# What time do you put your kids to bed?



## mamazee (Jan 5, 2003)

What time do your kids go to bed, at least generally, on a weeknight during the school year?

My kids (aged 5 and nearly 12) go to bed around 8:30. The older one reads in bed for a bit before going to sleep though.

The time is not strict and is much more relaxed on weekends or when school is not in session. Still, I find my kids do better if they have a lot of sleep. I've read that most kids don't get enough sleep, so I try to at least generally keep to that bedtime.

It's set so you can add different times if different kids have different bedtimes.


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## fisherfamily (Dec 29, 2013)

My oldest is almost 9, and all our kids go to bed at 6:30. They all wake up early, so finally we just started putting them to bed early to compensate. They always fall right to sleep, and are much happier all day now. Sometimes, we keep one (or both) of the oldest up another half hour to an hour to do some big kid fun.


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## Peony (Nov 27, 2003)

We have a wide range because of all the ages. The 2.5 year old goes down around 7pm. The 4.5 year old around 7:30. The 7 year old gets tucked in then as well, but often reads until 8pm because she just isn't tired anymore earlier. My oldest is 11 and usually goes to bed around 9, sometimes 9:30pm on really bad homework nights. We don't change the routine on weekend nights or summer otherwise it is just too difficult to bounce back and forth between times.


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## Polliwog (Oct 29, 2006)

My kids are usually in bed around 6:45 or 7:00. We usually read together for a while, then often watch a nature program on my tablet. They are almost always asleep by 8:00.

Weekends, they are often up later.


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## meemee (Mar 30, 2005)

dd was in school till the beginning of 6th grade.

we have been hsing her since november.

her sleep suffered all through school. she has a hard time falling asleep. plus she liked having her own free time to do what she wanted. that was important to her.

now that she is hsed she has gone back to her night owl status 11 to midnight and gets up 12 or 13 hours later. that is SHOCKING to me. she has never slept that long ever before except when sick or jet lag.


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## fisherfamily (Dec 29, 2013)

I would be so happy if we could do things that way. My body really wants sleep from 11 to 10. No one around here cares. They are always bouncing around my room by 7. I know it might not be popular, but I know how hard it is to sleep at the "right" times. It's like changing time zones constantly. I think it is great you allow an unconvential sleep pattern, and I'm sure she feels much better.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *meemee*
> 
> dd was in school till the beginning of 6th grade.
> 
> ...


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## meemee (Mar 30, 2005)

me too. i have an unconventional sleep pattern too. i go to bed btw 12 and 1 and i wake up at 4. do meditation or journaling or drawing or a walk and then go back to sleep for a few more hours.

during summer dd went back to her night owl state. she was such a different child. of course some nights she'd be awake the whole night reading. she was so relaxed. listened better. not so frustration or having meltdowns. i see the same with hsing.

i do face a lot of criticism for letting her sleep so late.


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## One_Girl (Feb 8, 2008)

My dd goes to bed around 8:30 every night on weeknights. On weekends she can go to bed whenever she wants, typically that is around 10 but occasionally later. She gets about 10 hours of sleep a night no matter what time she falls asleep.


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## porcelina (May 2, 2007)

Double post


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## WillowsMommy12 (Dec 28, 2013)

My dd is 18m and she goes to bed between 9:30 and 10 and usually wakes about 11:30 the next morning. Dw works until 7 so we do a later bedtime so we can have family time together and dinner as a family every night.


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## DesireeH (Mar 22, 2003)

I voted 9:30 but they usually don't fall asleep until 10 ish. (6th and 2nd grade.) They get up at 7:30 for school. Weekends are more like 11:30-12 but they sleep in.


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## Katie Kiesow (Dec 4, 2013)

What nature programs to do watch?


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## Fujiko (Nov 11, 2006)

My kids are 1, 4, and 7, and we do 7:30, usually very strict about it. The oldest needs to be up by 6:40 am for school, and the other two get up then, too. We don't change on weekends or during school breaks because I think consistancy is really important. (They still get up pretty early but the older two know how to amuse themselves and stay out of trouble until my husband or I get up.) It works really well for everyone in our family.


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## LoveNFaith522 (Jul 17, 2012)

DD is 20 months and usually is in bed and asleep by 8pm. We start our bedtime routine at 7:00 (quiet activities like reading and coloring, then bath, sing our song, prayers and bed). She has always had a bedtime routine and she looks forward to her "baths" as she says.


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## porcelina (May 2, 2007)

I voted 7:30. My DS1 is 6 and that is his bedtime. But sometimes it's earlier (7) and other times later (8). He is always up 6-6:15 irregardless of bedtime. The 3 yr old goes down about 8:45-9 if he has had a nap, and 7-7:30 if not (and we limit nap to 1 hr). Also up around 6:15.


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## Catholic Mama (Nov 7, 2006)

In the winter my children go to bed at 7, with dinner around 5, baths on certain nights starting about 5:45, Rosary and night prayers at 6:30, and bed at 7. In the summer after the time change they go to bed at 8 after the same routine, almost: dinner at 5, baths at 6, Rosary at 7:30, bed at 8. I wish I had more time with them for things at night in the winter too, but my husband insists on this schedule. Almost all of my children read in bed, my oldest the longest.


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## JamieCatheryn (Dec 31, 2005)

Mine are homeschooled so they wake around dawn or whenever they are ready. We put them to bed about 8:30. Under about 3.5 years old especially while they still nap in the daytime we just wait til they seem sleepy.


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## Taqah (Jul 8, 2011)

My baby went to sleep around 12 or 1 am from birth until 18 months or so -- but she also slept in until noon -- heavenly for a late sleeper like me.

Because we are going to have to put her in a day care or prek fairly soon we have been moving up her bedtime slowly and she now sleeps from 9 until 8:30-- she is now two years old . Hopefully that will be early enough because 1. really I don't want to wake up any earlier if I don't have to and 2. this allows her to spend significant time with my husband when he comes home around 6. But depending on the care we find we may have to shift to an earlier bed time and rising schedule.


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## Yaliina (Oct 22, 2005)

I almost changed my answer to "it's complicated" because it kinda is. When my oldest was little (<4), he didn't have any "bed time". He would often be up until 1 am. He was born a night owl, and doesn't get up early in the morning, either. Since that's the way I am, it's actually worked out pretty well. We did have to start enforcing some kind of bed time when I was working full-time and he was going to day-care every day, but it kept getting pushed back and back. We started by trying 8L00, then 8:30, then 9:30, and we ended up at 10:30 for a while. We eventually got it to 9:00, where it has mostly remained. But, honestly, it isn't exactly a hard-and-fast rule. If there's something going on, the kids stay up if they want. It helps that we homeschool & I no longer work full-time. As long as they're in bed by about 10:30, I call it a win.


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## LoveChild421 (Sep 10, 2004)

My boys are 6 and 8 years old and my goal is to start the bed-time process at 8pm on school nights. It takes a while to get the book read, teeth brushes, go to the bathroom, say prayers, etc. so its usually around 8:45 when they are actually down for the night. On the weekend or vacations, I let them stay up a little later.


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## stellercrys (Mar 12, 2008)

I chose 8:30. We aim for 8pm most nights, but sometimes it takes until 8:30 by the time they are actually laying in their beds. Of course there are nights when they stay up later, but 8pm is our "normal" time. Oh and our kids are 7 and 3.


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## TakeItSnape (Sep 6, 2013)

My children will be homeschooled and going to bed when they want, and sleep when they want.

I think this is important for independance on their part. Enforcing naps I think is bull, they will sleep when they're tired and wake when they're not.


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## LitMom (Mar 6, 2012)

9 and 6 homeschoolers. Younger in bed by 8 (early riser). Older in bed by 8:30 and often reads til 9 (late riser).


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## intentionalmama (Aug 23, 2008)

Homeschooled boy 10 - try for 9pm but usually 9:30. Usually wakes up between 8 and 9 am.


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## gennjuls (Aug 21, 2012)

My kids are 5 and 3. We get their bedtime routine started by 7ish and then read to them. We try to be done by 730-745. That way they can be asleep by 8. We have swim in the mornings twice a week so it's important they get to bed on time.


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## ihave7kids (Apr 21, 2012)

We homeschool, so we can be flexible, but usually we stick with a routine of 8ish bedtime for everyone but the baby, who is 3 months & doesn't have a routine yet. Hubby does prayers with them, then the younger ones go right to sleep. The older ones (16, 14, 12) shower & read or listen to music and talk until 10ish, then lights out. I have 2 who would be night owls if left to their own devises...they take after their dad, who could stay up all night, and easily gets by on 4 hours of sleep a night!


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## amberskyfire (Sep 15, 2007)

Mine is complicated. I let them go to bed when they want to. Both ask to go to bed every night and always have, so they really like bedtime. The youngest usually likes to be in bed by 8. The older one follows closely behind most nights. Sometimes she is really sleepy and passes out a bit earlier.


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## heather626 (May 31, 2013)

We have a fairly relaxed bedtime for my 8 month old because I work evenings & get home anywhere from 10-midnight. Ideally, I would like a 9pm bedtime with a 12am feeding. What I get on nights when I'm at work is a 9pm nap. When I get home, she's so excited that I came home that she's up for about 2 hours.


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## ananas (Jun 6, 2006)

DD is 15 mo old...I chose 7:30 but it's really more like 6:30-8:30, depending on her mood and how sleepy she seems and what her naps that day were like. Generally it's just about 7:30, though.


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## Naturemama23 (Feb 9, 2014)

my oldest (and currently only) is 12 months, and goes to bed any where between 6, and 7, o-clock, so I voted 7 or earlier.


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## meowmix (Jul 14, 2005)

It varies, between 8 and 9. I usually read for a while and then the kids are allowed to read in bed. My 9 year old may fall asleep while I'm reading. My 12 year old usually reads until 9:30 or 10pm. Sometimes they all zonk out at 8:30pm. It depends on what our day has been like. My son recently started homeschooling but I kept the same nightly routine. He sleeps until about 8am and sometimes falls asleep in the afternoon. He has always needed more sleep, though.


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## *LoveBugMama* (Aug 2, 2003)

I voted 9.30. LoveBug will be 13 YO in a few months, and his bedtime on weekdays is now 9.15. (He goes to the bathroom to brush etc. at 9.15.) In bed by 9.30 an then I sit next to his bed and we talk for a few minutes before he falls asleep. He gets up at 7.10. If there is something special going on, like a favorite tv-show or something, he stays up later. (Champions League soccer games some evenings etc.)

In the weekends he goes to bed around midnight, and will sleep until around 10 am. Sometimes 11.


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## unuselyriver (Aug 13, 2012)

mine go to bed at 9pm an sleep till 5am and then there up for the day they have never been put in bed at this time they just go but i also dont have to wake them for school they just get up and get dress now my baby she only sleeps at the most an hr or 2 and then wants to eat and is always up by 4 in the morn and stay up till about 2 pm and then sleep an hr or 2 again then she back up she just never sleep even if i put her down for a nap but she is only 5 months old to i am sure she will get into the routine soon of everyone else in the house i hope


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## mamabear0314 (May 13, 2008)

My kids go to bed and wake up with the sun so it depends on the time of year.


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## SweetSilver (Apr 12, 2011)

I voted "9". That's the time they actually crawl in bed, lights out. Stories start at 8ish, go until 8:30ish. Then brush teeth, jammies, etc. They wake up 7-7:30. We homeschool, so the time is the same every single night, year 'round, unless we have something late, like our girl scout meetings. The girls are 7 and 9, and we've done this timing for around 3 years.


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## 3xMama (Oct 14, 2010)

We stick pretty hard and fast to 8:30 for bedtime. DD is up at 6:40 for school and she really needs her sleep. If she doesn't get enough she turns into a bear! Neither of my boys nap during the day anymore, so they are usually good and ready for 8:30 to roll around. Occasionally bed happens earlier if we've had a big day and its obvious the boys are cranky. We sometimes give DD the option to read or color quietly in bed, usually only on weekends or breaks from school.


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## kblackstone444 (Jun 17, 2007)

My kids are 18, 13, 10, 6 and 3. With the exception of the 10 year old, they are all HORRIBLE sleepers!

My 18 year old son is a chronic insomniac. He will often pull all nighters, then crash at 7pm the next day. He doesn't have an official bedtime.

My 13 year old stepdaughter is also a chronic insomniac. She will often be up until 1, 2 or even 3 am, but she's getting better at sleeping and staying on a schedule. Her official bedtime is 10:30, but she's rarely ready to sleep by then.

My stepson will be 10 in a couple weeks. He'll fall asleep any time, anywhere. His official bedtime is 9:30, but he'll put himself to bed early if he feels tired, sometimes an hour or two before his actual bedtime.

My 6 year old stepdaughter hates to go to bed because she hates to miss a thing. Her official bedtime is 9, but depending on who's putting her to bed that night, she finds loophole after loophole, and can easily stay awake until midnight or later.

My 3 year old son I suspect has a sleep disorder. His official bedtime is also 9, but it will take up to 2 hours to get him asleep, then he only sleeps 2-3 hours at a time.

Needless to say, my fiance and I get very little sleep! Boy do I envy those of you who wrote 7:30 or 8 as your children's bedtimes! lol


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## anj_rn (Oct 1, 2009)

During the school year, 7:30 pm for DS. We try to stick to close to that on the weekends, because it is not his preferred schedule. During the summer 9 pm, and that is only because getting him back on a school schedule after 2 months of staying up until midnight is impossible. He is very cranky when he does not get enough sleep. We have blackout curtains in his room so he is not affected by the daylight savings time switches.

DD is medically fragile, she usually falls asleep in the family room at some point. She gets moved to bed at 10 pm. Because of her spasticity and seizure meds, and therapy appts, her need for sleep varies on a day to day basis.


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## mommy2k&k (Apr 21, 2005)

My 2 oldest (13,11) go to bed at 9pm during school and 10pm on weekends/summer.
My youngest (3) goes to bed at 8pm every night.
A few times during the month I will let the oldest two go to bed when they want but it is normally close to bed time.


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## OkiMom (Nov 21, 2007)

Mine tend to be a bit on the early to bed, early to rise side.. We start bedtime routines around 7, around 730 I tuck them into bed and start reading from a chapter book. Usually within 5-10 minutes they are OUT. If one of them are still up after 10 minutes I let them have a light and they look at books in bed (its usually the 5 or 7 yos) and I go back to check on them 10-15 minutes later. Its a rare night that they are still up at 8..
No matter when they go to bed they are up between 4-6am. Every morning, never fails. They won't nap either (except the 1yo) so getting them in bed early is important. Eventually Im sure it will change when they get older but for now its working well.


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## Lady Phoenix (Mar 17, 2008)

Around 8:00 (grade 4 and preschooler). They get up very early, so any later makes us all miserable the next day.


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## jodieanneanton (Apr 8, 2010)

When my oldest DD was 3 (she's 6 now), she would wake up at the crack of dawn. She wouldn't nap, and would be cranky all. day. long. So, we started making bed time earlier and earlier until her personality evened out with a 7 pm bed time. Now, that is bed time for all of the kids. A few months ago, we made the oldest's an hour later, but it only lasted a week. She just needs the sleep still.


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## tropicmama (Jul 30, 2011)

My dd is almost 4 and ds is almost 7. We start bedtime routine (bathroom, reading etc) around 730 then bed 8pm and they wake up on their own early, by 6am.. But even when I let them stay up, they still wake up early... My almost 4 year old still takes a 2 hour nap during the day. If she skips her nap, then she sleeps for like 12+ hours at night!


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## lakeshore444 (Apr 16, 2014)

My two year old is almost never in bed after 6pm. Everyone in my neighborhood keeps their kids up much later, and I often feel like were missing out on things, but hes just so much more content if he's well rested. Hes up at 6:30 am and takes a 2 hour nap as well... I'm not complaining


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## kblackstone444 (Jun 17, 2007)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *lakeshore444*
> 
> My two year old is almost never in bed after 6pm. Everyone in my neighborhood keeps their kids up much later, and I often feel like were missing out on things, but hes just so much more content if he's well rested. Hes up at 6:30 am and takes a 2 hour nap as well... I'm not complaining


OMG, I envy you so much! lol


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## ShadowMoon (Oct 18, 2006)

DS is 7 and his bedtime during the school year is around 8-8:30. He'll usually wake up between 6-6:30 in the morning. He's had the same sleep patterns since infancy so we've been lucky there, lol


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## j and js mommy (Jun 4, 2012)

3 yo 9:30 which is way too late but go figure dad puts him to bed therefore we all understand why it is so late!
He is a ball of energy and has never been a sleeper


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## cottonwood (Nov 20, 2001)

I didn't vote because I don't put my kids to bed, but it's also not complicated.  The younger ones generally go to bed when I do. If they're more tired than I am, they might put themselves to bed, or they'll fall asleep somewhere near me. The older ones regulate their own sleep cycles. The kids don't have places they need to be early in the morning, and my husband until recently didn't get home until 6:00 pm, so it wouldn't have made sense for them to have an early bedtime, nor did they need to.


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## mumm (May 23, 2004)

The first usually sleeps 12 hours a night (7p-7a). She is 6 years old. The next to bed is 13 years old and he usually heads to bed about 9, lights out about 9:30. Up at 6:20am, so about 9 hours. The other two (6 years and 11 years) are in bed about 9, lights out about 10. The 6 year old is up by 6 (8 hours) and the 11 year old is up by 8, but would prefer to sleep until about 10.

I think this shows that every kid is different. One of my twins sleeps at least 12 hours a night and one usually gets 8 but can go for weeks at a time on just 6 before she'd feel it.


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