Bedtime

My 2 year old daughter goes to bed at 11:00 p.m. I would KILL to have her go to bed at 7:30!!! I've tried everything and nothing works. I say stick with that time; it's perfect!

Hi. My son will be 3 in Aug. We take him to bed at 6:30 read a book and leave the room by 6:45. He used to go to bed at 6:00. He is very active and still needs a nap. But he is up between 5 and 6:30 in the morning. He has always gone to bed early. I try to keep him up later but the day is hell for me. He is very used to his bedtime and I have learned no t to mess with it.

Hi M.,

When my daughter was born she slept with me and my husband. She slept late in the morning so when it came time for kindergarten I signed her up for pm. She still slept in ate a late lunch and went to school. She was used to eating breakfast at 10 and lunch at 1:30. I had to begin getting her up early to eat breakfast so she could have lunch before school. She is now in high school and goes to bed at 9 to be rested and get up for school at 5:45.

I also have three boys; 14, 11 & 8. They go to bed at 8, 7:30 and 7 respectively. The youngest doesn't go right to sleep but he's to stay in bed quietly and he's asleep before I go to bed. I set that up so I could have quiet time before I go to bed between 9 and 10.

That is what works for us. Good luck,
D.

hi. My son is 3 and typically goes to bed around 7-7:30. However, he does not take a nap and if he does bed time is about 8. I think 7:30 is a good time.

Hi M.,
I would keep his bedtime the same. My daughter would go to bed at 7 when she was two. It worked for us and she still slept through the night and got the right amount of sleep that she needed. Good luck, if you do change it, I would only make it till like 8pm. Two is young and your little one needs his rest. :)

My daughter is 17 mos and I put her to bed by 8 pm.

Hi M.
I have a 9 year old little boy who requires alot of sleep. We try to have him in bed by 8:00pm. I also try to continue to do this during the summer to keep his routine consistant.

My son is 8 and goes to bed at 8 because he gets up at 6. I make sure he gets at least ten hours otherwise he's a crank.When he was younger he required more like 11 or 12 hrs.He also napped until he was five! He nees sleep.He always wakes up early so if he goes to bed late we're in trouble. Good luck T.

Hi!
We try to put our 2 year old to bed between 7 and 8. It usually ends up to be about 7:45 after his bath etc. But he goes right to sleep. Our 5 year old still goes to bed on most nights at the same time as well.

It really depends on what time he wakes up in the morning. Most kids need 11-12 hours of sleep at night. If you try a later bedtime and he sleeps in in the morning, it might work, but you may just have a cranky kid all day. I think 7:30 is a good bedtime. Read a book, cuddle and asleep by 8:00, especially if you get up early. Take care!

We try for a 7 pm bedtime for our 2.5 yo and 16 mo old. In the summer, it seems like they aren't actually going to sleep until 8, but 7 is the goal. I think 7:30 is perfectly reasonable for a 2yo. They (and you) need their precious sleep.

M.,
Hello. We do 7:30 as well with our 2y old and 5yr old. If our 2y does take a nap, we may push it back to 8. I think it is a fine time. If your husband works all day and feels he isn't getting enought time to spend with your son, you could bump the time back a bit, but I won't do anything drastic.
Hope this helps!
M.

Both my sons go to bed between 7:30 and 8 pm every night. They share a room and I allow then to watch a movie till 8:30 then it is lights out. My youngest is always the first to fall asleep. I do it mostly for routine and they do have to get up around 7 am for prek and nursery school. At school my youngest has a 2 hour nap time. I found it really depends on how long you let him nap, if he is not ready for bed by 7:30 you might want to shorten his nap time. Hope this helps :0)

Hi M.
I have a 16 month old son that has his bedtime at 8PM. We just changed his naps to once a day now and he is finally used to his new routine. At night I start bedtime at 7:45PM to get his PJ's on, diaper changed, then a story. It works well for him.
Good luck with bedtime with your little boy :)

In a way, it depends on what time you wake him up.

If 7:30 works for him, he's getting adequate sleep every night, and is well-rested when he wakes up in the morning, then that time is probably fine.
However, if he has difficulty going to bed that early (during the Summer months it's still light outside) then try extending bedtime to 8/ 8:30.

There's no "right" time. Just a right balance between you, your husand's, and your son's schedules.

My 3 year old goes to bed at 7:30. He naturally wakes anywhere between 7:00 and 7:30 in the morning. When I wake him up during the week for daycare, he gets up at 6:15. I find that he is super cranky. Those extra 30 minutes he gets when allowed to wake on his own make all the difference. I am considering switching his bedtime during the week to 7:00.

If your son is sleeping well and doesn't fight you at bedtime, then stick with 7:30. Kids need their sleep.

Our daughter started sleeping through the night at 7 months old. As she got older and her daily naps decreased we used her 'tiredness' as a the 'time for bed' indication. She is now 30 months old and often takes no naps. Her bedtime is 9pm (unless she is too wired to sleep I'll let her stay up until 9:20pm to wind down). This works well for us. She doesn't wake until 8:00am or 9:00am. I don't think the bedtime itself is as important as how well/how much sleep the child gets overall.

Hi M.,

My husband and I work full time, and we need to drop my daughter off at daycare by 7:30am to make it to work on time. Due to the fact we wake her up every morning at 6:30am (and sometimes it's a struggle to wake her up), we find that at the end of the day, after dinner, and a bath she's so tired from all of her playtime activities during the day that she's ready to go down between 8 and 8:30 pm. She's been on that schedule since April (when I went back to work full time).

Do what works best for your son. If he's tired, I'm sure he'll let you know =) If he's used to going to bed at 7:30, then stick with that schedule. Good luck!

That's what time I used to put my youngest to bed at that age. She is now 4 and goes to bed at 8:30 which by the way is the same time our 8 year old goes to bed. But when my first was that age I did put her to bed at 8 and she'd sleep till 8 am. So I guess it depends what time your son gets up and that he is getting enough hours of sleep for his age. I think it's 12-14 hours for his age including naps. Parents and parenting magazine or what to expect the toddler years or even his pediatrician can tell you for sure how many hours he should be getting.

If he is going to bed at 7:30 I would keep it that way! That way you get some "me time" and get time alone with Daddy before you go to bed. My son is 2.5 and has gone to bed at 7pm since he was 6mos...I have friends who have kids that are 4 and 5 and they still have them in bed by 7. As long as he's sleeping through the night, the more sleep he gets, the healthier for him!

my 2 yr old son also goes to bed by 7:30

My 2 year old daughter goes down at 7:30 and sleeps until about 7. Stick to your guns. They need the rest. Someone questioned me on the 4th that I wouldn't let her stay up for fireworks!!!

I have two kids, a 4 1/2year old boy and a 1 year girl and we put them down at the same time, around 7:30 every night. They both need the rest. Our oldest does not nap during the day anymore and he plays hard all day long so by bed time he is ready to crash. Our daughter is finally getting onto a routine and it's great to have some peace and quite at night. Routine is key, so if it works I say keep it the same, but it is truly up to you. Good luck-

Hi M.,

My soon to be 5 yr old goes to bed at 830 and my 2 yr old goes to bed at 8. They sleep in the same room, so the 2 yr old goes first, so that she doesn't bother my 5 yr old when she goes to bed too. They both wake up between 630 and 730 every day, but they also have a nap time that last 2-3 hrs. They seem happy, and well adjusted to their "sleep times". My 5 yr old will be starting school in August, and I will adjust her time to bed a half hour earlier at at time, until she can get up in the morning without a fuss. Maybe adjusting your son's bed time a half hour at a time later, might be help to figure out what his ideal bed time is. I have a friend who can't get her kids to bed until after 9, and they wake up early too. It depends on your son. I have a 9 mo old who won't sleep before 9, but once she's asleep, she'll not wake until after 730. Maybe try an earlier nap time, so that he's tired earlier at night, or later nap, if you want him to go to sleep a little later at night.

Luck!

M.

My daughter just turned 2, she goes to bed by 7:30pm and is awake at 6am. Works for us!!! She also naps from about 12:30pm to 2pm

Wouaw! You have lots of answers there. Mostly to say that 7:30 is the perfect bed time.
I think it depends on your baby and your family needs.

My 14 months old goes to bed at 9:30 pm and often doesn't sleep before 10:00. He is the first to wake up in the morning at 6:00 am (and sometimes even before) and has 2 naps of 1hour and half in the morning and 20 minutes in the afternoon. I would love him to sleep a little bit more but he is happy like that and nothing we make can make him sleep longer. He has been a very little sleeper since the day he was born and I think he never slept more than 13 hours/day.

You're happy to have a baby that is just sleeping by the book. If you have a nice working routine, I wouldn't change it. Wait for him to wake up earlier, and then you'll know he needs less sleep.

Hi M.,

If your son is doing fine going to bed at 7:30 then I wouldn't change it. My almost 5 year old goes to bed at 7:30 :-)

-C.

Hi M.,

If he'll go to bed at 7:30 and he's sleeping through until a decent time in the am - keep it that way. Obviously it's working for him. My kids are 5 and almost 3 and their bedtime is 8:00. It's always been that way. We do allow my son (5 yrs) to look at books once he's in bed, when he's ready he puts them aside and lays down to sleep. When you're parents time to yourselves is precious - enjoy it!

Jen

Hello,

My son is almost 6 and he has never gone to bed earlier than 9 and alot of times closer to 10pm. We believe in going with your bodies natural sleep schedual and not to force a one. It has worked great for him.

I put my older daughter to be at 7 when she was 2, and that's the same time I put my other to bed (who's 2 now). My younger daughter used to go to bed at 8, but she was grouchier through the day, and I could see an improvement almost as soon as I started putting her to bed earlier. Good luck!

I have no idea what your hubby is thinking of for a Later bedtime? he could even get more sleep as he is only two. My son if 5 1/2 and we have him go to bed between 7-8 sometimes a little later (he sleeps 10-11 hours) But the little kiddos need more sleep esp. if they no longer nap (does he still nap? if he naps late in the afternoon keep him up a little due to that)

Sleep is so important to their growth and if you let him stay up later now what time will he go to bed once school (pre-k) starts?

You two also need your grown up time after he goes to bed, if he is up past 8 then you are putting him to bed and how much time do you have alone?. A little time to unwind is important too, you both have dishes and clothes too and you do not need to be up past 11-12 doing that.

Just my thoughts..

Boy you have gotten a lot of responses! This is a hot issue for me personally. My sister in law doesn't put her 3 yr old to bed until almost 10! He gets up at 8. He is cranky and overweight. Once he is up, she has to rush him around to school. I think that is crazy for a 3 yr old and a little lazy on my sister in law to not want to put her foot down and establish a routine.

I put my 3 old to bed at 7:30. He is usually up any where between 6-7am. When he was 2, it was 7pm. I found the earlier I put him to sleep, the later he slept in the morning. If we had friends over for dinner and bedtime was 8-8:30 he would be up the morning at 6.

Your son is not yet 2. They still require their sleep. Plus, mommy and daddy need some adult time too!

My little girl is 3, she goes to bed at 7:30 and always has. We start the nightly routine of teeth, potty and a story at 7:15. Occasionally, we will do something at night and she will stay up later. It is okay to mix the schedule up sometimes, don't limit your kids activities (4th fireworks)because of their bedtime. If my little girl stays up late to do something, she just naps longer the next day.

Hi M.,
How wonderful that your son has a great bedtime. Children are often sent to bed much later, and your husband may be hearing that. It seems because we are all so busy, that children are staying up later to spend time with their working parents. It is very age-appropriate for children up to the age of 7 to have bedtimes between 7 and 7:30. They need lots of sleep to develop, and children with great sleep have fewer attention and learning problems. And your little one is learning so much right now! and the new research says that children (and adults) with lots of sleep have fewer weight issues! Of course, one side-effect of going to bed early is that some children get up earlier than parents would like. Research has shown that the early to bed, early to rise cycle is best for young children, and so I alway encourage families to consider having the earlier bedtime, and then getting up a little earlier and having an honest-to-goodness sit-down breakfast with their children. The children are so awake and benefit so much from this social morning time, often with the parent they see the least. So it's a win-win!

I think 7:30 is great - why does your husband want him to stay up later? If he goes down at 7:30, then you and your husband will have more evening together. I've had this problem with my husband, too. He always fights me on putting the kids to bed, and I just don't understand it. If they stay up until 9:00, then I'm totally exhausted and don't feel like doing any of the things that have piled up all day. Much less feel like giving my husband the attention he wants. I've tried to make him understand that the earlier the kids get to bed, the more time I'll have with just him. Good luck!

Hi M., My older daughter is 6 and on a school night, she goes to bed at 7:00. My youngest daughter is 3, and we were putting her to bed at 6:30. During the summer, my older girl goes no later than 8:00 and my little one at 7:30.Of course, if there is something going on, they are up later. I put them both to bed at 6:30 when they were 2. I guess it depends on your child. If he seems sleepy earlier, put him to bed. If he is awake, put him up later. Pick a time and stick with it, schedules and routine are very important to little ones........good luck!

Hi M.. My son will be 2 also in August. His bedtime is usually between 6:30 and 7:00. Unless we are out somewhere, but that is just occasionally. My other son will be 5 in August and his bedtime is 8:00. I have no intentions of changing them any time soon.

7:30! If we happen to be out on the weekends & get home a little later than that is another story. But when we are home he is in bed at 7:30 pm. He is younger than your 2 yr old he is only 19 months but I think 7:30 is appropriate for your 2 yr old even a 3 or 4 year old!

It completely depends on what time your son wakes up! He should be getting 11-12 hours of sleep at night and still napping at his age for 1-2 hours during the day.
If he wakes up at 7:30 am then that's the right bedtime in the evening.
My older daughter is 5.5- and she's an early riser. She is always in bed by 7:00 pm. My 3.5 year old sleeps in a bit so she sometimes stays up till about 8:00 pm.
Kids need a lot of sleep in order to function and grow properly. Their brains process and file information while they are sleeping- so a lack of sleep can effect the way they learn.
Good luck!
-S.

My 4 yr old still goes to bed at 7:30.. that said, just try it and see what happens.. after a few days, if it's not a good idea, you'll notice him cranky and tired, so go back to the 7:30 idea.. it's all trial and error..

My son is going to be 3 next month and he goes to bed at 7:30.

Between 8 & 8:30 and they sleep until 6:30 - 7:00 -- both boys take a 2 hour nap in the afternoon .. sometimes a little longer. If your having a hard time settling in at night he may not be ready. We both work so we want to spend a bit of time too .. it's all on the child as to what they can handle.