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Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

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Original poster

Bed time for 4 year olds?

13 replies

Snowstorm · 21/09/2006 14:47

I've just noticed that once again my DD1 (4 next week) has bags under her eyes that wouldn't look out of place on an octogenarian and yet I don't seem to be able to get her to go to sleep as early as I'm sure she should! It's not a good look on one so young is it?
She wakes up at around 7.15am in the morning and sleeps really soundly during the night but even though I put her to bed at around 7.20/30pm, she doesn't actually drop off until around 9pm'ish. She used to read her books with a torch after I turned her lights out and so I gave in and gave her a bedside light so that she wouldn't strain her eyes. I know this might sound mad but the theory was that she would read one or two books and then go to sleep rather than to repeatedly come out of her room shouting that she wasn't tired and couldn't go to sleep yet, which was keeping DD2 awake and TBH, bothering me during 'my time', IYKWIM.
Is 9pm late for a 4 year old to go to sleep on a regular basis do you think?

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Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

RanToTheHills · 21/09/2006 14:48

IMO, yes. Cd you intorduce a star chart as an incentive for her to turn her light off earlier?

FlameSparrow · 21/09/2006 14:52

DD is 3, and is allowed the light on for half an hour after bed (about 7.30pm)... she either turns it off herself when she is tired, or I go up, and she MUST go to bed properly.

A compromise of 30mins extra to be up in the bedroom seems to work well for us.

Original poster

Snowstorm · 21/09/2006 15:09

Maybe I should try that then. It occured to me when I saw her dark lines that actually it was a bit late for someone so little but it's not as easy as it sounds because you can't actually force someone to go to sleep can you? I've been quite a strict mother so far and so this was one area that I was trying to let her have a bit of lee-way but I think I need to reign it in a bit for her own sake. Thanks for your thoughts.

OP posts:

FlameSparrow · 21/09/2006 15:27

I go with the theory that if she is in bed with the lights out then she will at least rest, if not sleep iyswim

MrsBigD · 21/09/2006 15:43

dd is 5 in December and her normal bedtime is 8. We read a book together and then it's sleep time. If I'd leave it up to her to be in her room with the light on she'd be a night owl

USAUKMum · 21/09/2006 17:44

Another 5.5 with a bedtime of 8pm, her brother goes down at 7:30. So half hour of special time for her with her daddy (during the week) or mummy (on the weekends) for school reading, doing her mosiac colouring and then a book in bed (currently Matilda) then lights out.

hulababy · 21/09/2006 17:46

DD is 4y5m and started school this month. She goes to bed, during the wek, around 7:30pm. Sometimes this changes a little bit either way.

At weekends her bedtime often is later (sometimes very late!) as we are often out and about, or have friends/family roud. But we are lucky in that if she goes to bed late, she gets up late. So we get a lie in

mamijacacalys · 21/09/2006 18:30

Lucky you hulababy - our 4yo DS always wakes between 7-7.30 even if he's had a late night!

He has a bath about 7-7.30 and then bed for story/cuddles with lights out about 8-8.30 and he goes straight to sleep now he has started FT school. However, was more of a problem getting him to sleep in the summer when the evenings were lighter.

NAB3 · 21/09/2006 18:31

mINE ARE IN BED!! Came downstairs and realised it was only 6.15pm!!! Have been going to bed around 6.30 since going back to school, before that was always by 7. They are 5, 3 and 15 months.

hulababy · 21/09/2006 19:19

mamijacacalys - it is great. I know DD will generally sleep for 11-12 hours. At the moment she is going to bed around 8:30 at the weekend and not waking till after 9 in the morning! Lovely

Original poster

Snowstorm · 21/09/2006 19:42

Okay, she's in bed (try as I might I can't seem to do it before 7.30pm what with bathtime, bedtime stories and a bit of compulsive faffing - WOW to the mother who got all her children in bed for 6.15pm !!) with her light on and told that she's allowed to look at her books for 15 minutes and then I'm going to come and turn her light out. She's humouring me as she thinks she'll just turn the light back on as soon as I'm out the door ... but I'm going to turn it off at the socket without her noticing and then she'll think the batteries have gone (don't ask!) and she'll hopefully just have to go to sleep and get all the Zzzzzzzzzzzz's that she obviously needs. So, a 7.45pm lights out for my 4 year old .... that's the plan then!

OP posts:

Bozza · 21/09/2006 19:51

DS really needed to be in bed with lights out by 7.30 at that age. And still at 5.7 needs it in the week. A couple of weeks ago we instigated an 8pm bedtime on Fridays and Saturdays with DD still going at 7.30 as a privelege for him.

costababe · 21/09/2006 20:05

i am soo jealous of u all with earlier bedtimes, my ds2,4.2 goes down around 8 to 8.30, watches a film generally going off around 9ish, if no film it can be as late as 10, he is always up around 6.30 and never sleeps through, generally trying to sneak in with us around 3 to 4, cant remember the last time he slept, or us, through the night

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