My 6 year old DS wants to stay up until midnight

[Evianbottles]

He’s still awake now. He’s never been one for a lot of sleep (on the AUHD pathway).

We are staying at my parents and so he doesn’t want to miss out. We’ve had a buffet tea and now watching a film.
He's in his pjs, but wants to stay up to watch Big Ben chime midnight and the fireworks on TV.

What would you do?

Let him. x

I’d let him stay up. X

Why not?

It’s new year - why not let him?
He will probably fall asleep before midnight anyway.

What's the issue? There will be children all over the world staying up to welcome the new year. It really isn't a big deal.

DD 8, AuDHD, is staying up. We're starting a melatonin break!

He’ll possibly fall asleep anyway?! A 00.05 yawn snd say ‘right, bed!’ Enjoy op!

Mine are up with me now and we will try to stay awake till 12 - not looking likely for the little one though!!

Yeah i would let him. What’s the worst that could happen!

Yeah let him, he either stays up and makes it or crashes at some point. No big deal either way.

Do the other people there want a 6 year old up or were they expecting him to go to bed and it be adults only for the evening?
Will he fall asleep anyway?

Let him.
Mine is six but is none the wiser tonight is NYE but if the cat is out the bag, they won't want to miss out on a party

I'd let him, it's one night and he's already excited. Trying to get him to settle down and go to bed will just end up a massive long drawn out battle of wills. Tell him he can stay up but then after the fireworks he has to go to bed. That's the deal he stays up but then he has to go to bed without a fuss.

If you think he’ll be fine, let him. I wouldn’t want to deal with a very grumpy child the next day.

You could always show him last years fireworks if he can’t tell the time? 😂

If you're all staying up then let him stay up too. Think of it this way it will hopefully make tomorrow morning easier for you all if he's potentially sleeping in later because he stayed up late rather than him getting up early whilst you're all still hiding under pillows.

Take the chance to make some exciting memories, you never know he might have a lie in tomorrow!

I’d let him see the New Year in. Maybe on the condition that he tries to have a nap first or lies in bed with a book and doesn’t disturb the adults for an hour.

Mine always wanted to and I said yes of course, knowing he'd be asleep on the sofa by 10!

I'd let him. He may well drift off on the sofa and you can wake him at the bells and then straight to bed.

We were allowed to stay up at the point we were able to stay awake. I've got great memories of watching an old musical with my gran while my parents were out first footing the neighbours and I wouldn't have been much older. We all slept in the next day.

It’s going to depend on the child. Mine are older than that and would both be impossible the next day if I let them stay up that late, and they’d be up at 6am as usual, so they are in bed at normal time despite all protestations. Other’s children would be completely fine with a one off late night. So pick whichever option is easiest for you.

Watch a previous year's on YouTube then put him to bed

Let him. He’ll probably fall asleep on the sofa before midnight and you can carry him to bed, if needs be.

They generally fall asleep, but let him stay up.
Hopefully he'll sleep in too.

Sorry, what’s the problem? Really don’t understand? My kids have always stayed up for the bells unless the crashed out themselves!

My youngest is 6, at the weekends and holidays we dont bother with a bedtime but she usually falls asleep by 11 or later - and has a lie in the next day. If she managed to stay awake until midmight it wouldn’t bother me.