone for the news headlines/football news etc.

All kids seem to need different amounts of sleep, and different routines work for different families.
I also have a 25yo son who lives in a house share. I can see from his WhatsApp that he was regularly last on at 3.30/4am 😲. He manages to hold down a full time job, which is pretty much the only reason I stop myself from telling him to get to sleep at a more sensible time!

My 2yo has just fallen asleep!

Tbf these days she has tv off at 8, stories til 8:45 I'd she wants (though often takes herself to bed earlier) then asleep anytime between 9 and half 10. Absolutely no point trying to move things forward, that would just be extra time trying to keep her in bed.

She's aways been a night owl. As a newborn 11 was her usual sleep time, half 2 not unheard of! She does better now if she doesn't have an afternoon nap, but that runs the risk of her crashing at 6 and that being her nap (and thus awake til the hours). I'd rather lose my evenings than be up at half 5 which a friend is with her dd.

Story at 8.30pm, 5 year old asleep by 9, 7 year old is a night old and pads about till asleep at 10. 6 year old one either straight off at 9 or padding about till 10 with her older brother.

They all sleep until 8/8.30am

@Vintagecreamandcottagepie how do you get away with them sleeping til 8.30? What time does school start? We have to be out the door by 7.50.