What time do your child go to bed?

[helenmelonmoon]

Just wondering what time your children go to bed? My DD has just turned 5 and goes to bed at 8pm on schools nights. I mentioned this to other school mums and they seem to think it’s really late… She gets up at 7am for school.

I don’t think I ever managed to get my children to bed for this hallowed 7 pm bedtime that so many wax lyrical about when they were small. Maybe in the weeks immediately following dropping their final nap at preschool age but it soon reverted to later.

Mine are now 11 and 16 and have very early starts for secondary school - the 11 yr is actually going to bed earlier than he has for years (about 9) and the 16 chooses to go to bed at 9.30/10 because she likes her sleep!

I know you weren’t asking about teens but may as well tell you now I’m here!

I think it can depend on what they are doing before/ after school. SAHM here, so no before or after-school care and a short walk and the children have it really easy, youngest is 5 and only does 1 club, the rest of the time she’s home chilling. Up by 7/7.30 and asleep by 8.30 ish.

She has other friends that have to be out at childcare by 7.30, and are in afterschool care until 5/6, sometimes with a long walk home if with a childminder and lots of children to socialise with, so naturally they are more tired. Or they have lots of activities, like gymnastics, swimming etc

Both of mine go to bed at 7 (7 and 4 y old). They fall asleep between 7.05-7.30 depending how tired they are ans get up at 6.30 as we need ro be out by 7.

DS has always been happy to go to sleep at about 8pm, that was from 2 days old...He's 8 now and we've moved it back a bit. He goes to bed at 8.30pm, we read and then he's asleep by 9pm.
DD is 1 and goes to sleep any time between 7pm and 9pm, depending on how much she has slept at nursery.
Both kids get woken up at 6.30am, to be at school/nursery by 7.30am.
That's during the week.

On the weekend, DS would stay up all night if I let him. DD sticks by the same bedtimes she has during the week. Again, depends on her nap. If we are out, however, she hates going to sleep and she either falls asleep once we are in the car on our way back or she takes the time to calm back down or be all chatty... and then just goes to sleep whenever we get home. She'd also happily party all night, given the chance...

DD 6: 7.40pm and usually asleep by 8pm. Same at weekends give or take.
Wakes up anywhere between 6am and 7am. Typically usually only sleeps in on a Monday morning and I have to wake her at 7.10 😅

I don't believe it to be quite frank. If you have black out blinds and a consistent routine the sleep/wake pattern changes. There's many countries where children go to sleep and get up later; western children are just as able to adjust.

Not true, larks do exist. Its not just about light exposure its your whole metabolic clock & circadian rhythms, the timing at which you eat meals etc. I tried everything to keep my eldest up later and waking later, it never worked. On holiday as jetlag shifted he would revert to waking at 6am wherever we went.

DS2 (5.5 in year 1) goes to bed at 8.30 and wakes around 6.45

DS1 (9 in year 5) goes to bed around 9.30-10 and wakes around 7-7.15. He's always struggled to switch off at night. A yoto player has helped a bit - to listen to documentaries.

5 and 12, 9.30pm on a school night, 10-10.30pm non school nights.

It's late but they get enough sleep, easy to wake and not grumpy, they're also ND

Both ours (2 and 4) go to bed at 8pm. The youngest never sleeps past 6am. The eldest we wake up for school at 6:45 so trying to get him down bit earlier so he wakes up naturally.

6yo (nearly 7) and 2.5yo are still awake now! (9.15 here) We start bedtime at 8. 2.5yo will be asleep within the next 10-15 mins and sometimes falls asleep between 8.30 and 9. Eldest has always been a night owl and tends to fall asleep between 9.30 and 10. Sleeps like the dead and then wakes up between 7 and 8. Always happy to wake up or be woken up; never an issue for him and he performs well at school. The youngest wakes between 6.30 and 7 and is ALWAYS miserable on waking but happy as a clam quite quickly afterwards and during the day generally. Hoping his sleep will stabilise once he drops his nap…!

My DS is 16 and goes to bed at 9:30 on the dot every night - he has done since he was 14 and refuses to change (ND)

7yr old twins. I get them upstairs by 7:30ish, they are asleep anytime between 8:30-9:15ish, after reading and all their general shenanigans.

Same here. My 5 & 3 yr olds are never asleep pre 9pm.

When it's light outside a blackout blind helps kids drop off to sleep.

8 to 7 (so 11 hours) is well within the range for a child that age, don't listen to those other mums. Comments like this really irk me, I hear this all the time when I say my 4 year goes to bed at half 8 on a good night. If I somehow managed to move bedtime to 7, he'd be up at 5am, no thank you! He's always had lower sleep needs. This is just his natural routine, suits us - if it's not a problem, carry on!

DD1 is 11, just started high school and goes up at 9, asleep by 9.30. DD2 is 6 and just started Y2, she goes between 7.30 and 8, she wakes at 6.30 most days

DS just turning 5. In bed for 7pm for books and usually asleep for 7.30pm. He naturally wakes at 5/5.30am. Same on weekdays and weekends.

He’s an early riser and it really doesn’t matter what time he goes to bed. 2 week summer holiday of late nights - 9/10pm bedtimes and he still woke at 5/5.30am. 5 days at Disney doing 22,000 steps a day, staying up for 10pm fireworks and he was still awake and ready to go by 5.30am 🫠😂

My 4 almost 5yo goes to bed around 9pm on school night, wakes up by himself around 7.30am.
We're nearing the end of 12 weeks holidays (live abroad) amd he's hardly been in bed before midnight, however will sleep in til 9am and will often have a nap in the afternoon either at home or the beach/pool.

Darkness makes no difference here. We live abroad and have full shutters, black out blinds and curtains. It’s hot in summer and light until late and light from about 4am.
In winter it’s dark from about 4pm and snowy and dark until 7.30-am.

Doesn’t matter it’s if it’s hot, cold, light dark, active all day or done little. Makes not a jot of difference. Still sleeps roughly same hours all year around, which is around 9hrs sleep. He barely sits still and is active all day so plenty of energy

The only time he ever sleeps in, it’s turns out he has a high temperature and it’s start of illness

I've got black out blinds and curtains and my 3 year old whether in bed at 6 or 8 will always wake up at 5. I've tried everything to push it later and nothing works 😭 he's been like it since he was a baby. Disbelieve all you want. Some kids really are early risers no matter how late bedtime is

Probably 7.30-8 at that age. Would have been 7pm if possible but we worked full time, so weren’t home until after 6pm.

As you’ve seen it’s really variable OP. Culturally I would say that UK children tend to go to bed earlier than in say Mediterranean countries so it also depends on the rhythm of life where you are. To be honest as long as they are getting a solid 10-11 hours sleep I would say it doesn’t really matter.

@Devilsmommy mine is exactly the same 😊 so yes, early risers do exist!

7 at age 5. Depends on the child tho: my eldest was full on during the day and would be falling asleep early. Youngest chilled during the day but would be awake later.

Just do what works for your child.

My daughter is 5 and also goes to sleep for 8pm. I have tried getting her to bed earlier but it doesn't make a difference - she just gets wound up. It seems that 8pm is her set point!

Then she wakes between 6.30-7am usually. So I feel it works for us.