Anonymous
06/07/2023 22:15
Subject: Bedtime for 6 year old?
My 7 year old goes to sleep at 8 and wakes around 630. He has always been on the earlier side of sleep and waking. For us, going to bed later does not equal waking later. For most kids that isn't going to work. And, 630 is not a particularly early time for a kid to wake, so forcing her in to another schedule just might not work. Her sleep schedule right now is normal. What I would focus on instead is rules around wake up time. Maybe before 645 she can't leave her room. Or depending on your house set up maybe she can go downstairs and eat breakfast on her own but can't make noise upstairs near the bedrooms. Focus on figuring that out instead of trying to manipulate her (normal) sleep schedule.
Anonymous
06/07/2023 16:21
Subject: Re:Bedtime for 6 year old?
Anonymous wrote:OP, it is entirely false that a later bedtime automatically equals sleeping later. In fact, for many people, especially kids, later bedtime will have no effect on what time she naturally wakes up in the morning. Don't you remember from having babies? Sleep begets sleep. I as an adult will sleep later if I go to bed later. But my kids don't.
Anyway, to answer your question: Our goal is for our 6 year old to go to bed at 8. However it's often closer to 8:30 which is her 8 year old brother's bedtime. It's hard to get her to go to sleep earlier than her brother when their rooms are right next to each other, especially in the summer when it stays light out later and the neighbor kids are often still playing outside when our kids are going to bed.
Oh yeah and I was going to say my kids, including my 6 year old sleep until about 6:30-7 most days but we have a rule that they have to stay in their rooms and do something quiet (reading, puzzle, just lying in bed, etc.) until 7 (unless they're just quickly and quietly going to the bathroom). They have clocks in their room and they know that until the first digit on the clock is a 7 they have to be quiet and stay in their room.
Anonymous
06/07/2023 16:19
Subject: Re:Bedtime for 6 year old?
OP, it is entirely false that a later bedtime automatically equals sleeping later. In fact, for many people, especially kids, later bedtime will have no effect on what time she naturally wakes up in the morning. Don't you remember from having babies? Sleep begets sleep. I as an adult will sleep later if I go to bed later. But my kids don't.
Anyway, to answer your question: Our goal is for our 6 year old to go to bed at 8. However it's often closer to 8:30 which is her 8 year old brother's bedtime. It's hard to get her to go to sleep earlier than her brother when their rooms are right next to each other, especially in the summer when it stays light out later and the neighbor kids are often still playing outside when our kids are going to bed.
Anyway, to answer your question: Our goal is for our 6 year old to go to bed at 8. However it's often closer to 8:30 which is her 8 year old brother's bedtime. It's hard to get her to go to sleep earlier than her brother when their rooms are right next to each other, especially in the summer when it stays light out later and the neighbor kids are often still playing outside when our kids are going to bed.
Anonymous
06/07/2023 16:18
Subject: Bedtime for 6 year old?
At 6 mine was in bed around 7, lights out at 730. Woke up around 7/30.
I agree with your husband.
Teach your kid not to wake everyone else up, she’s 6 not 3. Bribe her if necessary to change the habit. Give her ideas/suggestions of things she can do quietly by herself before 730.
I agree with your husband.
Teach your kid not to wake everyone else up, she’s 6 not 3. Bribe her if necessary to change the habit. Give her ideas/suggestions of things she can do quietly by herself before 730.
Anonymous
06/07/2023 15:40
Subject: Bedtime for 6 year old?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Your husband is a lazy selfish pig
It's not selfish to want some time to yourself after kids go to bed. Days with young kids can be very long and it's not selfish to be very ready for an hour or two of adults-only time by 8pm. OP is phrasing this like her DH is the bad guy, but I'm a mom and I relate to her DH in this scenario.
The issue is that OP is setting it up as either or -- either the kids stay up later hanging out with parents, or the kids get up super early and wander around by themselves. It's neither? Set up a good bedtime routine with quality time for your kid, then make sure they can look at books or listen to music or a podcast afterwards if they aren't quite ready for sleep. In the morning, set it up so they have ways to engage/entertain themselves if they wake before you do (or if you need to shower or workout or make breakfast, which is often the case in our household).
I find it especially odd that OP and her DH are struggling with this with a 6 year old -- by that age, kids should be independent in the bathroom, able to get themselves water or a snack, and capable of playing safely and happily on their own for 45 minutes or so.
OP here. I think my DH is lazy and selfish. He wants to be left alone from 8pm until 730am when he wants to wake up and start getting ready for the day. He's really hands on the rest of the day though. I don't like my 6 year old waking up at 6-630 because she wakes up her sibling and me - but not DH (he sleeps through anything). She is pretty independent in this time. I would prefer she wake up at 7am which means a later bedtime. I'm going to let her stay up until 815-830ish on my own - DH can suck it.
Also, yes her room has black outs but it gets the AM sun with no shade so she's up from that and the hallway sun.
Anonymous
06/07/2023 15:01
Subject: Bedtime for 6 year old?
Anonymous wrote:Your husband is a lazy selfish pig
It's not selfish to want some time to yourself after kids go to bed. Days with young kids can be very long and it's not selfish to be very ready for an hour or two of adults-only time by 8pm. OP is phrasing this like her DH is the bad guy, but I'm a mom and I relate to her DH in this scenario.
The issue is that OP is setting it up as either or -- either the kids stay up later hanging out with parents, or the kids get up super early and wander around by themselves. It's neither? Set up a good bedtime routine with quality time for your kid, then make sure they can look at books or listen to music or a podcast afterwards if they aren't quite ready for sleep. In the morning, set it up so they have ways to engage/entertain themselves if they wake before you do (or if you need to shower or workout or make breakfast, which is often the case in our household).
I find it especially odd that OP and her DH are struggling with this with a 6 year old -- by that age, kids should be independent in the bathroom, able to get themselves water or a snack, and capable of playing safely and happily on their own for 45 minutes or so.
Anonymous
06/07/2023 14:56
Subject: Bedtime for 6 year old?
We've done 8pm bed time for our DS6.5 for a couple of years now. Sometimes he stays up to read for a few minutes and other days he's out before his head hits the pillow. In the morning he's usually up by 6:30 and will hang out by himself playing with Legos or reading.
Anonymous
06/07/2023 14:55
Subject: Bedtime for 6 year old?
8:30 is the goal. More like 9
Anonymous
06/07/2023 14:54
Subject: Bedtime for 6 year old?
Anonymous wrote:We get up for school at 6:30am, so that seems like a reasonable time to get up to me. Can she play quietly in her room until wakeup time? Otherwise, I'd just...get up at 6/6:30.
Me again. forgot to answer your question. I have a 6 year old. He goes to bed around 8pm. During the week we aim for a bit earlier, like 7:30pm because he's really tired. When he can sleep in, I aim for 8-8:30pm, but that's because he will sleep until 7:30 if allowed to.
Anonymous
06/07/2023 14:53
Subject: Bedtime for 6 year old?
We get up for school at 6:30am, so that seems like a reasonable time to get up to me. Can she play quietly in her room until wakeup time? Otherwise, I'd just...get up at 6/6:30.
Anonymous
06/07/2023 14:51
Subject: Bedtime for 6 year old?
Your husband is a lazy selfish pig
Anonymous
06/07/2023 14:51
Subject: Re:Bedtime for 6 year old?
Why is she "wandering aimlessly throughout the house?"
My almost-6 year old will play in her room and use the bathroom on her own if she wakes up before 7am (when I get up) unless she's hungry, in which case she will come ask for breakfast but can actually get most of it out herself -- I just have to come and pour the milk and make sure she's included some fruit. If it's very early, I'll go back to bed and she'll go play after she eats.
Also, her bedtime is 8pm-ish but she often stays up looking at books or playing with dolls in her bed until 8:30 or 9. We don't have to hang out with her. She starts getting ready around 7:45 and then we read to her, we're usually out of there by 8:20 or so, sometimes earlier if she gets ready quickly.
Point is, at 6 your child does not need to be accompanied by an adult at all times. She can play or read or listen to music on her own in the late evening or early morning and only come get you if she needs something she can't handle on her own.
My almost-6 year old will play in her room and use the bathroom on her own if she wakes up before 7am (when I get up) unless she's hungry, in which case she will come ask for breakfast but can actually get most of it out herself -- I just have to come and pour the milk and make sure she's included some fruit. If it's very early, I'll go back to bed and she'll go play after she eats.
Also, her bedtime is 8pm-ish but she often stays up looking at books or playing with dolls in her bed until 8:30 or 9. We don't have to hang out with her. She starts getting ready around 7:45 and then we read to her, we're usually out of there by 8:20 or so, sometimes earlier if she gets ready quickly.
Point is, at 6 your child does not need to be accompanied by an adult at all times. She can play or read or listen to music on her own in the late evening or early morning and only come get you if she needs something she can't handle on her own.
Anonymous
06/07/2023 14:45
Subject: Bedtime for 6 year old?
Our six year old is in her room by eight, but stays up another hour or so reading or playing quietly. That gives us the free time but let's her go to bed a little later.
Anonymous
06/07/2023 14:42
Subject: Bedtime for 6 year old?
How dark is your DD's bedroom - is the early waking related to June early sunrise?
Anonymous
06/07/2023 14:41
Subject: Bedtime for 6 year old?
My 6 year old goes to bed at 8, but I have noticed she is waking up around 6-630 and wandering aimlessly throughout the house. DH does not want to put her to bed later (he wants his free time) but I think it's totally unfair to the child. He put up a stink letting the 3 year old go to sleep at 8 instead of 730.
What time does your 6 year old/K go to bed?
What time does your 6 year old/K go to bed?