8 year old gets up at 6:15. What time should lights out be?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our ped is happy with 10 hours, which seems to fall within the standard rec (9-12) for this age. https://jcsm.aasm.org/doi/10.5664/jcsm.5866

Ten hours of sleep would mean the kid has to be asleep by 8:15. Assuming it takes him 20-30 minutes to fall asleep, lights out is 7:45.

Your kid may need more or less time, but if you're not sure where to start, it's a solid initial target.

+1

This feels like a decent starting spot, in the absence of other information.

What are his current sleeping hours? Does he seem tired or well rested? That feels like key information here. If he gets up at 6:15 and currently has lights out at 7:45 and is tired all the time, well, then pull bedtime earlier.

If he's currently getting up at 7:15am and going to bed at 8:15pm and seems well rested, and now needs to get up at 6:15am... well, bedtime needs to be 7:15pm.

I also agree with a previous poster that sleep is like three meals a day and vaccinations - non-negotiable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:apparently none of your kids are in any sports or after school activities

Not OP. Yes, they are. Our school ends roughly at 3pm. Dinner is roughly at 6pm. That gives us ~3 hrs for after-school sports and a shower. Separately, our target bedtime is 8pm - because our DC does not need to be up until 7am, unlike OP.

What activities start at 3pm for school aged children?

Yes please tell us Jan

[Anonymous]

My kid goes to bed around 9 and wakes up on his own around 615 every day. He has the option to sleep later, he just doesn’t, and he never has unless he’s sick. And whenever we try to push bedtime earlier, he just flops around in bed for an hour (or more).

We are a strict no caffeine (for kids) house and try to end dinner by 630. Most nights no screens at all. I refuse to feed him melatonin, so it is what it is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid goes to bed around 9 and wakes up on his own around 615 every day. He has the option to sleep later, he just doesn’t, and he never has unless he’s sick. And whenever we try to push bedtime earlier, he just flops around in bed for an hour (or more).

We are a strict no caffeine (for kids) house and try to end dinner by 630. Most nights no screens at all. I refuse to feed him melatonin, so it is what it is.

Ack this is my son too, it not worse?? Sometimes goes to bed as late as 10pm! I am certainly not waking him at 6:15, would love it if he slept later! School doesn't start until 9am and we are a three minute walk away, so he has plenty of wiggle room in the AM. But I think he is low sleep needs, he is 9 and has always been this way.

[Anonymous]

HOW do you guys do this? My 7 year old gets home from gymnastics at 8:50, has dinner and then we’re lucky if she’s in bed by 9:20.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:HOW do you guys do this? My 7 year old gets home from gymnastics at 8:50, has dinner and then we’re lucky if she’s in bed by 9:20.

Honestly, I wouldn't allow this. She's too young to be out that late regularly on a school night. My kid is 6, so a year younger, but he's in bed at 7:45, 8pm at the latest. My answer to a gym that wanted him at practice that late would be "no" - sleep is too important.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:HOW do you guys do this? My 7 year old gets home from gymnastics at 8:50, has dinner and then we’re lucky if she’s in bed by 9:20.

What time does she have to get up for school? And do you wake her or does she wake up naturally?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:HOW do you guys do this? My 7 year old gets home from gymnastics at 8:50, has dinner and then we’re lucky if she’s in bed by 9:20.

We do it by choosing different activities. I simply wouldn't do gymnastics for a 7yo if that was the schedule.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:apparently none of your kids are in any sports or after school activities

Not OP. Yes, they are. Our school ends roughly at 3pm. Dinner is roughly at 6pm. That gives us ~3 hrs for after-school sports and a shower. Separately, our target bedtime is 8pm - because our DC does not need to be up until 7am, unlike OP.

What activities start at 3pm for school aged children?

Soccer is 3:30 to 5:00

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid goes to bed around 9 and wakes up on his own around 615 every day. He has the option to sleep later, he just doesn’t, and he never has unless he’s sick. And whenever we try to push bedtime earlier, he just flops around in bed for an hour (or more).

We are a strict no caffeine (for kids) house and try to end dinner by 630. Most nights no screens at all. I refuse to feed him melatonin, so it is what it is.

Ack this is my son too, it not worse?? Sometimes goes to bed as late as 10pm! I am certainly not waking him at 6:15, would love it if he slept later! School doesn't start until 9am and we are a three minute walk away, so he has plenty of wiggle room in the AM. But I think he is low sleep needs, he is 9 and has always been this way.

I heard a slep expert say that if your child is
1) waking up on their own
2) not napping during the day
3) not falling asleep or dozing off in the car or at school
4) has energy to play and be active
5) isn't having meltdowns
6) goes to bed and falls asleep reasonably easy

...then they are getting enough sleep. Not all kids need the same amount of sleep. If you need to wake your child up in the morning, then they need an earlier bedtime.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid goes to bed around 9 and wakes up on his own around 615 every day. He has the option to sleep later, he just doesn’t, and he never has unless he’s sick. And whenever we try to push bedtime earlier, he just flops around in bed for an hour (or more).

We are a strict no caffeine (for kids) house and try to end dinner by 630. Most nights no screens at all. I refuse to feed him melatonin, so it is what it is.

Ack this is my son too, it not worse?? Sometimes goes to bed as late as 10pm! I am certainly not waking him at 6:15, would love it if he slept later! School doesn't start until 9am and we are a three minute walk away, so he has plenty of wiggle room in the AM. But I think he is low sleep needs, he is 9 and has always been this way.

I heard a slep expert say that if your child is
1) waking up on their own
2) not napping during the day
3) not falling asleep or dozing off in the car or at school
4) has energy to play and be active
5) isn't having meltdowns
6) goes to bed and falls asleep reasonably easy

...then they are getting enough sleep. Not all kids need the same amount of sleep. If you need to wake your child up in the morning, then they need an earlier bedtime.

The truth and nothing but the truth so help me ja

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:HOW do you guys do this? My 7 year old gets home from gymnastics at 8:50, has dinner and then we’re lucky if she’s in bed by 9:20.

Every night or once a week?
I might let my 7yo do this once a week. But every night? Absolutely not. That’s crazy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:apparently none of your kids are in any sports or after school activities

Not OP. Yes, they are. Our school ends roughly at 3pm. Dinner is roughly at 6pm. That gives us ~3 hrs for after-school sports and a shower. Separately, our target bedtime is 8pm - because our DC does not need to be up until 7am, unlike OP.

What activities start at 3pm for school aged children?

Does your school not have after school activities? Ours has a lot of clubs, band, choir, musical theatre, art, etc in that afternoon window. Some of our sports are also in that window, and soccer is 6-7pm so we eat beforehand.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:HOW do you guys do this? My 7 year old gets home from gymnastics at 8:50, has dinner and then we’re lucky if she’s in bed by 9:20.

You dont sign up for that gymnastics class.

[Anonymous]

My 8 year old still needed 11 hours. We would do 730 if he needed to wake at 615.