Your 3-6 yr olds: what time is bedtime and what time do they wake up

[OnlyFoolsnMothers]

My husband thinks I put our kids to bed too early, or rather they wake up too early. I personally don’t think it’s abnormal, to have young kids wake up early, and I prefer it to having them invade my evening.

So my soon to be 1 yr old and 4yr old go to bed between 7-7.30pm and are up usually between 6-6.30am (seldom 7am). It’s not unusual is it?

@Sparklehead

At that age, mine were all in bed by 7.30 at the latest. Up at 6 or 6.30. They are now 8, 10 and 12 and go to sleep anytime between 8.30 and 10pm. But, they are all still early risers, awake by 6.30, whatever time they’ve gone to sleep. I’m holding out for the teenage years for the chance of getting a lie in!

The other side of the coin if they lie late in the morning as teens, means they go to bed after 10pm😫 you get no privacy!

In bed between 7-7:30pm up between 7-8am

4 year old. Bedtime is 7pm. I’d say normally fast asleep by 7.15 and wakes up between 6.30-7am

6 year old. Bedtime is 8pm. Normally asleep around 8.15 and same wake up of 6.30-7am

I’m never sure who wakes who on a morning so having them waking up around the same time works for us, despite the staggered bedtime

1 year old - bed at 7.15-7.30, asleep in 15 minutes usually. Wakes between 6am-7am. No consistency in the wake up. Sometimes it’s 5.30am, sometimes 7.30 but more times than not around 6.30am.

4 year old - bed 7.30pm-7.45pm. Very quick to sleep. Wakes 6.30-7am. This is a huge improvement for us. She was a 5am waker upper until she started school in September! Now it’s more often than not 7ish. Incredible. I feel like a new person 😂

Sounds pretty normal to me.

DS 2 1/2 sleeps roughly 7-7.
DD 6 sleeps roughly 8-6.30 (but thankfully will happily read or play until we get up).

My youngest is five and rarely falls asleep before 9pm and wakes late we have to wake him up for school but would sleep until 9 if we let him! My eldest is 8 and is asleep by 8 but wakes at about 6am every morning. Everyone's different no matter the age.

My 4 year old is asleep by around 8ish every night and up for the day anytime between 6.30 and 7.30 normally.

9 till 8 here. Suits me cause I'm a night owl!

I agree with pp also, just like us, each child (and family) are different.

3 and 5. Both asleep by about 7.45. 5 year old gets one more story so light out about 10 minutes after his sister. Both of them up anywhere between 5.30 and 8. 6.30-7 is more usual but the wider ends of the spectrum are not unusual.

Thanks all- Ideally I’d love wake up time to have a 7 infront of it but my eldest will only sleep c.10-11 hrs, the idea of being up until 8/8.30pm just doesn’t work for me- because regardless mornings feel awful and i would sleep as long as I could, so I would never get any child free time in my day.

My 1 year old goes to bed 8-8.30pm ( often 9pm before asleep). He’s still up at 6.15am.. so late to bed and early start.

Aww, man, I'd love a 6.30 wake-up! I've got a one year old and a three year old. Bedtime is at half seven but they're up every day at 5.30 (if I'm lucky, it's been as early as 4 over the last week!)

@Caspianberg

My 1 year old goes to bed 8-8.30pm ( often 9pm before asleep). He’s still up at 6.15am.. so late to bed and early start.

We had this issue with my youngest and my hv said her last nap was too late- so now if she doesn’t have a second nap by 3.30pm we struggle through until bedtime

I have a 3 & 8 year old and they have pretty much always gone to bed about 8:30-8:45 (work til 5, dinner about 7, then bath and bedtime, so that's just as quick as we manage it). My 3 year old wakes about 6-7am. I think that's a normal waking time for all young children unfortunately.

@mindutopia

I have a 3 & 8 year old and they have pretty much always gone to bed about 8:30-8:45 (work til 5, dinner about 7, then bath and bedtime, so that's just as quick as we manage it). My 3 year old wakes about 6-7am. I think that's a normal waking time for all young children unfortunately.

Not all. Mine has only ever got up early if unwell or there’s a flight she needs to catch.

My just turned 6 year old is asleep by 8/8.15pm then up just after 6am. She has never really slept more than 10 hours a night. This is the best balance of evening time and not too early waking that we could get.

1.5 year old and 3.5 year old bed between 8.30 -9.30 (though 9.30 is late and usually when we have eaten late...about 8.00) Up at 8.30

Oh and my 18 month slept in til 10.30 the other day 🤣must've been tired!

@OnlyFoolsnMothers - oh he’s rubbish at napping also. Despite only sleeping 9-10 hrs overnight, if he falls asleep in the car at any point in the morning even for 10 mins, he then doesn’t nap again all day! Good days he naps in cot 1pm for 1-2 hrs. Always awake by 3pm.

@Handsoffstrikesagain

Yes navigating because you put her to bed between 9-11pm...

In line with her circadian rhythms. Which follow mine. And her father’s. Shocking, I know.

Very common in European countries to put kids to bed later. So much more flexible. You can eat out as a family, visit people……

Ours goes to bed 8 and wakes up 7.30-8.