How much sleep for a kindergartener?

[MSSANDRA]

So our new kindergarten son, needs 12 hours of sleep every night. It's just a fact and he gets grumpy without it. Reality is this is getting pretty tough sometimes. Most school nights he sleeps from 7:30- 7:30 but that 7:30 bedtime just can not always happen now that he is playing fall baseball. I get a lot of flack from people that can not believe I put him to bed at 7:30 as often as we can. None- school nights he often sleeps from 9-9. Still his 12 hours. So, are we normal? How much sleep do your little ones need and get?

 

[BubMunkeyBles]

We went to bed at 8 until I was 8 or 9. I don't think 7:30 is crazy at all for a kindergartner. I had a bed time though until I was in high school. My parents were pretty strict about it and even in high school we had to have the TV off and be in our rooms by 10.

 

[sbeaulieu]

There is nothing wrong with 7:30 for a kindergartener. I was putting mine to bed at 7:30 last year only to figure out that she was having a lot of trouble falling asleep and was good on 11 hours of sleep, so I let her read until 8:30. We've moved and school starts a lot earlier so she now has to wake up at 6:15. She is in bed by 7:30 and sleeping by 8, at the latest.

The one problem that I have, and it looks like you may have too by your weekend schedule, is Sunday nights. If she sleeps in on Sunday morning it is practically impossible for me to get her to sleep on time, which starts an awful chain reaction for the rest of the week. Good luck!

 

[Orlando_Or_Bust]

Mine are 3rd, 2nd, and kindergarten and bedtime is 7:30-7:45 for all three. We have experimented with bedtimes and found that it doesn't matter what time they go to bed, they are up by about 6:30. Might as well go to bed earlier and get the extra sleep. A lot of people are surprised by our early bedtime too, but it works for our family. Our kids get enough sleep and we never have to wake them up for school.

 

[monica9]

omg i cant believe you posted this. We get some much flack about putting our 4 1/2 year old to bed at 730-8pm. Everyone thinks we are mean. But she is the happiest little kid. She falls right to sleep too and wakes up around 630-730. I feel more sleep is better than too little.

She goes to preschool mon wed and Fri so on those days she gets to keep her flower lights on (her wall lights) and gets to play with her stuffed animals and read to them since she doesn't have to wake up early those days.

I think its perfectly fine especially if they are willing to go in. Parents need some down time too!

 

[Hannathy]

We never could have functioned going to bed at 7:30. How do you do anything? My DH didn't get home till almost 6:30 and I'll be darned if my kids aren't going to see their father. let alone dance lessons and even choir at church ran till 7:30 and that was the earliest thing we had. Or if you have to go to the store.

My Kinder's needed about 9 ish hours maybe 10 on the weekend. They went to bed around 10 and got up at 7:45

 

[mom2cgj]

My kindergartener is completely out of it by 8:00! Even my 2nd grader still goes to bed at 8, and they all wake up around 7. So mine get 11 hours. Some kids just need more sleep than others. You know your kids, so I'm sure you know what's best for them!

 

[WantToGoNow]

Until this year my kids went to bed at 8:30 - ds is in 6th grade and was starting to complain. We are trying 9 now.

 

[Pesky]

In bed between 8-8:30 and asleep shortly thereafter. Wakes up between 6:45-7. About the same on the weekends but she also naps 1-2 hours so I think that sounds normal.

 

[BeveMom]

According to the AAP, children aged 4-6 should be getting between 10 and 12 hours of sleep. My kindergartener goes to sleep at 8, but we are having some major sleep issues (NOT related to bedtime, lol), and this is to keep him from getting up before 4am and getting his parents up too. Luckily, we go in for a sleep study next month.

 

[KY*Figment]

I put mine to bed at 8 & woke them up at 6:15. Oldest dd is not a sleeper so she would lay in bed for about an hour to two then be awake at 5:30. Youngest dd needed every last minute.

 

[shoney]

I have 2 sleepers...always did.
My younger guy slept over 18 hours a day as a baby!
they went to bed at 7pm until 2nd grade. It made things a bit difficult at times. My one son did cub scouts. He could go to den meetings because they were early, but we had to opt out of pack meeting because they went until 9pm! That just didn't work for us.

Now they are 11 and 12 (almost 13) and get about 9 1/2 hours at night, but they often nap after school!

 

[Sugar Jones]

My 5 yr old goes to bed at 8-30pm every night. My kids are up by 6:30 and on the bus at 7:30. Some nights she asks to go earlier or will fall asleep on the couch, it really just depends. My 8 & 10 yr olds go to bed at 8:30. They have 30 minutes of reading time and lights out at 9:00pm

 

[Missy13d69]

Our oldest was in bed by 7:30 or 8 when he was that age. He was tired and asked to go to bed. He was the type that needed that long sleep cycle. My youngest is the same. He sleeps 12 to 14 hours a night. My daughter on the other hand...We are lucky to get her to sleep for 6. Don't let other people get you down. They are not raising your child, they don't know what is best for your child. If they want to be negative towards you about it, inform them that their opinion of your parenting is not informed and therefore not valid.

 

[Lavaluma]

Our 4 and 6 year old boys go to bed at 8:00pm and wake up around 6:30 or 7:00am. Occasionally, we'll get them in bed earlier at 7:30pm if they have a big day the next day or later if we have a sport, school or family function that runs past 8:00. I like for them to get enough sleep that they wake up by themselves. When they go to bed on time, I rarely have to wake them up.

 

[Mkebound]

8:30

 

[holden]

Our kgtner is asleep by 8pm and up at 7am - 11hrs.

 

[smitch425]

When DD was in kindergarten, her bedtime was 8:30. 2 years later when DS started kindergarten, bedtime was 9pm. Except on Mondays during college basketball season when it was 9:30, and then any weekdays we had games it would be closer to 10pm. One time we had a game scheduled for a 9pm start and we decided we were going to stay home because it was too late for the kids to be out on a school night. Well, we got a phone call that we had won a VIP package complete with food, a party bus and a box suite for 14 people! Needless to say, the kids had a blast and got home around midnight. Luckily, it had snowed that night so we had a 2 hour delay the following day.
Currently, their bedtime is 9:30, but it's usually 10 before they are actually asleep. They are in 2nd and 4th grade.

 

[brymolmom]

If that is working for your Kindergartener - then keep up the good work and don't listen to any of us!

If Fall Ball is interfering - then just adjust as necessary - try shifting a bit later if you're not home in time - try eating dinner before baseball - even if it's a quick hot dog and fruit - then another snack before bed so it doesn't take as long.

My kids are in 4th and 5th grade and lights are out by 8:30. At K age - lights out by 8. BUT, my kids have never been 12 hour sleepers - never have been. My kids at that age would go 8 - 6:30 (maybe 7).

I used to get a lot of flack for this too - but I never listened - just did what was best for us.

 

[Britgirlus]

My 9 year old 4th grader's official bedtime is still 7.30pm !! However - he plays soccer, and some nights he's at practice until 8pm, so that messes with the schedule a little. So - nights he doesn't have late soccer, he is in bed at 7.30pm - other nights, he goes to bed as soon as he gets home (this evening it was about 8.30pm). He has to be up at about 6.45am, and really does need his sleep (like me), or he is horrible (like me !!) Every child - and family - is different - so do what works for you - not every night has to be the same, even