What time does your six year old go to bed?

[B1rdinthebush]

I have six year old twins, one of whom will go straight off to sleep at 7:30/8pm every night.

We're struggling with the other and I'm starting to wonder if she just doesn't need as much sleep as her sister. It feels like her natural bedtime is about 9pm but we have to get up at 6:30am during the week and it's sometimes a struggle to get her up.

The NHS website says 6-12 year olds need between 9-11 hours sleep so I'm just wondering what time seems to be average for a six year old?

Hi @B1rdinthebush, we're just giving your thread a bump in case anyone's around to give you some advice and support.

Start with bathtime at 7 but she won't sleep before 9(!)

My 6 old goes to sleep between 7.30-8, she wakes up between 7-7.30. My 8 year old is more or less the same.

We aim for 7.30pm, normally cracked it so all is quiet by 8pm on a weekday. She has to be up for 7.00am on school days. If she goes to bed later at the weekend, she normally doesn't wake until later, so 11 hours is about right for our six year old.
However, we also have a 5 year old and she is often still awake past the 6 year old nodding off, despite same routine, same bedtime, same school day - they are all different - age is just one measure.

Asleep by 8:30 naturally wakes up by 8am.

My other DC at that age, asleep by 8:30 bouncing out of bed at 6am.

Dd1 (6) and dd2 (2.5) are both in bed by 7:30. Both awake by 5:30 😩 Dd1 is often the first up and sometimes even earlier.

I've tried everything to get her to sleep in. We did 3 months last year of 8:30 bedtime to see if she would sleep later, but she didn't. Still awake at 5:30. So we've gone back to 7:30!

In bed between 6:45 and 7pm with lights on for reading until 7:15pm.

VERY occasionally she’ll shout down and ask for another 10 minutes to finish the chapter she’s on. We have hive lights so can turn it on remotely, which means no extra kiss/tuck in etc.

Usually up between 6am and 6:30am in the week and 7am /7:30am at weekends.

8pm, up naturally between 6:30 and 7. Going to bed later at the weekends doesn't really impact on what time she wakes

Similar to others, our 6 year old seems to need around 11 hours. In bed between 1930 and 2000 and asleep relatively quickly. Usually wakes up between 0700 and 0730.

My 7yo doesn't go to sleep now until 9.30/10pm, no matter what time I put her to bed. A year ago it was around 9pm. Strict screen limits, loads of exercise, good bedtime routine, plenty of wind down time. Up for 7ish every day. She just doesn't need much sleep.

My 6 year old twins start the routine at 7, lights out by 7.30 then it can vary between going straight to sleep or carrying on until 8.15. However, I notice that the earlier we do lights out, the more likely it is that they go straight to sleep so I think sometimes the staying up later is about being overtired rather than not tired enough - could that be happening with your 9pm-er?

Mine is an adult now but was always 7.00pm until he started cubs( as it finished at about 6.45pm)

Had to be up and getting ready by 6.30am every morning though so it worked fine.

@EllieSattler We have always been pretty strict on routine but have definitely slacked off in the last six months. However, we don't have any screen time after 18:30 (maybe I should make this 18:00?) and try out best to keep her active as she's naturally energetic.

I think what I'm finding hard is the impact her being up until 21:00 is having on me. We don't eat with the kids as my husband isn't home in time so by the time DD is asleep, I've got an hour to eat dinner and relax before I go to bed

My son is 7 but since he went to school (so 4) it's 7.30, some nights he struggles to get to sleep so might be 8.30-9 at worst but 99% of the time he'll be asleep within 10-15 mins. He then wakes anywhere between 7-7.30

We actually try to stick to it on weekends too, unless we are out / have people over. only time it goes out the window is holidays when at worst it's 10pm (he becomes a devil child and this is his absolute limit without the shit hitting the fan!) but then after a day or 2 he'll sleep til 9 so is quite nice 😂

@MoMandaS Solidarity to a fellow twin mum!

Sadly it's not over tiredness, if we have light outs at 19:30, it's just an even longer stretch of trying to get her to sleep 😢

My 6yo goes to bed at 8, asleep by 8.30. She's up at 7.30 each morning so that's pretty much spot on for 11hrs.

We have to get up at 6am. We aim for 7pm bedtime but sometimes it's a bit later (7:30, occasionally 8) if we've got home later or eaten late.

DD is normally asleep between 8.15-8.30pm and on school days she has to get up at 6.30am. I think she needs more sleep but can't see how to fit it in as she returns from school only at 4 or sometimes 5pm.

She's 5.5 years old.

7pm and asleep within a couple of minutes. Wakes just after 6am.

My nearly 7 year old DS goes to sleep between 7:15pm and 8pm on a school night and is asleep pretty much straight away. On a separate note, he often wakes in the night anywhere between 1am and 3am. He can't get back off to sleep and neither can I! I'm 43 and exhausted. He's tossing and turning. He's always been an early riser. He seems to get low blood sugar (he's skinny and always on the move).
He does have a snack before bed.
I'm wondering if he now needs less sleep and a regular 8pm bedtime.

7.30. Wakes around 6.30

My nearly 6 year old goes up at 7:15, toilet, brush teeth, story, so probably done by 7:30, she can sometimes drop off straight away if she's had a busy day, average though is 20-30 minutes to fall asleep, always wakes up c6:45.
She just stays in bed changing teddies/muttering to herself until she drops

As she is 6 and not a toddler she does not need you to be with her. Half term is coming up so that it when I would get really strict with it. Both of my children had pitch black rooms from being babies. Does yours? Darkness induces a chemical response in the body which should mean sleep.

Her bedtime can be the same as her sibling, you need to decide a routine of reading or whatever and then lights out. She stays in her bed, if she does she gets a reward, sticker charts are the obvious with a treat if she manages x number of nights. But if she comes out of her room you return her with saying it is time for sleep. After that absolutely no talking, no eye contact, not even a hint of any sort of silent response from you just return her.

I have had to do something similar for my youngest but that was because they were a poorly baby/toddler so their sleep needs were catered to. You just have to be far more determined than they are.

With my two there is a 3 year gap and the younger one needed less sleep than the older one. Little one will drop off to sleep in minutes, older one lies there awake for a period of time, however they never got out of bed, never turned on a light as they understood the importance of sleep from early on from when they have stayed up late for a party and felt awful the next day.

Claim your evening back for yourself. You deserve it.