To put my 5yr old to bed at 7pm?

[sunshinecoffee]

It's a school night here in Scotland. On school nights I send my son to bed around 7/half 7. But the local kids tend to ring the bell wanting him to go out and play at 7pm. Am I being a mean mum (as as they and he) suggest?

If he doesn’t then take hours to get to sleep and sleeps until a reasonable time then it would seem he needs that much sleep. It’s irrelevant what other children are allowed to do in my opinion.

Sounds fair to me . No way would my 5 year old be playing out at 7pm especially on a school
night . My 8 year old comes in at 7.30 in the summer !!!!!

No, not at all. Mine went to bed at 7pm on school nights at that age too, otherwise they were too tired the next day.

My 5 year old has just gone to bed and she's not back at school until next week. Definitely not being unreasonable!

My 6 year old has lights out and 8, this is a recent change from 7.30. If he is sleeping then he needs it. Most kids his age need 12 hours sleep.

YANBU.

Mine used to go to bed at that time until older than that.

I remember dc1 going into year 3 and me apologising to their teacher that they would be tired on Fridays as they’d moved up to cubs which didn’t finish until 8 and their usual bedtime was 7. She was amazed that they went to sleep at that time, but I used to wake them at 7am so they obviously needed that much sleep!

It depends what time they have to get up on the morning really. Mine go in the bath at 7 and in bed by 7:30

My five year old goes to bed at 7 and is usually asking to go to bed from half six so I don't think you are being unreasonable

We are sort of back (well, I'm back and DS5 is in my school's summer camp). He tends to go to bed at 8pm. I wouldn't send him out to play at 7pm, though. We don't get home until 5.30pm and he still needs to eat dinner.
Today, we got home at 6.30pm because he had swimming after school (camp).

You're his parent. You need to make a call about how much sleep he needs, his bedtime routine, what time he needs to be up etc. It's not up to a gang of 5 year olds to influence that decision.

Mine at 5 went to bed between 5 and 6pm. They were shattered, they still slept until 6am (the time we needed to be up) it worked for us. Friends said I was cruel. Mine needed their sleep.

my kids went to bed at 7pm at that age, 7.30pm until 7, 8pm until 9/10 - ooooh I miss those days. They always seemed to be happy with it and needed that sleep, not like I forced them but it was just a well established routine until they got older.
These days as early teens I am in bed before they are but they still like their sleep so during holidays/ weekends they won't make an appearance until late morning/noon unless there are plans to get up early.

Depends entirely on your child. Mine have never been in bed at that time - they'd either nap or be up by 5am but I'm sure plenty are. As above as long as they aren't struggling to fall asleep or getting up stupidly early it's fine

I once put my kids to bed at 4pm (!!!) when they were toddle age to much amusement to anyone, we had an early flight to catch and had to get up at 3am. the judgement I got!!
I just darkened the room and did their usual bed time routine and they slept to be nice balanced kids that could handle the early morning travel.

In other news when they just about learnt to read the time I may have once or twice changed all the clocks back by an hour after a particular tough day at work 😂

Definitely too late.. And another point, would you really let your five-year-old go out to play unsupervised?!

I wouldn't be wanting anyone ringing my bell at 7pm and I'm in SW of England.
But, I am a mean Mum.
Over the Summer, my 4.5 year olds have been going to bed at 10 and getting up at 9, but we are transitioning back to bed at 19:30 and lights out at 8.
I don't care what other parents do, but this works for us.

My 2 year old goes to bed at 5pm if she doesn't nap! My 4 year old goes to bed anywhere from 6 to 7. 7 being late! Clever idea with the clocks 😂

Yanbu. I wouldn't let my 5 year old play outside unsupervised, I don't let my 10 and 8 year old out, well the 10 year old has been to the park once with his friend. We don't live on a housing estate. I think if we did I would let them at this age, but not a 5.

DS is 5 and has always had a fairly late bedtime of 8pm (comparing to other kids that age I know) however we have dinner 5.30/5.45, then a bit of TV/play, then bath (4 nights) then wind down for going upstairs at 7.30 for a book and lights out by 8.

There are no kids out and about round here at that time (during term time - diffeebt story in the hols), not even older kids. No way he'd be out playing that late.

YANBU.

My 5 year old went to bed at 7 tonight. Just like they do every night.

7pm is perfectly reasonable for a 5YO on school night.

My kids are older, but even on a school night if they were playing out, I would ask them to come in by around 7pm/7.30pm. I send mine upstairs around then so I can have a bit of peace and quiet. They do have a telly in their room and I let them watch that or do what they want in their rooma. Then it's lights out and to bed at 9pm.

My 5yo is in bed between 6.30 and 7pm. Usually asleep before 7pm. He is exhausted after school.

Well I wouldn’t based on my 2 year old.
He usually goes 8.30-9pm, wakes 6.30-7am.
Yesterday he was knackered, fell asleep in the car at 5pm and I couldnt wake him enough to eat or stay awake so he went to bed at 6pm for the first time in his life. He woke, at 3.30am. Yup. 3.30am.

7pm the street and gardens are full of children playing locally, so I think most children must not be in bed at that point

None of mine have ever been in bed at 7pm (at any age!!) although none of mine have ever been allowed to play at 7pm aged 5 and beyond on a school night either.

Absolutely not a chance in hell would mine have been playing out at 7pm when they were 5!!