How much sleep does your 6yo have?

[damzel]

My daughter has always been a good sleeper but I remember a year or so ago, the transition from 7pm bedtime to 8pm was harder for me than her - took me a while to realise she didn't need as much sleep anymore. Now I think we're in the transition from 8pm to 9pm. I really hope not as we go to bed around 10.30pm so our own time is shrinking (how will we get enough time for our Sky+ series links??)

During the week she has to be up by 7am but we all lay in at the weekends to catch up. So is 10 hrs sleep for a 6yo (with extra catch-up at weekends) the norm? Are 11hr sleeps a thing of the past?

[nunheadmum]

Our daughter is just turning 6 and goes to bed sometime between 7 and 7.30pm, getting up at 7am schooldays. Weekends and holidays we tend to push it towards 8pm (eldest goes at 8pm) but after a few days of this, it tends to show in her behaviour and we need a few earlier nights to catch up. I tend to find that the more sleep you give them, the happier they are - even if they don't agree when it comes to bedtime!

I find even 8pm makes a big difference in the time we have to ourselves in the evening. I'm dreading when they start going later. Like you, I worry about my box-set watching time!!!

[MrsP]

My 6 and 7 year old still go to bed at 7! I appreciate they need less sleep, but I still adult time. They don't go to sleep straight away and are allowed to have quiet time in their rooms, reading or pottering with toys. Lights off between 7.30 - 8. At the weekend this is usually extended by half an hour. They also like to have an story cd to listen to on weekend evenings. My feeling is that although they may need slightly less sleep it is helpful to create an quiet, winding down atmosphere at the end of the day.

[damzel]

Sounds like I should still encourage the earlier night then - phew! She goes up to bed about 7:30pm and reads until lights out at 8pm, she never gets out of bed, but recently is still struggling to get to sleep at 8.30 - 9pm. I usually let her read for a bit and then she slips off to sleep very easily, but not over the last week. Still shouting down the stairs "mum, mum, muuuuum, what shall I doooooo, I can't sleeeeeeeep". yawn

[Pickle]

I have a 6 and 7 year old too, and we still stick to 7pm, especially on week nights. I can't imagine life without my evenings!

They're up at 7am on school days, and 7:30ish weekends. Sometimes they are still awake at 8pm (they share a room), but we have said it's fine to read quietly, which is what my parents used to do with me. My daughter isn't too bad if she misses an hour or so of sleep, but my son really needs it, he's terrible if he's tired.

[Saffron]

My 4 year old goes to bed between 9-10pm! Children are all different. Sigh.

[minder]

I don't watch any TV until around 9pm-10pm and then it's usually news-related. Like the dementia ads. Since having my children I can get by on 6/7 hours but less as I've got older.

My 15 and 17 year old go to bed between 9.30-10.15pm weekdays but later at the weekend.

[ryedalema]

Our 4 and (nearly) 7 year old both go to bed at 7pm, max 7.30pm including weekends. We keep later nights for treats. We've been aware recently though that (at least for our 7 year old) she comes home asking about programmes that are later than her bedtime, but that are talked about in the school yard.

We don't currently watch any reality TV (urg) but caved last year to watch Strictly so that she could share with her friends. Her other pals seem to watch the gamut - X Factor, The Voice, BGT, Pointless(!) so I'm considering whether to 'cave' again and let her stay up later to watch one or some of these.

Her friends must go to bed aroud 9-9.30 to watch that little lot though, and she seems to need her sleep so don't really want to do this.

Hmmm....social peer pressure vs parental 'we know best'.

[bawdy-nan]

our 9 year old goes to bed at 8 and our 11 year old at 8.30. I actually think the elder one needs mores keep than the younger one

[sanity girl]

My 7 year old has never needed more than 10 hours a night. Now she has discovered Harry Potter and despite my best efforts stays up reading until almost 10pm! She wakes around 7.30-8am. Doesn't seem to do her any harm and she has bags of energy.

[Jessie]

My boy is 9. School nights it's 8, weekends (meaning Friday and Saturday) it's generally 9.30 though he's in his room before that for quiet time, too.

[canela]

some nights I get into our bed with the kids and a glass of wine around 8 and we all watch a short nature documentary. then they roll over and go to sleep and we pop them in bed later.

other nights I put our 4 year old to bed around 8, and our 8 year old reads Harry Potter out loud to my hubby whilst he does the washing up.

I think as they get older you have to learn how to have time for you/each other with the kids still hanging around. just until they are teenagers and never leave their rooms...

[GinaG3]

My daughter is 5 and has always been a bad sleeper. From newborn she would have only 5 minute naps, waking 7-8 times a night until around 16 months old. From then she woke 2-3 times and went to bed at any time she felt tired, usually between 10-12 then sleeping in till 9/10am. At 2 years old this carried on, I'd known bedtimes as late as 1am, even with 6am wakes and one 1 hour nap at lunchtime. When she started preschool at 3 her bedtimes went from 10-11pm waking up at 8.45am.

When she started school last September I made a very big push to get her in bed as early as possible. We now go and get in at 9pm and she generally is asleep by 10pm, she then sleeps until between 12 and 3am before coming to get in our bed, then woken up for school at 7.20 to everyone I know this seems really late and people have berated me for not getting in to a bedtime routine with her but routine is not the issue, she just doesn't sleep or get tired! She's always running around, bags of energy but can be pretty grumpy. The only time I've ever known her to go to bed before 7-8 is when she is really ill, and I mean REALLY ill.

[Saffron]

"Sleep shaming"... now trending on a social media site near you!

;-)

GinaG3, I feel your pain. xx