Originally Posted By TomSawyer Do your kids have a set bedtime? Did you have one when you were growing up? What do you think the advantages and disadvantages are of your way of doing things? Anna (now 20 months, if you can believe that) has a set bedtime of 7:00. We clean up her toys and mess a few minutes before six, then eat dinner, then give her a bath and then we read to her for 15 or 20 minutes. Then bedtime, and we try not to vary from that routine. She may stay up for a little bit talking to herself or singing, but the lights are off and after a little bit she'll go to sleep. She sleeps through the night and usually wakes up about 6:30 am. We think that she needs plenty of sleep at night, and when she wakes up she is almost always in a good mood. The biggest disadvantage is that we have limited time to spend with her in the evenings. The biggest advantage is that Kelly and I can still watch a movie or TV show, do work around the house, or just spend time with each other after Anna is in bed.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan When my kids were little, we were pretty consistent. Now that they're older, they can stay up later. Usually, they're tired and go to bed on their own. Every so often, they'll start getting to bed later and later and we'll have to step in. My parents had a pretty early bedtime for me even in high school. IMO, it was too early. I think that's why, for many years, I stayed up very, very late as an adult -- sort of as a way to rebel after the fact. It's also why I try not to make bedtime a big issue.
Originally Posted By DVC_dad Yes. My 7,5,3, and 2 year olds are in their own beds, in their own rooms with lights out at 8:30 PM. Music but no TV... My 11 year old is in his own room, at 8:30 but is allowed to stay up until 9:30. He sleeps with TV. On week-ends, the younger kids have a bedtimeof 10 PM and the 6th grader has no set bed time, but usually (probably due ot the schedule during the week) is out around 11:00 PM on his own. Obviously the 4 month old is a different sort of thing. He sleeps in a crip in our BR and is still nursing...so...it vaires with him. Sorry if this is T.M.I.
Originally Posted By FiveBearRugs Hush, little 2oony, Don't say a word Mama's gonna buy you A Tiki Bird And if that Tiki Bird Don't sing, We'll get you one that's Under New, er, Managementing
Originally Posted By FiveBearRugs When I was in elementary school, my bedtime was around 8:30/9:00 during the week, as I could stay up later on Fridays and Saturdays. I think it was changed to 10PM in middle school and perhaps my first two years in high school. As a freshman, I went to bed around 11:30 (or if sleep came first) because I started watching Letterman (this was when he was new to CBS and started at 11), which would also coincide with the local show 'High School Sports Focus'. I try not to stay up past 1 or 2, but sometimes it happens, especially when I'm with my friends... curse that Halo 2!
Originally Posted By Lisann22 Growing up when school started it was 8pm till I was in about the 2nd grade, then it went to 8:30pm. When I was in the 4th or 5th grade it went to 9pm. In Jr High I believe it was 10pm, in high school I had no set time, I usually fell out around 10:30-11pm. We lived for Friday and Saturday's, we had no set time. When my goddaughter is here on a school night, she's in the 4th grade - it's 9pm for her.
Originally Posted By mele Daughter in bed by 10 pm (we try for 9 but it just never quite happens) and son in bed by 11 pm. He's almost 15 so as long as he's in his room and not being loud, I don't bug him about it. During the summer, we're pretty bad about our schedules but once school starts, it only takes a week or so to get back to normal. My daughter had a hard time sleeping alone after my surgery this summer. She wanted me with her all the time. She still needs me to tuck her in at night, but I no longer have to be in the room with her until she falls asleep.
Originally Posted By Jim in Merced CA We had and have a set bedtime for our youngster. As a toddler, she wouldn't nap, so a relatively early bedtime was mandatory. During school, at age 12 she's in bed at 9:00 -- she'll read or watch TV and lights out at 9:30. During the summer, she has a more flexible bedtime.
Originally Posted By Autopia Deb My 10 year old needs to start getting ready for bed at 8:00 and then read for a half hour. Once he's finished his time is his until 9:00 then it's lights out, no music or TV. If he's going through a growth spurt he needs more sleep (I can tell because he gets cranky). At those times it's lights out as soon as he's done reading, which we may start earlier than 8:00 depending on the cranky level. I'm a firm believer in a good nights sleep before school. Since teens need as much sleep or more than younger kids, I don't anticipate his bed time getting much later. But I've never parented a teen before, so I may change my mind.
Originally Posted By Autopia Deb No set bedtime weekends or vacations unless we have big plans for the next day (Disney trip).
Originally Posted By mele We never sleep the night before our Disney vacations. We try...we just can't.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Jessica (age 16 months) is in bed for about 7:30. Mikey (age 3.5) is often in bed for 8:00. We sometimes sway the rules. No matter what time they go to bed, they are normally up between 5 and 6.
Originally Posted By sun-n-fun My 11 year old usually is upstairs in bed, reading or playing at 8pm, lights out between 8:30 and 9. He has always needed more sleep to get by. The 7yr old is upstairs in bed reading with us at 7:30, lights out by 8. I always had a 9pm bedtime in Middle school, but once I reached HS, it was whenever I wanted. Usually I was so tired, I still went to bed early.
Originally Posted By Autopia Deb I didn't have a bed time in High School and I had a really hard time getting up in the mornings and getting to school. Coffee was the only breakfast I had time for. I didn't do well in school at all and I'm sure that didn't help. I hope to continue with a bed time of sorts when my kid gets to HS so we don't have that problem.
Originally Posted By hopemax I know when I was in elementary school, I had a bedtime. I only remember that at one point it was at 8:30 on school nights, escept that I liked to watch "Murder, she Wrote" with my parents (I liked mysteries) and so I would be allowed to stay up that one night until 9. I didn't have one in middle school or high school, but I would be in bed by 10-10:30 on my own.
Originally Posted By nevadarebel My kids (10,8,6) are in bed at 8:45 and lights out and no talking at 9:00 on Saturday-Thursday. We have had this routine for quite some time and it works good. There are exceptions to this such as if we have a game on a weeknight or a special event but I try to still have them in bed, lights out at 10:00. When the finale of Survivor or Amazing Race is on, my oldest is usually the only one that makes it that late so I use to let him stay up but with the DVR, now they can watch it in the morning or the following night. Friday nights (if we do not have early games on Saturday), they can stay up as long as they want. They usually want to sleep in our play room on the futon and twin bed because then they get to watch TV (they don't have TV's in their rooms) but they must put the timer on so it will automatically shut off if they fall asleep. If Dad or I find the TV on, they next week, they lose the privilege. If they are still awake when the timer shuts off the TV, they may extend it but this is only on Friday nights and when we don't have early games (so it really happens about 1 or 2 times a month).
Originally Posted By LVBelle Growing up I think I went to bed at 8:00 but I was allowed to read until 8:30. We read for 30 minutes every night, no matter what! I still read every night to this day! Now that Jake's starting to sleep through, we've established a bed time routine that consists of a bath, swaddling, a story, a song, then we turn out the lights and I give him a bottle. When he's finished with the bottle, I set him in the crib and he usually falls asleep on his own! We don't have a set time yet, though it's usually around 9:00. We usually wait 'til he gets crabby. And now he's sleeping until 5:00 or 6:00, hooray!
Originally Posted By ajnhollysmommy During the week bed time is 7:30. we have dinner at 6ish, clean up time, bath time, story time and both kids are off to bed. It takes a good 1/2 hour to calm down enought to go to sleep. But both Andrew - 6yrs old and Holly 9 months old- are on this same bedtime. They both wake up at 7am every morning
Originally Posted By dsnyredhead set bedtime? What's that?? My almost three year old pretty much won't go to sleep until he's ready...and that's usually after 10 pm. If we've been really busy during the day, sometimes he will go to sleep earlier. Now before you go throwing rotten tomato's at me, my son is not in school yet and his daddy works until 7 pm. So we have dinner around 7:30, then storytime, bathtime, and sometimes he just won't go to sleep early. We figure when he is in school we will need to work on that and get him to bed earlier, but for now it's what works in our house. DS gets up on average around 9 pm. I try to get him up by 8:15 when we have Gymboree or storytime classes (which is typically three days a week that he has a class of some sort). He rarely naps anymore and if he does, it's usually late in the day...like around 4 pm.
