Bedtime for an 8 year old poll

[sbgrace]

When does/did your 8 year old typically get to bed?

 

I have an early to bed child due to his medical issues and high need for sleep.

But his twin is often to bed around 9:30. My husband has to get up for work early so to get enough sleep (which is important for his mood) there is simply almost no time for the two of us during the week. I don't know if there is a solution for this but I'm wondering if most kids go to bed earlier.

Edited April 14, 2012 by sbgrace

[GingerPoppy]

Mine went to bed around 9:00, but probably not to sleep until 9:30 or 9:45.

[HeidiKC]

Mine goes around 7:30. There wasn't a category that fit that, so I put 7 or earlier which is really rather misleading.

[redsquirrel]

Both my children, age 12 and 7 are upstairs by 7:30pm or earlier. Their dad reads to them for about half an hour to 45 mins. Then the 7 year old goes to bed and lights out.The 12 year old is free to hang out in his bedroom reading, listening to books on his itouch, playing itouch games, playing with legos etc until 9pm. Pretty much he can do whatever he wants as long as he is upstairs and leaving us alone. Heck, he can stay up as late as he wants as long as he doesn't draw attention to himself. I think he's only half figured that out.

 

I figure at some point he will want to stay downstairs later, but we don't have a TV, so there isn't anything to do that he can't do in his own room. I mean, it's prob not much fun watching his mother do yoga in the living room. That's all I do when the kids to go to bed in the evening.

[LAS in LA]

In bed at 8 or 8:30, usually not asleep before 10. So I answered "other". OP, I understand your problem! I wonder if I'm not "running" him enough during the day.

[Melissa in Australia]

strictly 8 pm

[sbgrace]

Mine goes around 7:30. There wasn't a category that fit that, so I put 7 or earlier which is really rather misleading.

 

Oops, I'm sorry. I should have done two categories there. It would have made more sense. Thank you for replying to let me know. I'm wishing we had set a much earlier time for him.

 

What do you (and others) do if there are week-night activities? Do you just bump bedtime forward on those nights or avoid activities?

[gardenmom5]

When does/did your 8 year old typically get to bed?

 

I have an early to bed child due to his medical issues and high need for sleep.

But his twin is often to bed around 9:30. My husband has to get up for work early so to get enough sleep (which is important for his mood) there is simply almost no time for the two of us during the week. I don't know if there is a solution for this but I'm wondering if most kids go to bed earlier.

 

if the twin doens't physically need more sleep (what kind of a mood is he in and how does he function the next day?) - he can still have the same bedtime - but he is allowed to read. Parents need time together, and kids need to learn to respect that.

 

My 3ds wouldn't go to sleep until 10pm or later, - but he'd be a real pain the next day. Under direction of his DAN! I started him on melatonin, and he'd sleep for 11 hours and the improvement in his mood and other functioning was significant.

Edited April 14, 2012 by gardenmom5

[melissad2]

I don't have an 8yo yet but my kids like to go to bed early and get up early. 7pm to bed and 6-7am to rise :)

[Pamela H in Texas]

You skipped a whole time period! LOL

 

I was thinking 7:30 or 8.

 

BTW, bedtime means the time a child is in bed. Now, my littles need to go straight to sleep at that time so it means sleep time. However, my daughter was one of those kids who needed all of 4 hours sleep (until she hit puberty). She still had a bedtime, but she was responsible for her sleep time (though I would have had a cut-off time had I needed it). So if your other kiddo really doesn't need to be asleep before 10pm, that would be fine. He would just have to occupy himself appropriately. Appropriately may look different in different houses.

Edited April 14, 2012 by 2J5M9K

[snickelfritz]

 

What do you (and others) do if there are week-night activities? Do you just bump bedtime forward on those nights or avoid activities?

 

My dd's target bedtime is 8:30, to get up at 7:00. To me, your wake-up time is an important consideration. With these times, she often wakes up on her own and has a good disposition.

 

We do have soccer that runs until 7:30 on two nights. It's tight to get her home, showered, and in bed on time. We just do the best we can. Thursday night, we had something else and she wasn't in bed until almost 10. With her, one night doesn't seem to mess her up too much. Too many nights in a row of late bedtime and she definitely acts tired and cranky. Then, I try to get her in bed closer to 8. It may take her 2-3 nights to really get caught up.

 

As a side note, this dd is is in school, so her wake-up time isn't flexible. When she home schooled, I would let her sleep in a bit after late nights. The result, I feel, was that she shifted to later and later bedtimes and wake times. YMMV

[Butter]

We read scriptures and family read aloud at 8. We're usually finished around 9. The kids get ready for bed, teeth brushed, etc., and are settled down in bed some time between 9:30 and 10. It's how it's always been and for all ages. The big ones get up at 7 and the little ones are usually up by 8 or 8:30.

[SuperDad]

The twins are ready for bed around 7:45. Their actual fall-asleep time varies - we encourage them to listen to their bodies to know when to stop reading and go to sleep, rather than having a lights-out time - but they are usually asleep around 8:30. They are almost always up by 6:30 AM.

Edited April 14, 2012 by SuperDad

[Bensmom]

In sring, fall and winter: In bed at 8:00 Usually asleep by 8:30.

 

In summer it varies more. Usually about 30 min. later going to bed. Ds has a hard time getting ready for bed in the summer when it is not completely dark outside.

[Tess in the Burbs]

my 8 year old's bedtime is 8 pm but she can read to 8:30 if she wants.

 

We are out of the house 2 nights past 8pm so those nights she gets to bed by 9pm. no reading those nights.

 

My 10 year old just recently asked to stay up later and so he can read to 9pm.

 

But yes, dh and I need quiet time in the evenings so we have always enforced bedtimes. They can stay up to read some but you have to stay in your room!

[chepyl]

DS6 goes to bed at 10 on his own somenights, usually we get both kids in bed by 11pm. I like to be in bed by midnight. We get up between 8&10am.

 

 

DH works days, but on his own schedule. He only has to be up early on occasion. I teach after school until 8-8:30....we don't have a typical schedule.

[Julie Smith]

DS6 goes to bed at 10 on his own somenights, usually we get both kids in bed by 11pm. I like to be in bed by midnight. We get up between 8&10am.

 

 

DH works days, but on his own schedule. He only has to be up early on occasion. I teach after school until 8-8:30....we don't have a typical schedule.

 

I'm glad someone answered such a late schedule first. :)

 

My kids have to (in theory) be tucked in by ten. But right now youngest really likes me to lie beside him for awhile. He says he wouldn't even mind a earlier bed time as long as he gets a snuggle.

 

My kids get up around 8ish by themselves. Sometimes they sleep in later when growth suppurting, but that hasn't happened for awhile.

 

Dh usually goes to bed to sleep around midnight. So we still get some time. Other nights we send the kids off to play for a couple of hours before bed.... okay we pay a teddy bear less than a dollar or so to babysit and then the teddy bear supervises well the kids get into a good game.

 

If Eldest isn't ready to sleep and wants to stay up later than Youngest I sometimes remind him that he isn't being send to his bed because I think he is sleepy it's because I/We adults need no boy time, and than he gets the detailed explanation about how couples need couple time... This 'lecture' doesn't need to happen often.

[wapiti]

7:45-8:15. I guess 8:00. I did not vote, because I did not want to vote for 8 or 9, as I think 9 is much too late (when mine are up that late, the next day is not good, even for my 9 and 11 y.o.s :glare:)

[AngieW in Texas]

All my kids are well over 8yo now, but none of them went to bed before 10pm at that age. In fact, none of my kids went to bed before 10pm EVER unless they were miserably sick.

 

We are a house of night owls. My dh and I regularly go to bed between midnight and 1am.

 

I have never set a bedtime for my kids. They went to sleep when they were sleepy. Even when my kids were toddlers and getting me up at 6am, they weren't going to bed until around 10:30pm. They didn't take naps either.

[abacus2]

The target is 9pm, but realistically it's frequently closer to 10pm. Usually she is allowed to sleep until she wakes up. The earliest we have to be anywhere is 9am and that's only on Fridays.

[ereks mom]

Our dc's bedtime was 9:00-9:30.

[Ellie]

I voted "7," but really, it was 8. Exactly 8. No later than 8. We began baths and whatnot at 7; dc were in bed with the lights out by 8 (except on church nights, but they went straight to bed as soon as we got home). Happily, they also slept until 7:30 or 8. :D

[*********]

We are VERY lax about bedtime around here. Basically, they go to bed when they're tired. Which is usually by 10.

 

Sometimes dh or I start getting them sent towards going to bed around 9. But really, we're very lax about it. There are days when they go to bed at 9:15 'cause they're tired, and days when they stay up to 10:30 snuggling with me.

 

It works for our family. Dh works so much that letting the boys stay up late is a good way to get family time in.

 

We're also 'different' in that we don't have very many out-of-the-house commitments for the boys and I, so they pretty much sleep until they wake up every morning. Which can be anywhere from 7-9:30.

 

Like I said, it works for us. I'm sure it's horrifying to others. :D Dh's work hours vary so much that some days he's leaving for work at 7, some days at 9:30; plus there are days he's up until 1 or 2am having a meeting with his workers in India. So yeah, we're pretty flexible on sleep times around here.

[QuirkyKapers]

Bed at 9. However, it was a good half hour before falling asleep.

[KrissiK]

We put our kids to bed by 8:00 even though the oldest is almost 9. Dh and I just need some alone time and our kids are very high maintainence.

[LadyMSews]

My 8 yo goes to bed at 8:30, but reads for awhile. How long depends on how much he likes the book he's reading. :)

 

But all my dc, even the almost 13 yo, are in bed by 9 pm. I'm an introvert, and I need a couple of hours at the end of the day to recharge and regroup. Dh goes to bed super early because he gets up at 3 am for work. So once the dc are in bed, the house is quiet and I can do my thing.

 

We all get up between 7 and 8 am.

[JessReplanted]

Our kids go to bed around 7pm, and at 8 years old I would let the child read quietly in his room until 8pm. I'm a strong believer in early bedtimes for kids.

[Mommyof4ks]

We basically get to bed when we get tired, but my 6 and 8 yr olds are usually asleep no later than 10pm.

[MinivanMom]

My 8 year old is in bed by 8 pm every night. She is expected to be showered and ready for bed by 7 pm, but then she has another hour to read on her own or have her dad read to her.