Bedtimes...?

[Saffron]

Little Saff (18 months) often goes to bed between 9-10pm. I don't feel permissive about it. It's just what works for us. We've tried on several occasions to get into a routine of putting her to be earlier so that she would sleep better/longer/wake less etc. It was rubbish. Totally useless. Every baby/child is different. And every family has a different dynamic. It's quite normal for some babies/toddlers to need less sleep, or to stay up later than others. There is a wide variation of what is normal in terms of our biological clocks.

[Fuschia]

If you are a family that doesn't need to get up at the crack of dawn then I seenotjomg sacrosanct about 7-7

And length of night time sleep required will vary from child to child and dependent on day time sleep

As long as the child gets enough sleep, the parents get the time they need/want to recover and everybody is happy ... Sounds perfect to me!

[Moi23]

cuppa tea Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

>

>

> Don't worry, my 4 year old's been going to bed at

> around 9.30, last night 10!!!! Not quite sure how

> this has happened, but in some ways it works quite

> well - no battles at bedtime, which were taking up

> to 2 hours out of an evening at night with us

> going up and down the stairs and him bouncing

> around on his bed. Very stressful. He's up at 8.30

> though, so there is a benefit. Needless to say I

> am not that strict!

> Will have to sort it out before school in

> September though.....gulp!

We're similar, my eldest (4) often goes to bed 8:30/9 and even later at weekends. Dad often comes home late and when I was working I did really long hours, so it sort of worked that way. Oh and he does sleep till 8/8:30 which is glorious! However, when he started nursery and had to be in for 9, life became very stressfull indeed. I've had to implement an earlier bedtime and once he starts reception definitely asleep by 8 or he'll just be too tired. Trouble is, I know we'll get rather lax over the summer, so it's going to be hard...

[Yak]

Do your partners mind if the kids are in bed before they get home? Mr Yak gets home around 7 / 7.15 so we have bedtime at 7.45 so he can at least see a bit of his pride and joy before bedtime. But frequently the Yaklet is either really tired or is being tanked up with milk at that time, so I'm thinking of moving it earlier. On the plus side he sleeps til 8 / 8.30 in the morning which feels almost indecently civilised and I don't really want to wreck that.

And I wonder if Mr Yak's enthusiasm will wane after a couple more months anyway....

[Ruth_Baldock]

Mr B used to mind, but I told him he could get home for bath/milk/story bed (starting at 6pm) or he could lump it. Considering he gets back at 1am sometimes (after a particuarly difficult day editing wise), I think it's a bit much for him to expect me to keep Cheeky S up to see him. We didn't used to have a routine at all, S co-slept with us and would be up aaalllll evening until we went to sleep, so he'd always see him when he eventually got home. Nowadays, when he comes home and S is in bed, he'll go and say goodnight to him (S is normally asleep- I don't let Mr B go into his room unless I'm sure he's asleep as S just gets over-excited and riled up).

[EDMumof2]

Am fascinated to know how you enforce this bit:

- our 4 year old goes to bed at 7pm (and isn't allowed to get up before the clock at 6.30am).

please share!! 3 year old was up at 5.20 this morning, woke the baby and us = grumpy baby and grumpy us!!

[miniminder]

Ho Huuuuum.. longing for those days when i used to be able to put them to bed and enjoy uninterupted time on my own or with my partner.

Now I go to bed earlier than my 13 and 16 year old, just for the peace and quiet looooool.

all i say is enjoy it while it lasts.