Quiet Time Before Bed?

[NotQuiteCockney]

DS1 (just 4) has started turning his light on again, after we put him down, and flipping through books quietly, before going to bed.

Now we've noticed he's doing this, we're letting him know when it's time for lights out, and building it into his evening routine.

I somehow thought they only did this from 8 or something. At least, I figured he'd be reading before he started!

Does everyone else's kids do this? From what age? And for how long each night?

Sorry - no advice, but that is sooo sweet.

My ds (same age) very often likes to have a low light on and look through his books before bed. I pop up a bit later (often a glass of wine and waking the dead later -oops! - to check he's asleep and turn off the light.
Sometimes I leave him with a story tape on playing quietly while he reads the relevant book or just lies and listens.
I think it's really sweet.

So far, he's been turning the light off himself and going to sleep without us (generally) realising the light was ever back on.

Tonight, the first night of being "allowed" to do it, he turned on the bright light, and wandered over to the hatch to peer down at me. Gr. So all lights are now off and he's in bed.

congratulations on having such an enterprising little boy!

Oh, yes, "enterprising" is a good euphemism for him.

He's very startled to realise I can tell when the light is on in the loft (his room). Much as he was boggled by the fact that I could tell, on his tagalong bike, whether or not he was pedalling.

yes, my dd (3) has her own little light and likes to look at some books after stories and then turns off light herself (but usually go in and she's fallen asleep over books).

I do like him having quiet time at the end of the day. I'm just not used to it. And I never go in to check on him, if he sleeps with a load of books, well, that's fine.

And now he's started getting up on his own and dressing himself, it's very grown-up, really.

Our DD who is nearly 6 started doing this a year or so ago.
Sometimes she'll read quietly and just doze off. Other times you'll go in to check her during the evening and find that shes obviously been playing for a while as the floor will be laid out with all her Barbie furniture, clothes etc. or the Polly Pockets will have set up camp in the midle of her floor. DD is fast asleep in bed by that time though.
We don't tend to hassle her about it as its not that late by the time shes asleep and also we feel she needs that extra chill-out time, expecially after school days.

I'd like to be mellow about it, but then, he's only really left at 7:30, and he needs to be up by 7:45 in the morning, which doesn't leave a lot of time for hanging out on his own.

If he changes school in September, meaning he has to be up earlier, I might have to start bathing them before tea, at this rate.

I do think it's good for him to put himself to bed in this way, I'm just getting my head around the practicalities. At least tonight he didn't get out of bed or turn on the big light, I think.