Show me your summer bedtime schedule

[Anonymous]

I am doing something wrong and I need help. It’s not dark where we are until 10pm, the kids never want to come in from riding bikes to shower for bed, and I hate dragging them in when they are out being active. But something has to give! I feel like bedtime gets pushed back later and later by the day. They have to be up for camp in the mornings.

Do I need to give up before-bed showers? I could probably get them to shower earlier, like 7, but they’ll want to be back outside playing basketball or riding bikes until much later. So do I make a time to come in, like 7:30? There is still so much day left at 7:30. Ideally, I’d like them in bed by 9:30, lights out. What would your schedule look like?

[Anonymous]

In your case I'd get blackout curtains and find them a camp that starts later in the morning rather than earlier.

Personally, my two kids (6 and 7) only have afternoon obligations so they are staying up until 9pm and sleeping as late as they like during the summer.

[Anonymous]

You don't say how old your kids are, but if they're a little younger, you might be able to push dinner later and make that the cutoff. Let them play outside until the very last minute before dinner, then plan something fun indoors for after dinner, maybe a family TV show or board games. Close the curtains, dim the lights, and fake nighttime. Turn on some music so they can't hear the neighbor kids playing outside. (I was the kid in the neighborhood with the earliest bedtime, and that was always the hardest part!) If they're older, though, they probably won't be fooled.

Otherwise, your only alternative is to set a time to come in and stick to it, whether they like it or not. But I'm not sure why it would take them two hours to shower, if they're coming in at 7:30 and you want them in bed by 9:30? An hour should be more than enough time to shower and wind down, and 8:30 isn't totally unreasonable unless they're teenagers.

[Anonymous]

We aim for 8 PM bed time for our 7 yo DS but it has been closer to 8:30. He has camp in the AM, we both work so there is nothing we can do about that. He is waking up, on his own, between 6 and 7 AM. DH has not had to wake him up this summer and I have gone in to give him a good bye kiss around 6:15 AM and he has been reading. He wakes up at 7 AM on the dot on the weekends, no alarms.

[Anonymous]

Bedtime for both my kiddos this summer is between 8:15-8:30 pm. We have learned the hard way - when the kids don’t get enough sleep, the next day is hell. And they never seem to sleep in. They are up between 7:30-7:45 am now. But during the school year bedtime was closer to 8 and they were naturally waking around 7:15 am.

[Anonymous]

My 5yr old DC complains that it’s still light outside too. I close the curtains and darken the inside but he just pulls the curtains open to show me it’s still light outside. In the end I just had to explain that it gets dark much later in summer and he has to go to bed while it’s still light outside. He complained quite a bit at first but eventually came around and goes to bed more easily. Plus he’s usually tired from day camp so that helps.

[Anonymous]

I know I'll be flogged for this, but I'd dump the daily showers and let them be active until 8:30 or so. DS (10) is in bed between 9:30 and 10 during the summer, and usually asleep by 10:15. Up by 7:45 on his own, and ready for camp. Showers happen if we go to the pool in the afternoon/evening, but usually not otherwise, and I'm ok with that.

[Anonymous]

Yea my active 4 year old likes to be outside til 8. Hop in the bath and right to bed, what’s the two hours for? Summer evenings are the best, 7:30 is too early for older kids to come in if they are having fun.

[Anonymous]

I have a just turned 7yo. Our routine is exactly the same as during the school year. Upstairs around 715, shower, books, bed. I leave the room around 8/815 and she can read or play quietly in her bed until 830 when her Alexa alarm goes off. She turns her light out and is usually asleep by 9. Wakes up at 7/730.

[Anonymous]

Shorten the bedtime routine so it's one hour.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know I'll be flogged for this, but I'd dump the daily showers and let them be active until 8:30 or so. DS (10) is in bed between 9:30 and 10 during the summer, and usually asleep by 10:15. Up by 7:45 on his own, and ready for camp. Showers happen if we go to the pool in the afternoon/evening, but usually not otherwise, and I'm ok with that.

Same except final bed is more like 11 and she wakes up at 10. She has afternoon camps that start between 1230-2. I am so happy I work from home so she can have a real summer lazy vacation

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In your case I'd get blackout curtains and find them a camp that starts later in the morning rather than earlier.

Personally, my two kids (6 and 7) only have afternoon obligations so they are staying up until 9pm and sleeping as late as they like during the summer.

Totally agree.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a just turned 7yo. Our routine is exactly the same as during the school year. Upstairs around 715, shower, books, bed. I leave the room around 8/815 and she can read or play quietly in her bed until 830 when her Alexa alarm goes off. She turns her light out and is usually asleep by 9. Wakes up at 7/730.

It's brutal Sir.

[Anonymous]

If they need to be in bed by 9:30, why do they need to be in the house by 7:30? A shower should't take 2 hours!

Even if they share a bathroom, 10 minutes is enough for a shower. Add in 5 minutes for brushing teeth and using the toilet and each kid should take 15 minutes tops! So, in the house by 9 pm should be good.

[Anonymous]

My kindergartener is in bed by 7:30. Blackout curtains. Needs 11-11.5 hours sleep still and is cranky otherwise.