What time do your kids *really* go to bed?

[addicted2shopping]

Its 7.30pm and im currently in Ikea with my 4 year old having some dinner in the reateraunt. Then we are going across the road to Tesco to do some shopping. Now, i thought people might look at me as if to say'shouldnt your daughter be in bed at this time?!' but i really wanted to come out as i was so bored indoors. I thought all kids (under the age of 8 anyway) went to bed at 7 because firstly, the Cbeebies bedtime hour is between 6-7 and secondly i see it on tv all the time. Anyway getting to the point... There are loads of kids here some in school uniform and some have gotten changed. Theres at least 10 kids in this resteraunt that i thought would be in bed. Wht time shoud a child be in bed by?? Is 7'oclock what everyone says to just not look bad :)

DDs 4, 2 and 1. All in bed between 6.30 - 7pm, depending on whether it is a bath night. They wake between 6.30 - 7am. Think they need it... Esp as 2yr old doesn't sleep during the day any more.
Will admit to wearing judgey pants when I'm in Asda at 9.30pm (avoiding doing it with children) and there are pre-schoolers in trolleys.

I would love to have my kids in bed at 7 but I just can't seem to get organised in time so my dd (3) goes at about 8 and ds (8) goes at about 9, on the plus side they usually sleep til about half 7 which gives me some extra precious mins in bed!! I don't think either way is better though, different strokes for different folks and all that.

A lot depends on how early you have to getmoving in the mornings.

We always had to be up by 7am at the lastest. I was a lone parent - and had to get us both up and ready for nursery and work - later on school and work. We had to leave by 8am. Hence an early n ight.

At that time - just me and DS - I used to g to bed at 9pm myself.

DSSs go to bed whenever they feel like it. I don't approve - especially as youngest DSS fell asleep sititng up at the computer on saturday as he had been up until the early hours watching tv?? They dont get up until at least 8 on a school day - whereas we have to be out of the house by that time.

My DM is a late to bed, late to rise. If we ever go out for the day and I offer to pick her up at 9am - a reasonable time to me - she nearly faints!

Usually 8-8.15pm, they are 3.10 and 14 months.

They do stay up later sometimes though, and we just adapt with extra naps etc. I am always surprised at how rigid some people are about bedtimes, even on high days and holidays.

Agree with ali

DD (9) is normally in bed for 7:30 and reads til 8. We get up in the week at 6:30, sometimes earlier if dh is home as he commutes and we like to see him before he goes. At the weekend she can be up until 9pm ish, depends if she's irritating me.

She does need a lot of sleep though, and if we're out for the evening or know it will be a late one then she'll have a siesta in the afternoon for a couple of hours meaning that she can enjoy herself later on instead of being shattered.

Another good reason for an early bedtime - is that it is nice to have a bit of peace and quiet.

Lovely though they may be - kids do get in the way of drinking wine and watching unsuitable tv shows (Game of Thrones)

My DC are 13 and 10 and they both go to bed at 9pm on school nights, up at 7am.
At weekends, they go to bed around 10pm.

squishy yay for DDs disco naps!
I do the same!

mine is now 13 and from the age of about 7 she has gone to bed at 9pm if I send her - but often she used to take herself to bed when has had enough. Now she is usually in bed around 9 - 9.30pm and if it has been a busy day then earlier - yesterday was 8pm ish

The only thing I would say is that the window between them being a teeny and going to bed at 7 and getting to say, 8 and not going to sleep til say, 9 is short............so prehaps whip them off to bed at 6.30 is a good idea.

I like to spend some time alone with my husband in the evening. So shoot me. Ds is five and is asleep by 7.30. Dd is ten months and asleep by 7pm. Both wake at 6am and would do regardless of when they went to bed.

No later than 7.30pm on a school night (4 and 6yrs). We all have to be up at 6.30am.

It depends on if they have school the next day. On a school night they're usually asleep by 8.30 (up to bed at 8.00). At the weekends or during holidays any time from 9.00 to whenever! They are 5, 7 and 9.

Until DS dropped his daytime nap, it was rare he'd sleep before 10pm, not matter what we tried!

MIL is shocked if she sees DCs out after 7. She thinks it's wrong. But then she's quite rigid in her views on a lot of things. I think that's silly tbh.

When DS was smaller and we knew he wouldn't sleep til 10, I saw nothign wrong with taking him to the supermarket with us, at say 8:30 - 9:00pm. I know some people were judging but fuck it, it was often the only chance DP and I had to see each other all day!

Now he's dropped his nap he's asleep sometime between 7:30 and 9:00, typically about 8:15. He's 3.5yo.

He's a great sleeper once he actually goes down but he really fights it!

ds (4.8) goes up at 7 for stories, bed by 7.30 listening to story cd but he's usually asleep in 5 or ten minutes (I go back and check)

dd (2.5) goes up at 6.45 for story, in bed by 7pm. Occasionally if she's not sleepy I'll leave her with a book to "read" to her baby. She's usually gone by 7.30.

Both wake at about 7am.

I havent had a chance to read all replies as obviously shopping but it seems 75% of your children are in bed by 7ish. There are actually so many children out at this time. I can even see toddlers out with their parents in Tesco. Theyre not chavs either before anyone assumes they look quite posh actually. We cant all be bad parents surely I think because its still light and its generally summertime now some parents are more leniant (sp)

DS(6) goes up at 7, asleep by 7.30. We need to leave for school/work at 7.40, so he needs to be up at 7, and needs the sleep.
We do let him stay up for special things, but he won't sleep in, and so if we let him do it more than one night in a row he's overtired and horrid

Ds1 (15) on a school night -10pm
Ds2 (13) on a school night 9.30pm

Mine wake up at 3 - between 7-8
7 - between 5.30 and 6.30
10 - 8 on school days (I wake her), 10 at weekends

supernanny you have just described the evening I have planned tonight

My dd is 15months and goes to bed at 7, sleeps til 6am/7am if we're lucky. A late night doesn't mean she sleeps in any later in the morning so may as well put her to bed at 7 when shes tired!

DCs (7 and 9) don't have to wake up until 8am, so lights go out at 9pm and they usually go to sleep in minutes. Children that age are fine with 11 hours sleep, actually the older one probably needs closer to 10 hours.

overmydeadbody what am i boasting about?? Im confused now!

DS1 and 2 (aged nearly 16 and 12) on a school night round about 10.45 after the main and local news.

Weekends - whenever really. Depends what we are doing. They go to bed early if we want to get up early and go out for the day but they stop up quite late if we are stopping in and watching a movie or playing on the ps3.

Ds, 9, is in bed by 9 but he has ASD and doesn't sleep as much as most kids his age.

Dd, 5, 7.30 without fail. I adore her but I am always ready for her bed time.

When ds was a baby though his Dad worked shifts and would never have seen him so his bedtime was around 11.00 pm BUT having said that he didn't get up till late the next day so he was getting the required sleep but just adjusted from the norm to fit in with us as a family. It was quite easy to bring it backwards when we needed too. Just did it by half an hour a night.