We have five kids and sleep has never been their thing - any if them.
Our DS is 11 and is on medication to get to sleep and stay asleep. He takes it and goes to sleep around 8:30 and wakes at 6:30. Next DS is 9 and takes melatonin to fall asleep and goes to sleep around 8:15 and up at 6am. Third DS is 7 and goes to bed at 8 and wakes at 6am.
We also have the two littles ones who are in a good routine so happy with them.
The older two are complaining that they should go to bed later so thought I'd put it out there and see what others do 😊
DD1 is turning 13 in April & until she went away to school it was 8pm. Towards the end of last year I may've let her facebook on her phone or something til around 9, but 8pm is when our whole house shuts down. At the boarding house she's at the 7/8 bedtime is still 8 or 8.15pm.
DD2 is turning 10 & DS is 7 in a few weeks. They're all 8pm. They may not go to sleep til 8.30/9, but I still have to drag them all out of bed at 7.30.
We start heading off DD2 (6 1/2) to bed around 7pm. Then there is reading, her reader and then us reading. Sometimes she wants the light out and other times she wants to read to herself for a little bit. She will often be asleep by 8pm, but some nights she is up and down.
DD1 (9 1/2), heads off around 7:30 to 8pm now. She is an avid reader, so normally reads for about an hour, sometimes much later if we forget to go in and tell her to turn of her reading light.
Nights where they really want to watch something on TV, then they can stay up till 8:30, but they go straight to bed without reading.
Both generally are up after 7am, but then there are times they are up as early as 6am, is all seems to go in phases depending on the quality of sleep and what their days are like.
DD1 claims all her school friends go to bed at 9:30, I suspect some do, but I know some don't (I think she forgets I know some of the mums )
My 8 year old goes to bed at 8pm. He reads to me from his reader, I read a chapter from whatever book we are reading currently and then lights out. It is no later than 8.20pm usually.
Our bedtimes are a little variable, but DD who is 7 usually goes to bed in the hour from 7.30 to 8.30 (depending on our - but she sleeps until 7-7:30. We have a dark blinds/curtains so that the sun doesn't wake her too early in summer.
When DD1 was around 11-12, she was going to bed around 8.30-9.00, but she was allowed to keep the light on for reading for about half an hour. Absolutely no screens of any sort, though, the blue light keeps kids awake. We're also really careful with what lighting we have in their bedrooms - no cfls, warm white low wattage LED globes are best. And then turn them off so the kids are sleeping in total darkness.
I think the boys are trying to scam me. We usually have no TV or screens after 6pm. Dinner and bath and then 2 and 5 year old to bed around 7pm. Older three then play board games or do homework, draw, play chess. Until around 7:45 when the 7 year old then reads until 8 and the other two amuse themselves. Then it's always reading from 8 until 8:30 when its lights out. Sounds like all you guys are very similar with times though so must be in the right track. And no matter when they go to bed they are always up at 6-6:30am and they just get so cranky when they don't get enough sleep! If I kept them up later I feel we'd all pay for it in the end [emoji1]
DD is almost 10 and she has a set bedtime of 8.30, no changing it! She knows that if there are any issues with her not getting up in the mornings then she goes to bed 30 minutes earlier, so she is usually up around 6, but can sometimes sleep until 7.30am, which is still fine!
The older girls are 18 and 21, well, they can be up all night, they are adults now, its their problem if they don't get up on time!
My nearly nine year old has to go and lay down when the littler kids go to bed at 6.30pm (mean aren't I?) She draws or does her reader, reads a book, watches a movie....whatever I don't mind, but it makes it easier to put the others to bed if they all go together. I'm on my own all the time and she gets it, so it's just easier for us. She doesn't go to sleep until 8:30-9. I don't check, but her light is always out by then.
Similar to Kim, I am usually on my own for bed times. My nearly 8 year old DD goes to her bedroom at 7/7.30-ish. My 6 year old DS and 4 year old DS go to their beds at 7 (they're together in the same bedroom). We do ds1's home reader, read 1-2 stories and lights out by no later than 8 (usually about 7.40 though). DS1 wakes between 6am and 7.30, depending on how quiet I can keep DS2. DS2 wakes at 5am.
DD reads her own book/draws/potters about in her room until I get to her. Then we do her home reader, chat a little and her lights out time is about 8.30 pm. DD wakes at about 6.30/7am normally, though this also depends how quiet I can keep DS2.
It's easier for them all to be in bed at the same time and it is just the routine we have been in since forever! If only DS2 would slepp later than 5am, and we would be all good!
Liebs is 8. His bedtime is between 7 and 8, depending on tiredness and if he's spending time with us or wanting to watch youtube on the TV (night night Stampy!). In school holidays or the odd weekend he can be up til gone midnight. Not necessarily as a treat, just that he doesn't sleep when he's excited. Sometimes we watch a film or Dr Who in my bed, so we're at least in bed.
As he gets up most days before 7, and is awake, alert, happy and learning, bedtime isn't that big a worry any more. Unless we've had enough of Stampy and his minecraft friends.
DS (9) is in bed at 7:30 reads for half an hour. When he has Cubs he is in bed at 9:30. Weekends he can stay up as late as he likes. And same for holidays. We are lucky and don't have mood problems the next day. DD is 13 and goes to bed at 9:30 on weeknights and weekends holidays again whenever she likes. They both get up at 6:30 on weekdays and on weekends whenever they like. But usually they are both awake by 9.
I've always let my kids stay up late on occasion to help them to listen to their bodies when it comes to sleep. It's worked well as they often will decide if they have had a big week that they will put themselves early to bed even on the weekends.
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Bed times for 7-11 year olds
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