Reception children - bedtime?

[kate2mum]

DD will start reception in two days at 4.11years. During the holidays she has been going to bed later than usual between 8-8.30pm. But we need to start the school routine and I was wondering, as it's reception and they will be a bit overwhelmed at first, what time is good for bed, bearing in mind getting up at 7am. I was thinking max 6.30pm..

Hi 6.30 to 7 sounds ok. I would say do what works for you. She may well be shattered for the next few weeks so adjust as appropriate!

My DD starts reception on Tuesday and she gets in pyjamas at 6 and does teeth and story and in bed by 6.45. She will get 15 mins extra on every birthday

Mine goes @ 7.30/ asleep by 8pm. Otherwise she would be up at the crack of dawn.

Aim for between 6.30 and 7 and that should be fine. Then you can tweak it either way. DS went to bed about 6.45 Reception first term and needed to be in bed pretty much asleep by then, but a year later I think he's fine on 7.30/8pm, although his sister will need to be in bed by 7 so we'll probably keep them both the same and he can read for a bit. They are all different though, he had a friend who's bedtime was 8pm from the beginning of Reception, but then the friend lived very close to the school and could roll out of bed at 8am and still make school on time!

dd1 is going into year one and goes somewhere between 7 and 7.45, depending on how tired she is. She sometimes reads, but lights are always out by 8.

Since DD was 11 months bedtime is 8pm, on my work days getting p time is 7am.

With us being ome at 6pm and still dinner to be done there is no way we can do it earlier.

My DD is starting reception as well, currently bedtime is 0930 -1030pm. Come school it will be back to 0830pm. Any earlier and she would be up a 4am, no thanks!

See how it goes. Not all children are exhausted when they start reception, mine wasn't.

7/7.30 suited my DD.

My DD goes to bed at 7pm and is up at 6.30am. Children that age, on average, need around 10- 11 hours a night.

You might find that your DD needs a few earlier bedtimes, especially towards the end of the autumn term when they get very, very tired.

Be flexible, do what suits them. My ds2 needed at minimum 13, pref 14 hrs sleep throughout reception and yr1. With time spnt walking to/from school, it seemed all he did at home was eat and sleep!

ds went to bed for 7.30pm last year when he was in Primary 1 (equivalent to reception). Lights off is now 8pm this year.

Yes, I want to be flexible. But if I was flexible enough my DS, 11, would go to bed at, oh, 11pm.. But DD is quite active in the morning, so also don't want 5am starts.. combined with not wanting her overtired. Maybe 6.30pm bed, lights out 7pm (there are about 25 toys who need to be tucked up by her before everything is sorted).

I will kept an eye out for end of autumn term fatigue though, and maybe push it forward to closer to 6pm in the run up to Christmas.

Ds goes before 8 now, earlier if he's tired. I'm aiming for 7-7.30 for school nights with some pj time beforehand to try and induce calm and rest. Yes this is idealistic

How do people get children to bed at 6.30?

We won't get home from after-school till then and still supper, bath, story etc to do. Then DH gets home around 8.30pm on early nights, so DD never goes to bed before 9pm.

6pm? Really! My son would never sleep that early. I don't think it is really a question that can be answered all kids are different and need varying amounts of sleep, same as adults. I like to have 9 hours sleep my other half needs about 6/7.

When ds2 was this age, I use to put him in the bath after school to wake him up enough to have tea and do reading/stories! He was always fast asleep before 6pm!

He's 13 now and still needs loads of sleep! (no longer 13 hrs though.) He's constantly on the go and lives life to the full, but makes up for it by time aleep.

My ds is going into Reception and goes to bed at 8.45pm. This believe me is good going. He's up at 7am and if he goes to ed earlier he's up at 5am. He just doesn't need much sleep (o joy).

My ds is going into Reception and goes to bed at 8.45pm. This believe me is good going. He's up at 7am and if he goes to ed earlier he's up at 5am. He just doesn't need much sleep (o joy).

So good it posted twice.

My dd has a bedtime if 7pm and is up at 7am. She begins year2 tomorrow but this has been her term time bedtime since nursery at 2.5 yrs old and seems to work well for us!
Ds is aged 8 (9 in a few months) and always goes to bed at the same time as dd. do you think I should allow him to bed a bit later? Any time suggestions?

My charge will start reception next week and will be going to bed at 7pm for me and 7.15/30 when his mother does bedtime.

Mine does 6.15 and wakes at 7.15

Y dd starts reception on Tuesday and has never been to sleep before 9pm in her life. She is definately a night owl, she went to sleep at 10.15pm tonight. School is going to kill her. And us.

knackered I feel your pain. And the worst thing? I have been accused of KEEPING HIM UP! For my own personal entertainment!

Ha Matesnotes! We have had that too, even someone saying it is child cruelty! Believe me, we have tried EVERYTHING and would just love to have some time in the evenings. BUT SHE JUST DOESN'T NEED SLEEP!!!!