# If your toddler routinely goes to bed past midnight...



## srs (Nov 8, 2007)

Just tell me I'm not the only one. It mostly works okay for us, and DD sleeps way better with a later bedtime then when she goes to bed earlier, but I just have that nagging voice in my head that says "toddlers should go to bed by 8pm. We must be doing something wrong."


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## sharon.gmc (Nov 17, 2008)

You're not doing something wrong. If your toddler sleeps better later at night then let her sleep at that time.


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## Justmee (Jun 6, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *srs* 
Just tell me I'm not the only one. It mostly works okay for us, and DD sleeps way better with a later bedtime then when she goes to bed earlier, but I just have that nagging voice in my head that says "toddlers should go to bed by 8pm. We must be doing something wrong."

If it works for you, great! Nothing to worry about. If dd is rested it makes no difference if she sleeps 12 - 10 or 8 - 6. It would never work for me becaue I am in no way shape or form a night person. But there is nothing "wrong" about it. Enjoy your night owl (we need a little owl smiley







)


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## yarngoddess (Dec 27, 2006)

I have two night owls.... my older kids (5 and 7) USED to be night owls, but now they are more morning people. There is NOTHING wrong with kids up later- as long as they are still sleeping the ammount at night that they need, as well as naps during the day. You should look at the total hours your kiddo is getting. Also make sure you all get plenty of sun and fresh air- and stop worrying! Enjoy the fact that you are able to sleep till 10!!! Enjoy the fact that you have a kiddo that CAN sleep well!


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## onyxravnos (Dec 30, 2006)

i'm with ya! unless we got up way early or there wasn't a nap or something both kids go to bed at like midnight







it works for us


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## srs (Nov 8, 2007)

Thanks for the reassurance. DH and I wish we had more alone time, since he has to go to bed by midnight in order to get up for work in the morning, but otherwise it really does work for us. What's interesting too is that when DD naps later, she's much more likely to wake up happy and get out of bed and come find us on her own. With earlier naps she wakes up screaming and is grumpy for the rest of the day.


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## mumkimum (Nov 14, 2006)

We tend to fall asleep here between 11:30/1:00 a.m. So yeah, you're not the only one. I'd be driving myself crazy trying to get this kid to bed at 8 or even 9. I've become much happier about our bedtime situation accepting that she just falls asleep late and so I just stay up and try to do stuff then. And thank goodness we sleep in somewhat. I can handle this much more than a kid who just naturally woke up at like 7 a.m.


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## ElaynesMom (May 24, 2008)

So glad I saw this thread. My husband works rotating day/night shifts. He spends 2 weeks on days, 2 on nights. When he's on days my dd usually goes to bed at 10, but when he's on nights she goes to bed around midnight so that she can see her dad a little more since he sleeps during the day when he's on night shift. We don't do this on purpose really, it just sorta happens. She sleeps about 11 hours at night no matter what time she goes to bed, and I'm a night owl, so I'm fine with it. Everyone else I know puts their kids to bed at like 7 or 8 though and I was starting to feel a little abnormal. Good to know there are other's who have similar bedtimes.


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## lisavark (Oct 27, 2007)

:

My one-year-old daughter has been going to bed at 11 since the day she was born. The past month or so I've been trying to get her to go to sleep earlier (like 8:30 or 9) so DH and I can have some time in the evenings, but so far it's a losing battle.







We'll try a little longer, but really, what IS the point of lying in bed for two hours nursing a wide-awake baby who would be perfectly happy to be up and playing? Why should I make myself miserable just to conform to a clock? I'm going to give the whole wind-down-evening-routine thing maybe two more weeks before I throw in the towel and let her stay up with us till she's tired. It's so *easy* to get her to sleep when she's up till 11...takes about two minutes, as opposed to two hours (and no, I am not exaggerating at all).


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## aylaanne (Mar 7, 2007)

I posted a thread about this maybe a month ago? My DS goes to bed between 10pm and 1am every night, and sleeps until between 9-11am in the morning. We'd like more alone time, too, but hey, the sleep is much better for all of us this way. I wouldn't have it any other way.


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## muffinette (Jun 3, 2008)

My 13 month old daughter has fallen asleep at 11 pm or later, since the day we brought her home from the hospital. Now that she's learning to walk, she's been falling asleep at 8 pm, and waking up so early I swear it's torture for me. 5 am breakfasts? No thanks.


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## prothyraia (Feb 12, 2007)

Bedtime's usually around 11:30pm here. Later if we have company over.


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## neverdoingitagain (Mar 30, 2005)

My kids bedtime schedule is much like yours. Or was. My dh was working night shifts and my oldest dd started staying up later so she could see him when he came home. then his shift went later at night. So she stayed up even later >.< It was very frustrating, since dd2 was going to bed at the same time every night (which meant she woke up early)
My dh has been sick for awhile and we've been working on getting both girls to bed at a much earlier time.
That being said...You toddler "should" be going to bed by 8pm. Just like you "should" have them in their own bed, "should" make them cry it out, "should" vaccinate, "should" have a stroller, or just "should" have xyz

Don't get caught up in the "should"s, they'll just drive you crazy


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