Calling All Mothers - Question About Bed Time

[catnapper]

This is a big debate in my house too. Hubby and I think 7:30/8:00 is perfect for Cameron. If we're watching him, thats what time we typically get him down. Now.... if his mom is watching him, its typically 10:00 or later. Then the poor kid is exhausted and cranky the next day because he's still up at 7:30 in the morning like clockwork.

[shepgirl]

Seven would be the time for my kids even in today's changing world. I've seen kids that go to bed whenever and I don't like being around them, they are tired, cranky brats.

[sumbirdy]

Well I'm not a mother...but I do take care of my nephew most of the time. Nathan's bedtime used to be 8 every night, but then a few months before he turned 2 he would fight taking naps, and then he would fight going to sleep at night and I usually couldn't get him to sleep until 9:30-10. And he would wake up 3-4 times during the night. It was exhausting for both of us. Now things have evened out a bit. He takes 2 hour naps during the day (except for the rare days he refuses to take a nap at all, like today) And he's usually asleep by 9. Sleeps all night and doesn't get up until 8 or 8:30 the next morning. I agree with KBlaix. It should all depend on the situation. If they don't have to get up early (and preferably neither do you) then 10 is fine, on the other hand you said he gets up at 6-in that case 10 is way to late and he should be going to bed around 7:30. I read about a study that kids who don't get enough sleep in their first couple of years are more likely to be overweight by age 3. Plus they need that extra sleep to recharge their brains so they can be alert and be able to concetrate enough to learn things every day.

I'm a big fan of sleeping children. lol

[sparks19]

Hannah's bedtime is at 8 pm. She is almost a year old. she also sleeps late. She gets up about 7 am to have a bottle but then goes right back to sleep until 10:30 or 11. and then has another nap at 2 pm for 2 1/2 hours. At 2 years old she will have the same bedtime... as I fully expect that she won't be sleeping until 10:30 anymore LOL. And she falls asleep in her crib. sometimes she plays a little bit before nodding off.

and like someone else mentioned. it is NICE to have that little bit of time for just my husband and I. where we can just be husband and wife and not just mom and dad It's a nice break especially for me after spending all day chasing her around lol

[gini]

When my nieces were younger and lived in California, I used to have them spend the weekend or just an overnight. I loved to spoil them - so they got to stay up a bit later than normal.

My brother was not amused, because I would turn over two little girls, very cranky and tired the next day. They simply had not had enough sleep.

I changed my ways.

Bedtime, I have read, should be just one more fun thing to do in life.
Maybe you are reading them a favorite book - and if they settled down in bed, you got to tell them the next exciting adventure from the book. It should be a positive experience.

Some kids just hate going to sleep and it makes it difficult for Moms and Dads. But you will have a much more pleasant child on your hands if you keep a regular schedule and they know that you mean business!

[prechrswife]

We start the bedtime routine around 8. Our 2 year old is in bed around 8:30. I will also say that she thrives on routine, so the few times that someone else has been with her to put her to bed (when she stayed with grandparents when her baby sister was born, or when she spent the night with her other grandparents), the 8:30 thing didn't always happen. Her routine was off, and she just had to "run down," so to speak.

[Catty1]

I remember doing some babysitting when I was in my early teens, and I read one good tip about bedtimes.

Let's say there IS a set time for bed, 8:00 pm. The tip I read was to build up to it gradually. At 7:30, just say, "it's 7:30, so bedtime's in half an hour."

Same deal at 15 minutes, and maybe five. Then, "Okay, it's bedtime now."

It worked for me, but I didn't babysit much. Maybe someone here wants to try it and see how it works?

[molucass]

Brynn goes to bed every night around 9 and she gets up between 7:45-8:30 every morning. She has been sleeping through the night since she was 5 months old. When we have a busy day, she might go to bed around 8ish.
I am a night owl & usually can't go to bed until 2-3 am, so if she doesn't act like she is tired, I sometimes let her stay up with me as long as she wants.

Brynn usually doesn't put up any sort of a fuss when it is bed time.. We just tell her gradually that is such and such minutes til time for bed like someone else mentioned, and she has me rock her until that time.