What time are you folks' kids going to bed?

Maggie - posted on 02/16/2012

my 14 year old son goes to bed at half 8 on weeknights as he has to get up at 6am. On weekends he is in bed by half 9 and he gets up at 8am for swimming lessons. I think these bedtimes suit him because he is energetic and needs his rest

Casey - posted on 02/13/2012

@ Juliette - My daughter would be a mess If I left her up till nine - she goes to bed at 7.30 now - Why do you get her up so early can I ask? :)

Sherri - posted on 02/11/2012

You think a 5yr old should be in bed at 6pm Kristin that is a little crazy to me. Since my daycare kids don't even leave till 5pm and then we need to start dinner, eat and then shower. I am trying to figure out how that is even feasible. My kids have never gone to bed before 7:30pm unless they were sick and I am the only parent I know that is as early as I am.



I think Lily's are quite a bit too late but I think yours are ridiculously early.



to age 9 - 8pm

10-11 - 8:30pm

12 - 9pm

13-15 - 9:30pm

16-18 - 10pm

Kristin - posted on 02/11/2012

You are probably wrong, lily. The times you set for bed times is more from the children's desire than what should be the norm. I can understand that the child thinks it is good, but it does not correspond to what is appropriate for children to be in bed.



I want to adjust your times a little...

Zandra - posted on 02/07/2012

I agree, those times are a little late. My almost 9 yr old goes to bed at 8.

Sherri - posted on 02/07/2012

Wow Lily my 14 & 13 yr old would love you.

Lily - posted on 02/07/2012

I have written a list of what I think bed time should be!



6 - 8:00

7 - 8:15

8 - 8:30

9 - 8:45

10 - 9:00

11- 9:30

12 - 10:00

That was

On a weeknight

Hope it helped!

Alecia - posted on 10/28/2011

Mine are 8. I notice a lot of our friends kids are up WAY to late. 7:30 is enough time for ours to be asleep by 8. Ant later a we miss the sleep window. Growth spurts throw us off a little but kids need sleep.

Sarah - posted on 10/28/2011

He may be going to bed a bit early maybe try 8:00 - 8:30!

hope this helped!

go moms!

Brittany - posted on 10/28/2011

My 5 year old goes to bed at 8 and my 9 year old goes to bed at 8:30, except on weekends, unless we have something to do early in the mornings then they can stay up until 9 and 9:30. My 9 year old gets up at 7 for school as well. I don't allow drinks after 7 unless they are sick and need the fluids.

Christina - posted on 10/19/2011

I try to get my kids into bed at 8pm (they are 6 & 7 years old) but with all the homework and after school activities, it is now usually 9pm with it being as late as 9:45 occasionally. They wake up for school at 7:40am and really struggle the days they get to bed any later than 9pm. They would sleep 11 1/2 hours a night if there was enough hours in the day!

Juliette - posted on 10/18/2011

My 7 year old daughter is in bed by 9pm sharp and up at 5:15am to get ready for school. Once she has finished her homework she is allowed to do anything that she wants (except play with her DSI or watch TV), but she must be showered and in bed by 9. If she hasn't showered by 9, then she goes to bed 'stinky' and I wake her at 4:45 to shower - she really doesn't like that. She usually falls asleep within 5 minutes.

My 3 year old son, on the other hand, is usually ready for bed by 9pm, but he doesn't usually go to sleep until around 11pm. We have tried everything! Eventually my husband or myself will go lie down with him, and even then, we will have to physically restrain him to get him to stay still. Maybe he'll out grow it???

Kimberly - posted on 10/14/2011

My almost 6 year old goes to bed at 8:30 on school nights and 9:00 on weekends. I get him up at 7:30 for school. I think different people require different amounts of sleep, but if he has a hard time falling asleep, it may just be worth trying to make it closer to 8 for a week or so to see if it's easier for him then...

Katrina - posted on 10/14/2011

Sounds like most folks on here are well within what I thought (and still do) is a good time frame. Thanks, everyone, for your input.

Noreen - posted on 10/14/2011

My boys are 10 and 5. Bedtime is at 9, and they wake up at 7 am to get ready for school, kids should get at least 10 hrs of sleep, and we have them shower the night before so they can sleep a little bit in the morning.. They put their clothes out the night before, and get their backpacks ready for the next day making sure everything they need is inside, and have a glass of milk before bed to help them sleep . If theyre up earlier or go to bed later, they tend to be very grumpy in the morning and found the more sleep they get, the better they do. we've been doing this since they were small, so sometimes my 5 yr old even ASKS or TELLS us he wants to go to bed when its around his bedtime , so I have no problems w/him.. my 10 yr old has trouble falling asleep, so sometimes we have him lay in bed around 8:45 and read or relax so he can fall asleep faster. my 5 yr old, once his head hits the pillow, he's out like a light until I wake him the next morning. We get up, have breakfast, brush our teeth, get dressed, and out the door by 7:45 for school. since everything was prepared the night before, sometimes they even have time to play with each other for a bit which they enjoy.. and it makes the mornings alot smoother getting out. Weekends they can go to bed a little later {10 the latest}as they sleep in and wake on their own.

Valarie - posted on 10/12/2011

We go to bed between 8 and 8:30. We are very strict about it. Our chdilren require ALL of their sleep and since there is no deviation, they don't complain or fight us!

Jessica - posted on 10/11/2011

My kids are 6 & 7. They are in bed by 7:30 pm most nights. (On Wednesday is our church night so they are usually in bed by 9:30 on those nights.) They have adjust well to their sleep schedule and usually do not have any difficulty falling asleep. There are tons of great tips here though!

Rachel - posted on 10/11/2011

My 8 and 6 y/o's go to bed around 9 pm. They usually have a fan and a nightlight. They know to go to the bathroom and/or get a drink of water before they lay down. I honestly can't remember what got them to go to sleep so easy, probably giving them a later bedtime. Their bedtime used to be 8 o'clock. Now they pretty much know what's expected of them.

Kerry - posted on 10/10/2011

My kids are almost 6, 9 and 12 and bedtime is 9pm. youngest will often fall asleep on our bed earlier than that. My oldest regardless of what day of the week it is, always gets up @ 6:30a on his own, no alarm. My 9 yr old is a night owl and is often up at all hours of the night. So, both boys only get about 9 1/2 hours sleep at best but it sems to be enough for both of them. They do not get tired during the day. My youngest gets more sleep bc she is often asleep before 9p and she is not a morning person, unlike her older brothers. We usually have to drag her out of bed at 7a for school (Kindergarten) and it is not unusual for her to take a 1-2 hour nap after school and a lil earlier on the wekends. I would try making bedtime 8pm for your son and see if he has as many excuses not to go to sleep. That would still give him 11 hrs between bedtime and wake up time. Good luck!

Elaine - posted on 10/10/2011

my boys are 3 & 6 and they go up around 8 every night. some nights its a little earlier (745) depending on their day. If my 3 yr old naps he has a harder time falling asleep so we try not to let him nap. Older 1 is in 1st grade and he is usually ready by 8 for bed. He gets up around 730 for school. His room is dark and we keep his door 1/2 open but no lights on except night light in the bathroom. I am not one for late bedtimes. Once in awhile they are up later, usually its summer, but even on weekends we try to keep it the same. are you keeping the schedule the same every night? I don't think 8 is unreasonable, especially on school nights.

Khara - posted on 10/10/2011

My kids are 5, 7, & 9.. They all have the same bedtime & routine... We are in bed by 8, no getting up, pee before you get in bed, get a drink, brush your teeth all of that before 8.. Then tv time from 8-8:30 kind of gets them relaxed... TV off at 8:30.

Jessica - posted on 10/08/2011

I have a 5 year old and an 2 year old they go to bed at 7:30 and 7 the older one gets half an hour later then the little one. They are both up by 7 am this is school night or weekend and this way they seem to function better.

Denise - posted on 10/07/2011

9:00- 9:30

Chanda - posted on 10/06/2011

My 8 yr old goes to bed at 8:30 every night and gets up at 7:15 in the morning. If he's been doing well with getting up w/o problems, he's aloud to read until 9pm when he wants (which is most nights). I think the main thing is to find that happy middle ground that works for you and your child. Too early and they just stare at the wall, too late and they are dragging the next morning. I also homeschool, so if he has a rough night, it's easier to take a slower pace the next day, but we still have our Taekwondo in the morning and then class work throughout the day. Good luck and God bless.

Cynthia - posted on 09/26/2011

My 9yr old is in her room at 8pm but it is quiet time and 8:30 is lights out. Ouiet time is a big help she can read, play, anything that helps wind her down from the day as long as she stays in her room and is quiet. We are up in the mornings by 6:30am.

Beth - posted on 09/25/2011

Hi Katrina,

My daughter is 6..7 in a few months. We set a bedtime of 8pm, but we read her a few books and then she likes to read no more than 2 short books on her own with the light on. After that, we put or she puts a CD on to listen to while she settles down to sleep. So by 8:30pm at the very latest, she is asleep. She did have trouble the night before and the night of the first day of school, but other than that we don't have much trouble. She sets her (or we do) alarm for 6am and for the most part gets up easily. We do need to keep encouraging her to keep moving though with breakfast, getting dressed, brushing teeth, etc..We also have to get her to her before school care at 7:30am, since my husband and I both work at 8am. I hope this helps and good luck! :) Beth

Shelly - posted on 09/25/2011

7 yr old boy in bed by 930 and falls asleep immediately...up at 0700... 9 yr old girl asleep by 10 and up at 0800... We have so many activities in the evening and don't get home most nights til 830 ...horseback riding, music lessons, scouts, swim, etc.

Deborah - posted on 09/25/2011

My daughter is 5 and I put her to bed by 8:30 and she's awake by 6am. She has to be ready for 7:30 to be picked up for school. Any earlier and there'll be problems.one thing though, you mentioned that you've recently moved, maybe that's the problem, not the bedtime routine. Talk to your son and find out.

Theresa - posted on 09/24/2011

8pm is bed

Brittany - posted on 09/23/2011

My 5 year old goes to bed around 8 and is out like a light by 8:30. Every once in a while he will get up to pee but, the coming out of the bedroom is on the weekends.

Teresa - posted on 09/22/2011

My 7 year old is in bed by nine and ususally asleep shortly afterwards. His daddy gets him his bath and reads to him in bed. We have some classical music to play for him and he goes to sleep. He gets up around 7 ( I have to get him up) and he's pretty easy once you get him going.

VALERIE MARIE - posted on 09/22/2011

Hi Caroline ,I see you have a son with adhd so do I have you medicated him?Do you find him challenging!!!!

DJ - posted on 09/22/2011

my 9yr old is in bed at 8:00pm and asleep shortly after that - she then gets up on her own about 7:30am - and leaves for school around 8:30am - i beleive that if your child has to be woken up in the morning then they are not getting enough sleep - maybe you should introduce an activity in the evening to wear down some of the extra energy you son has.......my husband will take the girls for a bike ride or i will take them swimming - but routine is the key in my opinion. homework, dinner, playtime, bathtime, teeth, bed. that didn't happen over night it was a long process, but easier with the little one she just fell in line with my older daughters routine.
Good luck,

Kristin - posted on 09/22/2011

I have three children. two girls 15 and 9 years old and a boy of 12. The boy's bedtime is 8pm, the youngest girl is in bed at 7pm, while the oldest girl can stay up until the time is 9pm

Crystal - posted on 09/21/2011

I have a son, 5, who goes to bed at 7:30 every night and a daughter, 8, who goes to bed by 8:00. They both get up between 7-7:30 for school. I find that if we let them stay up later, they always have behavioral problems the next day due to the lack of sleep. We read a story to each of them in their beds which seems to help them wind down enough to fall sleep. Creating a routine and sticking to it is very important for most children.

Crystal - posted on 09/21/2011

My kids go to bed at 7pm to and by the tme they get to sleep it's about 8pm and they are up any where from 6:30am to 7am. Sometimes I have to get them up and other times they wake up on there own.

Gwen - posted on 09/20/2011

My son is 8 and goes to bed at 9 and gets up at 7am. My step daughters are 12 and 14 and they go to bed at 10 on school nights.But they also get up at 8am. I was also told that kids need about 10 hours of sleep.

Betty - posted on 09/20/2011

My 7 yr. old daughter goes to be at 7:30, we read and talk about her day at school and then at 8:15 she has to fall asleep. She falls asleep between 8:15-9:15 and I wake her up at 7:15. No matter what time I put her to bed, she won't fall asleep before 8:15. For my daughter we use a sound machine on white noise in her room. You can't hear anything in the other rooms that way.

Michelle - posted on 09/20/2011

hi i have 6 kids,my youngest 3and 4 go bed at half 6 and they never seem to get sleep till 8. my daughter who is 7 too goesto bed athalf 7 and sits on the stairs waiting for her sister.she dosent have her tv on and only the landing light on. her sister who is 8 goes bed at 8. they then sit and draw in bed orplay which i have to go up few times and tell them to sleep.then my 11 year old goes up at 9 and my son at halfpast who is nearly 13. the 2 oldest get up for school ok. my 3 and 4 year old get up ok but my 2 daughters have to be wokeup soi have the same problem

Aurora - posted on 09/20/2011

I do 9 for my teen and school age. They say twelve hours is needed. My kids seem to do okay on 10. All electronics are off by eight, night lights by 830. They are bathed by 730. But this schedule works in my house and I keep it on the weekend, much to their chagrin :)

Ashley - posted on 09/19/2011

My kids are 6, 5, and 3. The bedtime routine has just changed for us. I used to put them all in bed at 8:30, but now I make my two little ones go in their rooms at 7, separately, and play quietly or read books until bed. I started doing this because my oldest just started 1st grade and he has a lot more homework this year than last year and he needs quiet time away from his siblings to do it. I used to reserve 7-8pm for TV time so they would actually wind down and sit, but the TV is too distracting for my son. So, I make the littler ones have lights off at 7:45ish and my older son goes to bed around 8:30.

Dale - posted on 09/19/2011

Not all kids need the same amount of rest, even within the same family. Perhaps he's not tired. You might consider adding an activity such as swimming or indoor soccer to use up extra energy. If it's a new routine, give him a few weeks to adjust. Otherwise, once he knows that it's bedtime, he'll get the hang of it.

Amanda - posted on 09/19/2011

My children are 7, 4, and 18 months. My 18 month old goes down around 8 to 8:30 and he wakes up on average around 6:30am. My 7 and 4 year old go to bed at about 8:30 on average and they get up between 6:30 and 7 am! ; )

Melissa - posted on 09/19/2011

When my 3 kids were 5 - 7 they went to bed @ 8, 8-10 830, 11-14 9:00. Of course after school activities & homework has had some impact, but I try to be as consistent as possible. As long as they get 8-10 hrs of sleep a night I'm satisfied. This is what I recommend to my students as well.

Sherri - posted on 09/18/2011

@ 7 no later than 8pm would be my rule.

Casey - posted on 09/18/2011

6.5 year old goes to bed at 7.00pm and wakes at 8am :)

Amanda - posted on 09/18/2011

My 6 year old goes to bed at 9 and takes at times an hour or so to fall asleep. She gets up for school at 7 with no problem. I did talk to the dr a couple weeks ago during her physical and she said as long as she is getting at least 8 hours, it doesnt really matter so those nights when it takes her til 11 to fall asleep, as long as she still gets up in the morning with no problem then not to worry about it.

Lindsay - posted on 09/18/2011

I have 3 kids and we all go upstairs together at 6.30pm. They get changed for bed, do toilet and teeth and then they can choose an episode of their favourite show on tv (older child gets two episodes) followed by story. My 1 year old has light out by 7 after milk, my 4 year old has lights out at 7.30 and my 6 year old at 7.45pm.
My eldest used to be scared of monsters and we spray a room spray called 'sleep therapy'. We told him that monsters were scared of the smell and wouldn't come anywhere near. It killed two birds with one stone as the spray contained lavender and chamomile and so helped him to relax too!
Hope this helps x

Sabryna - posted on 09/16/2011

I have an 11 year old girl who goes to bed at 8 and a 17 year old girl who goes to bed between 9 and 9:30. With the teens, if they go to bed earlier, then you don't have as much problem getting them up in the morning. With the little ones, my husband will read them a chapter in their favorite book while they are in bed, to settle their minds. Then it is time for bed and 99% of the time, we don't have a problem with them staying there.

Katrina - posted on 09/16/2011

I wish we had a bus! But I guess not so much now that we moved closer to the school a few weeks ago and we walk there (20 minutes) every day with the puppy. Anyway, it seems like we're doing the right things, and he's also starting to get to sleep a bit better now that we're through the second week of this school year.