What time do you put your 9 year old to bed?

[starrynights8]

Dd is just turning 9 and thinks her bedtime is too early. She goes to bed at 7 does this sound too early on a school night?

DS turns 9 in early March. He and DD (6) head upstairs for a wash and to brush their teeth at 7pm, they're in bed with lights out by 7.15. DD usually wakes around 7 naturally, on weekdays I have to wake DS at around 7 to be ready for school. On a weekend he sleeps until around 9.

Exactly: she could be getting less sleep because she's going to bed too early.

Ideally we would all fall asleep within about 15 minutes of lying down in the dark to sleep. If it takes too long to fall asleep, it’s counterproductive.

7pm is early if the day starts at 7am and she doesn’t seem tired yet. I agree with PP that a dvd is not ideal for a pre bed activity.

8pm, wakes around 7am. My children are allowed to read if they can't sleep, I think a DVD would make Falling asleep more difficult

7pm is a babies bedtime. She's probably not tired.

DD9 goes to sleep at 9:30-10:00 and gets up fine at 7:00. Has been the same since she was 2!

DS11 on the other hand needs a bit more than that and is asleep at 9:00-9:30.

My 8 & 10 year olds
Bed and sleep for 9.15/9.30
Up at 8

I'm aiming for 7.30 bedtime, but I need to be able to rouse them for 6.15am. It doesn't always work, because some days I don't get home until gone 6, so by the time I've made dinner etc. it can end up as late as 8.30/9.

The clue for you is whether they're tired in the morning. All kids are different in that regard.

Up at 9pm asleep by 10 normally, we live close to school so he sleeps until 7.45. 7pm would be way too early!

I’d say its too early, but if she wants to watch a whole DVD I wouldn’t start any later than 7.30. Mine were probably in bed for 9 at that age. My youngest was always latest to go to sleep, not sure why. Now she is coming up 17 she is far more sensible about getting enough sleep, mainly as she is very studious and follows good advice and also wakes early (before 6) to do some study before school (at least I think she does, she could be watching something in her room).

Don't any of these dc who go to bed really early have friends round to play or do after school activities and homework ? They just seem to have short waking hours that are a bit regimented.

My ten year old goes up at 8, we read for a bit and then usually lights out around 8:30-8:45

Yes this. If your child naturally wakes at 6am every day then they probably do need to go to bed early. However some kids would wake later if put to bed later.

I do find as they get older mine get up later and go to bed that bit later too. But my dc don't need to be up until 7/7.30. If they had to be up earlier to go to breakfast club etc that would be different.

7pm seems very early for that age group, especially during the summer months when it'll still be full daylight outside.

Mine are just about to turn 8 and are often still at activities at that time. Mine go up at 8, and it's lights out at 8:30.

Bed around 8-8:30. Can read for ten mins if they want but usually just go to sleep. Up at 6:30am

Go up at 7.30 for stories and then bed at 8.

Early, yes, but DVDs... very archaic!

Safer than allowing a 9yo unsupervised access to a streaming service.

doesn't need to be unsupervised, there are loads of apps out there which give parental control....

Or supervise Dc in a lounge? Talk to each other maybe?

Upstairs 7.30, into bath/shower then reading with us until 8.30/8.45 then asleep by 9/9.15.

I don't have kids but I don't know anyone whose 9-year-old kids are sent to bed at 7pm.

My friend's kids are 8 and 9 and do loads of stuff like Cubs and sports clubs etc and they're not even home from those until about 7.30pm.

When I was that age I was going to bed around 9ish I think and I didn't go to sleep straight away, I used to read and so on for quite a while.

But most 9 year olds really don't need 12 hours of sleep every night. That would usually be the absolute maximum, certainly not average, and plenty of nine-year-olds would be totally fine with 9-10 hours.

I would also add that if she's a natural night owl rather than a 'morning person' she will struggle to wake up in the mornings regardless of what time you send her to bed. I would find it just as hard to get up in the morning after 12 hours in bed as I would after five or six hours in bed. It's just a body clock thing. I've been like that all my life, including when I was a child. Putting me to bed at 7pm when I was a child would absolutely not have resulted in me being bright as a button when woken at 7am.

She puts herself to bed, although I go in to say good night. About 9ish.