Spin Off: What time do your kids go to bed?

[yorkshire_parkin]

Just wondering when you put your kids to bed. Our Ds has a friend that comes calling to play very late (in our minds), sometime when Ds is already in bed.

 

Our bedtimes

 

dd 11 9:30 (this has just been upped from 9)

ds 8, 3,2 all 8:30

dd 6mon (about 8 ish)

[laylamcb]

Both kids are in their rooms between 7-7:30, but dd6 stays up listening to an audiobook for another hour.

[Rich with Kids]

Just wondering when you put your kids to bed. Our Ds has a friend that comes calling to play very late (in our minds), sometime when Ds is already in bed.

 

Our bedtimes

 

dd 11 9:30 (this has just been upped from 9)

ds 8, 3,2 all 8:30

dd 6mon (about 8 ish)

 

Generally speaking, 8:00. My boys usually listen to listening libraries. DD14 wayches TV in her room. The other 2 dd go to sleep. They need it! We are more relaxed on nights when we don't have school or church the next day.

[TraciWA]

Our goal is to get all kids in their rooms by 8.

Then Ds12 can read until 9.

Dds 6 and 9 can read until 8:30.

 

How much time they get to read is determined by how quickly they get ready for bed.

[NevadaRabbit]

Just wondering when you put your kids to bed. Our Ds has a friend that comes calling to play very late (in our minds), sometime when Ds is already in bed.

 

Our bedtimes

 

dd 11 9:30 (this has just been upped from 9)

ds 8, 3,2 all 8:30

dd 6mon (about 8 ish)

 

Now that we're back to school, we aim for ds to have lights out by 9 or shortly after. Dd is in bed at the same time but she reads for a while, with a timer set to tell her to turn her light off.

[Cheryl in NM]

Ds, 11 has a 9:30 bedtime during the week and 10:30 on the weekends, but every night he has to be in his room reading by 9pm. Due to sports and martial arts classes we are gone many evenings and by the time ds winds down at 9:30 bedtime is really the earliest reasonble bedtime. I require him to be ready to start school by 10am, that means all daily chores have to be done and he needs to have eaten. If he's up earlier then we start earlier.

[elegantlion]

My dh works late some nights so we let ds stay up later to spend time with dad.

 

Settle down and clean up time starts at 8:30. Bedtime is between 9:30 and 10pm. He doesn't have a bedtime in the summer, but we are starting back to school bedtime this week.

 

We'll probably start with 10pm and if the grumpies show up we'll kick it back to 9:30. We start school at 10am, fyi.

[tibbyl]

Just wondering when you put your kids to bed. Our Ds has a friend that comes calling to play very late (in our minds), sometime when Ds is already in bed.

 

Our bedtimes

 

dd 11 9:30 (this has just been upped from 9)

ds 8, 3,2 all 8:30

dd 6mon (about 8 ish)

 

 

We never had enforced bed times.

[KS_]

Both of mine are in their rooms by 7pm, but they have lamps on timers that don't go off til about 8:30pm. So they can stay up and play or read til their lamps go off.

[daisychics]

Both kids are in their rooms between 7-7:30, but dd6 stays up listening to an audiobook for another hour.

 

Same here, my 7 year old listens to an audiobook. The last two nights he's been reading "My Father's Dragon" (we bought him a nite light) YAY!!

[Cindy in FL.]

Mine stay up pretty late compared to everyone else! Bedtime is usually 11:00 for my boys (12, 11, 9 & 7).

 

I really like time to myself in the morning!

 

Cindy

[Book Crazy]

Ds, 8 goes to bed about 8:30 and reads until about 9:30

[WTMindy]

If it were up to me, I'd put them to bed about 8 and let them read, but dh likes to spend more time with them in the evening, so they usually get to bed about 9:30-10 in the summer and 9 in the school year.

[autumndivona]

My son generally hits the sack around 9:30 p.m., maybe a little later... It depends on whether or not we start putting him to bed at 9 p.m. If we start the routine (brushing teeth, going to the bathroom, and reading stories) at 9 p.m., then he's usually in bed with the lights out at 9:30 p.m.,and asleep around 9:45 p.m.

[Tammyla]

10 pm, but my kids aren't so little. They are in their rooms by 9ish and it's lights out at 10.

[laughing lioness]

way too late. Between 10-10:30. Winter isn't much better because of the configuration of our house (a 4x4 farmhouse) and who shares what bedroom and how many adults we have here and how late my dh works- it gets tricky.

[Mama Lynx]

We shoot for in their rooms by 9, lights out by 10. Last night it was 11, because we played a game until 10.

[Philothea]

Oh boy...

 

Our children go to bed when I do. That could be 11, 1 am or anything. DH works 3rd shift plus about 30 hours of overtime some weeks, sometimes we eat dinner at 9:30.

 

I like to sleep at the same time as the kids so I can get lots of sleep. I'm really flexible, I just feel I have to be, the kids need to see their father and spend as much time as possible with him. Another advantage, is that he can come home, unwind for a few minutes, and then get to sleep before they wake up. Generally, if he is alseep before they wake, he never hears them.

[~Tara~]

Mine are in bed around 8, usually allowed to read a while..eldest and doodles self regulate pretty well with that. She may only leave her light on for 10 min. Eldest also quite often has the lights out before we call for it at 8:30.

[6packofun]

...

[gandpsmommy]

I would love for kids to be in bed by 8:00 so that dh and I could have some adult time together and get to bed at a decent hour ourselves, since we have to get up at 5:15 in the morning. But, since dh works so much, we usually let the kids stay up late to get to see him in the evenings. Our bedtime is supposed to be 9:00, but over the summer becomes 10:00 or later, easily. When we start school again we will have to aim for 8:30 probably, since ds will be starting morning preschool three days a week.

[Storm Bay]

Summer: 8:30 ds, 8 yo, 9 dd, 10 yo & 9:30 dd, 13

 

School swim season--half an hour later per child due to dance & swim practice end times.

 

But no friends over in the evening to play. Perhaps outside when it's light, but not when it's getting dark.

[TammyinTN]

DS usually goes to bed around 9pm and lights out is 10. He will read or listen to stories on his ipod. If he stays up a little later it's ok..he gets up with a good attitude and goes right on.

[pbjmeyer]

my ds of 11 is a natural night owl, and although I may ask him to go read or play in his room by 10, he is not usually asleep before 11. Most weeks this summer we have been going to VBS or music camp by 9 am so he doesn't really get to sleep in either.

 

During our regular school schedule I will have him start winding down with a book between 9 and 10. He's allowed to watch mythbusters on wednesdays at 9, so that night it's 10 pm.

[BMW]

Starting with youngers, going up...

Ages 8-12 get jammies on and brush teeth at 7pm. At 7:30 they can read for half an hour and lights out at 8pm.

All other kids can be quiet in living room until 9pm (or they are sent to their rooms sooner). At 9pm they are allowed to be in their room, door shut, lights on for homework only and no talking (whispers okay) until 10pm, then it's lights out.

I'm not very negotioable with this, I wake up at any sound and dh gets up by 4am, so i have to have it quiet - and they all know a mom with not enough sleep is cranky!!

[Melissa B]

When they have school in the morning (usually six days per week) they are supposed to be in bed at 9 and lights out at 9:30. When there is no school the next day they need to be in bed around 11:00.

We stay fairly close to this, except when we have family or friends staying at the house.

[DB in NJ]

9 yo ds goes to bed when I do (*sigh*)

 

The other 2 go to bed after I do, usually. During the summer I just tell them to make sure everything is locked and shut off before they come up. During school, they have to be in bed by 10:30'ish.

[Peri]

I like to put my kids to bed at 8 and its more out of nessecity than anything else. I started this habbit when I was a student and I just found it had to study while DD was awake (she was around 2 months old). So I tried to get all my cleaning and housework done while she was awake and then at around 7:30 I started to get her ready for bed. At 8 she was a sleep. I noticed that I needed the time I got to myself after she was asleep so I continued the habbit with the other two as well. I get criticized alot for doing what I do in our cultural community where people go to visit eachother (weekdays and weekends) after 8 pm and hang around until 1 am. I'm told that I'm depriving them of socialization. I say whatever. They're my kids. I raise them the way I want. Anyways, ...

 

DD 11 years old has to start getting ready for bed at 7 and asleep by 9 (she needs time to clean up her room, bathe and read ... she likes to take her time :P)

DS 4 and 2 start getting ready for bed at 7:30 and light out at 8

Between 8pm and 10pm is 'my time'. I relax by knitting or crochetting and reading.

[The Governess]

Both of mine are in their rooms by 7pm, but they have lamps on timers that don't go off til about 8:30pm. So they can stay up and play or read til their lamps go off.

 

Great idea with the timers, thanks!! I just might use that.....

 

Mine are 4 and 2 and are supposed to be in bed by 8. Harder during the summer when it's still light out, but we are trying....

[kailuamom]

Argh! I would love to have my kids in bed earlier, so they weren't so grumpy the next day at 2pm! lol This is my area of struggle...we just can't seem to adjust our clocks and the kids are finally falling asleep around 10:30 or 11:00...then we sleep until 9:30! We start school in a week and a half, so things are gonna have to change soon!

[Only me]

during the school year ds 10 ds and 13 dd have to be in bed by 9:00 with lights out for ds by 9:30 and dd 10:00. I would love for oldest dd to go to bed at 10:00 so that she can get some sleep (she has to get up early for high school) but she can rarely get to bed before 11:00 due to homework.

 

Like I said in my previous post I let my oldest dd go to bed anytime she wants. She will watch TV or read in her room but I think she usually falls asleep by 11:00. Her two younger siblings have to be off the computer by 10:30 but can read or do something else quietly until 11:00 or 11:30. If the Cubs are playing at night I usually let them finish watching the game. The only exception is if we are going somewhere in the morning then I adjust the time.

 

My kids like to play outside until dark and then come in and take showers so it gets to be pretty late. I do feel sorry for one of their friends. This boy is 14. Because the parents want his younger siblings in bed early they usually make this boy come in early and he often has to be ready for bed by 8:00. I know it is none of my business but to me it doesn't seem fair that a kid that is going to be a freshman in high school should have to go to bed at the same time as his 5 and 7 year old brother just to make things easier on the parents.

[melmac]

We've never enforced bedtimes (although it wasn't my idea) it just depends.

[Tutor]

These are the times our kids need to be in bed and quiet, but they usually stay up reading or playing quietly much, much later. (We are actually thinking of pushing back bedtime since they all seem to not be very sleepy when they go to bed and are all pretty good about going to bed earlier when they are tired.)

 

dd11 & dd10: 9pm

ds7 & ds4: 8pm

[Elise]

Our oldest two are up until 9 or 9:30PM, and I try to have the youngest in bed around 8. It's harder in the summer, since we want to enjoy the long days!

[Jean in Newcastle]

Dc (11 and 6) go to bed at 9:30 (usually fall asleep around 10). Ds11 gets up at 8:30. Dd6 sometimes sleeps longer. We switched to this later schedule because my dh's preaching schedule (when he has night meetings) makes it late when we get home. We decided to stay on the schedule every day because it was harder for the kids to switch from early bedtime nights to later bedtime nights and vice versa. Their Dr. asked me when bedtime was the other day (at their check-up) at first he was concerned at the late hour until he heard when they actually got up!

[Amy in NH]

We shoot for in their rooms by 9, lights out by 10. Last night it was 11, because we played a game until 10.

 

Same here, but it seldom works out that way. Three nights per week DH & the boys don't get home until between 8-8:30 because of karate. That means serving dinner between 8:30-9, which takes at least a half hour to eat. One night per week we have 4-H that gets out at 6, which means home around 6:30, dinner around 7ish at the earliest. The other nights we are busy doing yard work and stuff. So dinner is on European time :D and we rarely get everyone to bed before 9:30-10. DH goes right to sleep (he gets up at 5:30), as do the little kids. Like me, the big kids read in their beds for a while, and they are occasionally awake after I'm asleep.

[fenni]

Usually between 8-8:30, rarely 9.

[JFSinIL]

School time - youngest (12, and homeschooled) by 9...her older siblings between 9 and 10. They are 14 - 16 and have to catch buses in the morning.

 

Summertime - no idea. I go to bed long before they seem to get tired.

[Aunty Social]

Looks like we're the rare early birds. Kids (including the 14yo) have to be in jammies, teeth brushed, etc between 7 and 7:30, bed between 7:30 and 8. We are much more relaxed in the summer, but even so my kids are rarely up past 9. My 14yo has been known to just get up and go to bed because she's tired, even if the rest of the family is up.

 

My kids and I seem to need a lot of sleep. When my dh is traveling, I 'll go to bed with the kids! And we don't get up until 7!

[mcconnellboys]

Mine also went at 8-8:30 when they were younger. My 10 year old now generally goes around 9 and my teen son at 10-11 on school nights.

[Grubbsfamily]

Just wondering when you put your kids to bed. Our Ds has a friend that comes calling to play very late (in our minds), sometime when Ds is already in bed.

 

Our bedtimes

 

dd 11 9:30 (this has just been upped from 9)

ds 8, 3,2 all 8:30

dd 6mon (about 8 ish)

 

 

We have a 8:00 to the room and lights out by 8:45 for our boys and our daughter in 7:30 and 8:00 respectively. We are up early.

 

Happ Birthday to you.:party:

[Colleen]

I can't imagine anyone of any age being able to go to bed during the summer, in this area, before 10 at night at the earliest. It's just way too light outside and doesn't even seem like the day's over until then. In the winter, they bed down around 8:30 or 9. Earlier wouldn't work. None of them needs a great deal of sleep.

[chaik76]

The baby goes to bed at 7pm.

The 7 year old goes to bed at 8pm, but is allowed to play on his bed as late as he wants. He usually asks to be tucked in sometime between 9:30 and 10pm.

[Lolly]

Dc are 15, 13, 13, and 11.

 

Summertime-whenever. Don't bother mom and dad after they have gone to bed.

 

Schoolyear-we usually get home from swim practice between 9-9:30. Bed about 11. Some go to sleep, others read, draw, sew.

[Peela]

Bedtime is 8pm for both (ages 12 and 14). Yes, its early, but they read for an hour or so, and they need to be up by 7am- and they both need the 10 hours sleep.