What time do your 4 year olds go to bed?

[Miriam101]

Just that really. And what time do they wake up? And do they sleep through? And if they wake up, why?
We're still doing a 7pm bedtime but as she's not actually falling asleep until much later (8/830ish usually, last night 9pm! The heat and summer light doesn't help I fear...) I'm wondering if this is a bit outdated and she's not actually tired enough.
She's also started waking up at night for spurious reasons she finds hard to articulate.
Yours,
Stressed knackered mum

We usually start bedtime between 7:30 and 8, and she’s usually asleep between 8 and 8:30. Occasionally closer to 9 if we have the need a wee/I’m thirsty/need a different teddy rigmarole. Rarely she sleeps through but most nights she climbs in with us at some point but goes straight back to sleep. She wakes anywhere between 6 and 8, although needs to be up at 6:30 on nursery days. She was a terrible sleeper up to about 18 months and has always needed less sleep than google suggests she should have.

6:30-6:45 (when she was 4).

8.30 but often ends up being 8.45. It's difficult to wake her at 7.15AM for kindergarten. At the weekend she can sleep until 9AM. My 6 year old has the same bedtime.

Our just turned 5 year old, bedtime starts around 7:30/7:45 and she is usually asleep by 8:15. Sleeps right through until 8am roughly! If she wakes in the night it's just for the toilet. Fully appreciate we have it good

My daughter is 5, we start bedtime about 6.30 ish. So bath, teeth, book then bed for 7.
She is usually up about 7.30.
She’s always been good as gold at bedtime but recently has started staying up later, messing around.
She’s exhausted if she goes to bed later though. I’m guessing it’s just like the stage my youngest is going through, not quite needing a nap midday but then being too tired to last until bedtime!

Usually in bed lights off at 7, goes straight to sleep usually maybe 10 mins of shouting for an extra drink, wee etc and then will sleep until 6.30am.

My 5 year old is in bed between 7.30-8 although doesn't fall asleep until at least 8.30. This week has been horrendous with being so light and hot, she hasn't been falling asleep until last 9. Wakes up between 6-7, has been the same since 4.

5 at end of August.
Bed at 7pm, asleep usually by 730pm, occasionally 8pm.
Awake normally between 6.30-7am but if I wake him getting up it can be 5.30am.

Will be 5 in October so hasn't started primary school yet but bed for 7/7.30, asleep within 10 minutes and sleeps until about 6.30am.

Thanks for all replies. So are we really the only ones who are dealing with night wakings?! It’s so frustrating as from 9m to 3ish she was the BEST sleeper ever

Am thinking we should put the bedtime back to 730 and ensure her room is as cool as possible as that’s been the most recent cause of problems I think

My now-8yo was still waking and coming into us in the night at 4. It improved when she started school, so at very nearly 5yo.

My current 5yo goes to bed at about 8-8.30, has 20 minutes of an audiobook and then is almost always asleep by the end (unless kept awake by aforementioned 8yo for giggles and chats and general shenanigans). She wakes naturally at about 8am.

DS sleeps from about 8.15pm until about 6.45am. He usually comes and gets into bed with me at some point in the night. He's my better sleeper! He was 4 in March.

My older child woke through the night until she was almost 7.
It was hell.
I'm due a sleeper .

7pm - used to wake at 6/6.30 and this wk 5.30- she’s out within 3mins due to sheer exhaustion come bedtime

Mine is cuddled to sleep and drops off about 8.30 but it seems to be taking longer. She almost always comes into ours at some point in the night but goes straight back to sleep.

It was between 7-7.30 for ages but recently she has been going to bed a bit later as she just doesn’t seem tired enough at 7 any more and trying to force her to bed at this time was just stressful for both of us. Now she goes to bed closer to 8, generally sleeps through until about 5.30

Occasional night wakings here ( usually if drank too much before bed or on change of routine like the first few days of the holiday.) DS is age 4 nearly 5 ( so at school) Terrible at going to sleep and we have to wake him at 6.45am to get ready for school. Tonight asleep at about 9pm. Messes around getting in and out of bed, every excuse, more books, wrong book, long discussion about something, needs a drink, another wee, he no longer likes carrots, the wrong colour PJs. On the worst nights he will still be awake at 9.45pm 😳. Ideally I think he needs to be in bed at 8pm and sleeping by 8.30pm.

I know at lot of parents that have 5am starts so maybe 7pm- 7am sleeps are not that common. My DS is getting just under 10 hours most nights.

Thanks so much to everyone for posting. It's good to get a general sense of what's standard at this age. There's so much advice out there re baby sleep but by the time they're this age I find it's a bit less clear... Last night we put her to bed at 730 with the fan on max and just in a top and pull-up and she was asleep by 830 and slept through until almost 8 so I'm hopeful that we are winning the war against summer!!

DS is 4 in 2 weeks. We aim for upstairs, bath, story, faff about for a wee and lights off by 8 where he then falls asleep by himself, within 10-15 min. DOesn't always work. Was 9ish last night.
He then mostly sleeps through or shouts out once or twice for tucking in/ water bottle and only occasionally needs to join me in spare room/ me hop into the other bed in his room. He is NOT an early riser at all- 8am is probably his ideal.

7.30 to 7.45 wake up at 7.30 normally sleeps through.

7, 7.30 at latest. Bedtime routine starts between 6-6.30. Once she starts school it will definitely get better. Kids wake during the night, some more than others, my almost 4yo still wakes, usually for a bottle sometimes she just wakes and wonders aimlessly in our room with random toys in her hand, my older DCs did the same and still occasionally wake for various reasons, my favourite being my 7yo who woke last week and came into our room at 3am to tell us her blanket was on the floor 🤦‍♀️

Mine started school just before she turned 4 (Wales). Night before her first day she went to bed at about 10:30. It came down to 9:30pm by the end of the week and 8:30pm by the end of the next week. She got up at 8am for school.

My nearly 5 year old has a 7pm bedtime, usually asleep around 7.30 and sleeps through until 6.30/7ish. She’s exhausted by school though and has always been a good sleeper who needs her sleep or is really ratty.
My 3 year old however never seems to get as tired, often isn’t asleep until 8, wakes around 6.30 and dropped her nap around 2 years. I guess different kids are different!

I'll be honest and say my 3.5 year old DD goes to sleep anywhere between 8 and 9:30pm, occasionally it can creep up to 10pm if she's had a nap which still happens. I'm a big believer in not too early bedtimes, she's up at 7:30am at the latest anyway which is fine for us. She has never slept 12 hours save for a couple of nights in her life.