Bedtime for 16mo

[ScarfLadysBag]

DD has always been pretty good at bedtime. She fairly reliably has gone to sleep around 7 since she was about four months old. Lately, perhaps the last few months, she's been waking up about 5:45/6 which is fine, if a little earlier than I would like!

Anyway, about a fortnight ago we kept her up late to see a procession going through our village as we thought she would enjoy it, so got her to bed about 8 and she was asleep by 20 past. She then slept till 7.30 am. Since then, I've been putting her down at 8ish and she's been sleeping till half 7, which feels like a slightly nicer time to get up It also means we are less rushed after DH finishes work and can spend more time together as a family.

But are there any downsides to a later bedtime/later wake-up? I know her little pals are all asleep by 7 and up around 6/6.30ish, but they seem to get very grizzly and tired whereas DD is perfectly happy staying awake till 8. Am I making a rod for my own back in some way?

I am French and have lived in many countries following my husband's postings and I think it is only Uk and other anglo countries (we are in Australia now) putting their kids to bed in what is basically the end of the afternoon and then complaining they wake up at 5 am.

I can guarantee you children in continental Europe suffer no ill consequences from going to bed after 8pm. They have family dinner, the baby/toddler eat the same thing at the same time at the dinning table. Kids in Italy seem pretty happy, the same in Spain, Switzerland, Sweden and so on.

The only valuable advice when it comes to parenting is listen to everyone and do as you please aka what works for you.

Thanks! That's a really interesting point, actually. I hadn't thought about other cultures. I'm not really an 'up with the lark' kind of person, so 7.30 is much more agreeable to me than 5.45!

Totally . This early bed time clashes with real life and makes no sense to me. Even from a food point of view. A mother ends up preparing a separate meal, usually with kid-friendly food - for a child and then second meal.
And then the mornings. Wasted hours. What do you do between 5-8 am. Especially in winter. House is dark and cold, and you end up putting the child in from of the TV because you are exhausted and then complaining the child has attention disorder.

Personally I find unnatural to put kids to bed that early. And to be fair, I find putting kids to bed at 11pm as they do in Barcelona equally unnatural .

Ugh yes, those hours between 6 and 8 go so slowly too! She slept till 7.15 again today so I am going with it