Kids and Bed Times

[SharpMomOfTwo]

Every night after my kids go to sleep I go for my jog. Last night around 9.30pm the people around the corner were having a little get together with all their neighbors. Their kids were all running around, playing, eating etc - I couldn't believe they were all still up (they ranged from under 2 to pre-teen)!! My girls start whining and crying by 8.30 if they are not in bed.

So my question is - What time is your kids bed time, and how old are they?

 

[kldmom2000]

My girls are 5 and turning 8 this week... their bedtime is between 8:00-8:30 depending on if it's a school night or not.

I know that all the neighborhood children (the same age and YOUNGER than mine), esp. in the summer, are up and out riding their bikes until 10, 11.... if they're in front of our house as the girls are falling asleep, I get lots of whining about how unfair it is

I don't need crabby children in the morning if they don't get their sleep.... granted they wake up before 6:30 most days, but if they do end up staying up later for whatever reason, they still get up at the same time and are miserable

 

[dani blaski]

My son is 2 years old, and his bed time is between 8:45 and 9:15 PM. It depends on how long he napped earlier in the day, and what time he went down for his nap. We did put him to bed at 8:30 and he would not actually settle down until around 9. Now we put him to bed, and no fuss, he immediately hugs Teddy and his blanket, rolls over and goes straight to sleep.

 

[ChristusG]

All kids are different. My little ones are night owls. I have a one year old (16 months) and a four year old. They've always been night owls. They go to bed anywhere from about 9:30 to midnight. Usually it is more in the 10-11 range though. The four year old rarely naps anymore and the one year old takes about a 1.5 hour nap per day. They are not grumpy at night either. So we have absolutely no issues at Disney....we stay in the parks till closing time!
However, we do not have a certain time to wake up in the mornings. I stay at home with them and they can sleep as late as they want to....which is usually 9 or 9:30.

Soon, we are going to start making bedtime be 9 or 9:30 for the four year old because we will begin homeschooling shortly, and she will need to wake by a certain time each day.

 

[minnie2]

I have a 6 and a 8 yr old and during the summer they usually go to bed around 8:30pm but most nights we let them read in bed so sometimes they aren't asleep until 9pm. During the school yr it is a 7:30 pm bedtime and they can read in bed. which means most nights they are asleep at 8pm. My dd8 is a VERY early riser she is usually up at 6am DS6 is my late sleeper he usually wakes up at 8am-9am. If he doesn't get his sleep he is a mess. I have no clue what I am going to do when he has to wake up at 6:30am to get ready for school come fall!!!!!!!!

 

[Minnie_me]

When my kids were younger, their bedtimes stayed the same whether it was a school night, summer, vacation, whatever! They thrived on their routine, and never ever slept late if they went to bed late, so I ended up with cranky children.

Now that they're older (almost 8 and 11), they can stay up until 10:00 during the summer or on weekends during the school year. If there's a party, or a beautiful summer night and a bunch of neighborhood kids are outside, they can stay up later. They'll sleep later now, so I don't have to worry about crankiness.

The bottom line is that you do what's best for your own children. You are the one who knows them and has to deal with the consequences for staying up late and other parenting decisions.

 

[thegrimdwarf]

My boys are 4.5 yrs and 27 months. The older boy is in bed at 8, the younger at 7, year-round. They both wake up between 6-6:30, regardless of their bedtime, so if we put them to bed later they're miserable.

Like the OP, I get SHOCKED when I see kids under 5 still up and about at 9. I was at Barnes & Noble a few nights ago with girlfriends, having coffee in the cafe, and there was a woman there with 2 kids, roughly 2 and 4 years old - at 10:15! Both kids were obviously tired - whiny and clingy - and she's standing in line all casual waiting to order her coffee. I could never do that. Not to say it doesn't work for some kids, but for those kids, on that night, it clearly wasn't working, lol.

I have a stay at home mom friend who's 2 year old is always up til 11 or so, and he sleeps til almost noon. She makes me insane because the rest of us stay-at-homes are getting together for morning (9-9:30) playdates, and she whines because we do them "too early". It's a 9-5 world, Baby - even for a SAHM!

 

[nessz79]

My boys are 5 and nearly 4 (in a month). During the summer, their bed times are about 9:00, sometimes earlier or later depending on the day. I'm a teacher so I also have off.

During the school year, their bed time is usually around 8:00, but again it depends on nap time at their preschool. However DS5 is going into Kindergarten and there is no nap time there, so we'll probably really be pushing them to go to bed around 7:30 so they'll be asleep by 8.

The kids that OP mentioned could have been up late due to summer vacation. Parents could have been off and had a little shindig. I would be more concerned if it was all the time. Our next door neighbors don't get home until 9PM during the school year- it's crazy! And they have 2 little girls going into 1st grade. I don't know how they ever get enough sleep, those poor kids, because they still leave the house by 7 AM (again, during the school year).

 

[foltzy]

I have a 1 and 3 year old and they both are laying down at 7:30 and probably fall asleep by 8:00 or so. My sister use to let her daughter stay up until very late (Like 11 or later) because then she could sleep in in the morning since my niece would also be sleeping. My niece is going into 1st grade and bedtime for her is now 9:00.

 

[cerberus]

My almost 3yo is a night owl, her bed-time is 10pm. I wish I could get her to bed sooner, but it is a battle if you try to put her to bed before 10pm.
In the morning, she wakes up around 8 - 8:30am and usually does not nap
Now my youngest is a godsend, she is now 16 months...she is in bed between
6:30 - 7pm and gets up around 7-8am PLUS takes a 3 hour nap during the day

 

[JustineMarie]

My kids are older- 10 and 7, but I don't give them a set bedtime in the summer. They are usually up until 12 or sometimes later, but they sleep until usually 11:30 -12 the next day. If we have something to do early the next day, they will go to bed earlier without a fight. I also don't let them out front of our house after 7, but they can play in our backyard or in the pool until 10 and then they have to come inside.

During the school year they both go to bed at 8 on school days and 10 on weekends.

 

[kayc86]

I have a 18 mo DD and she goes down between 8-8:30pm,DS who is almost 3 goes to bed about 9pm and my oldest DS who is in a wheelchair goes in his bed at 8pm each night but stays up till about 9pm.Now with that being said if we are at a family party and all the kids are playing and running around and its past their bad time thats ok too.If they get tired are cranky then we leave.We were at a party over the weekend and we didnt leave till 9:45 and my kids were fine.Every child is different and only you know how late you can let them stay up till.

 

[daleswife]

My kids are usually in bed by 8:30pm. 8 on a school night for my 5 yr old. But on special occasions I let them stay up later. Depends on whats going on. but mine sleep according to the time they go to bed!!! 8pm means 7am wakings!!!

 

[Maggie'sMom]

My DD5 is a nightowl. On schoolnights, I take her upstairs around 8 to start our bedtime routine. Her light gets turned off between 8:30 and 8:45. She'll finally drift off to sleep around 9:30 if I'm lucky, 10:00 normally, and 11:00 or later if it's a bad night.

But on weekend nights, especially during the summer, I'll let her stay up a lot later. I'll usually have her home and inside by 9:00. I'll make her get ready for bed, but then I'll let her sack out on the couch or in my bed to watch a movie for a little while. By the time I make her go to bed at 10:00 or so, she's much more likely to fall asleep quickly. She'll still wake up around 7:30 and be full of energy.

 

[rt2dz]

My kids (7, 4, 2) generally go to bed at 8:30-9:00. My younger two are more night owls. My oldest really needs to go to bed at 8:00. However, there are nights we ignore that, especially during the summer. Life is short. I wouldn’t ever give up an experience or family bonding just because of some arbitrary number on a clock. If they go to bed a little later, they usually sleep in later, take a nap the next day or go to bed earlier the next day.

It’s always been that way. I think those who are strict on bedtimes, teach their kids to whine if they are past their bedtime—and there isn’t anything wrong with it (not flaming here). My kids have always been on the flexible bedtime plan, so they have learned to roll with the punches. And yes, they do still have their limits. But my kids could sleep on a fence post. It they’re tired, they go to sleep. I really learned this from my oldest sister. At my wedding, once 9 PM rolled around, in the corner of the boat where I had my reception, my niece and nephew were sleeping on and under some blankets she brought, everyone carefully stepping around them. They didn’t care about the noise or location. Right then and there I made a mental note and I have to say it has paid off in droves.

 

[Aneille]

Last year during the winter bed time for my kids was 6:30-7pm. They were both asleep before 7pm many nights. They need their sleep.

This summer they are now going to bed around 7-8:30pm depending on what we are doing. They routinely get up between 7-8:30am.

My kids have stayed up this summer until 11pm. Its summer, they were playing with their cousins and having a blast. They usually are okay the next day because they will stay in bed until at least 9am if they are up past 9pm.

 

[eclairemom]

I wish my DD would go to bed at 8:30, it's usually more like 10:30 and when she sleeps in it's never past 8:30 am and she is 4. She will still take an afternoon nap if we are home but if we are out she is fine without it but it doesn't make her go to bed any earlier. She has often been out to eat with us at 9:00 or later and is in perfectly pleasant mood. There would be no way she would ever go to bed with it light outside or if anything was going on at the house she's too afraid she would miss something.

 

[Fintastic]

DD is almost five and she goes to bed by 8:30 PM at the latest. She doesn't nap anymore and she's up by 6:30 no matter when she goes to sleep at night.

 

[kpm76]

DD is 14 months old and her bed time is between 7:30pm-8:00pm. She takes at least one, most times two, naps per day. I am really particular about bedtime and routine. We had some sleep issues with her when she was about 8 months old and the Dr told us we had to put her in her crib and teach her to fall asleep on her own. We had one rough week but since then, she has been an amazing sleeper (sleeps 12 hrs at night). DH and I rarely push her past the 8pm bedtime because we feel it's so important to keep her on a schedule.

 

[chipper10]

DS is 19 months old. He is in bed by 7:00-7:30 every night. He has always gone to bed around 7pm. But he is also an early riser, he is up every morning around 6:30am.
My niece is 3 months younger than my DS, and she usually goes to bed around 9-10pm and wakes around 9:30-10am. I think it just depends on the child.

DS has to be up at 7am 3 days a week so I can get him ready for daycare. So, I think this makes a difference. The 3 days that my DH is home with him, he also gets up early because DH is up every morning by 5-6am.