How important do you think the TIME kids sleep is?
Meaning... If my 2yo DD is going to bed (falling asleep... end of routine...) around 10-10:30 pm, but waking up at 9-10:30am, is that an issue? (along with a daily two-hour nap...)
Now, for a few months, I decided to be more strict about getting her to sleep during 'reasonable' hours. I took one month to transition her to an 8:00 bedtime, and stuck to it for a couple of months... She transitioned easily, and didn't have any issues falling/staying asleep. Still slept the same amount of time. BUT, Daddy works nights, and was always so disappointed when her bedtime rolled around on his days off and she had to go to bed when he had only been up for a few hours. She would also be veeery hard to get to bed on those nights, because she loves her dad and wanted to spend time playing with him. He started skipping sleep on his first day off so that he could sleep 'normal' hours on his days off... but that just jacked up his sleeping when it was time to go back to work! lol.
So, between her fighting bedtime 3 nights of the week, and to allow her and Daddy time to spend together, I just let her go back to her 10:00 bedtime.
My little sister (who has no children... so I don't really take her parenting 'advice' too seriously) seems to think that I am setting up my daughter for a lifetime of sleep issues by letting her be a little night owl.
So, do you think that it is important to sleep the same amount of time during the 'normal' hours, or are any hours fine as long as it's consistent?
My husband gets home late so my daughter's bedtime is 10:30. We homeschool so we sleep in.
Her time with her dad is more important than a sleep schedule that fits in with the rest of the world!
How old is she? This will become important when she is going to school or preschool or has other events that require her to be up at normal morning hours, but otherwise as long as she is getting plenty of sleep every day, I dont think you are setting her up for a lifetime of sleep issues or anything. Dont you love when people with no kids decide to give you advice on kids? LOL
As long as she is getting the right amount of sleep, it is up to the family to decide what times work for them.
The problem can begin when your child is getting ready to attend kindergarten.. Here in Austin they have to be in class at 7:40 am.. And then it is an all day class until 2:30..
On your child's current schedule it would not work for her to fall asleep at 10 pm..
The other thing is that parents also need time alone.. And I mean not 15 or 30 minutes per night, but much more than that per day to keep their relationships strong. .
Consider this fall when it it becomes darker earlier, to transfer your daughter to an 8:00 or 8:30 bedtime and her be asleep by 9:00..
She will get up a little earlier and have good daylight time to play with you and dad when he gets home, but the 2 of you can have some grown up time too..
I do not think it's an issue until the summer before she starts Kindergarten and if she has to go to daycare during the day (but it doesn't sound like she does if she's sleeping until 930/10am every morning - unless you take her in late). I have friends who's children are up until that time and sleep in later as well...that was until her daughter started K last week. So they had to make the adjustment.
I used to put my daughter down around 11pm at night when she was under a year because my hubby worked 2nd shift and was with her during the day so keeping her up and having her 'bedtime' later meant she would sleep longer the next morning which gave him a few hours of extra shut eye.
My kids are in bed by 730/8pm but that is for a few different reasons. First of all, we switched my daughter's bedtime when it became too much of a hassle for daddy to get up with (his schedule changed so he was getting home around 2am and she was up by 6am). So she started going to daycare and needed to be up earlier. But even when we tried for an 8/830 bedtime, I found that she woke at 530/6am no matter what! So we've adjusted her bedtime by 1/2 hour up or down all of her life to get it right. Now she and her brother got to bed between 730-8pm and wake up on their own between 7-730 but I have to wake her at 615 for school!
Good luck. Do what you feel is right - and I think you hit the nail on the head with the word consistency!
My son, who will be 2 in October, usually doesn't go to bed until 11pm (Sometimes later). He usually wakes up around 10am (Sometimes a little earlier, sometimes a little later). He has 1 2-3 hour nap every day.
I let him stay up so late because I would rather wake up at 10am vs 7am and I'm usually up till midnight anyway.
the best advice I ever got was you do what is best for your family. its not like your keeping her up till 4 am . I would still consider 10 to be normal hours also. I am assuming your child is a small baby. I would try to make an earlier bed time by the time she starts school so it wont be so hard for her to wake up at 6 or 7 am.
until she goes to school, keep her on the schedule best for your family.
My kids would be sleeping at midnight if I let them and let them determine when to sleep, 100%.
They go to bed at 8:00-8:30 and are 6 and 9.
For them, they get a good sleep that way.
They were also nappers since babies up until about 5 years old.
I know a family, in which, ever since their child was a baby... she'd be going to bed at any willy nilly hour. Which means, anything after 10:00pm.
Why? Because, the PARENTS, were Night-Owls. And they liked to go out, and they are social butterflies and liked to work late, and they would even be shopping at Walmart, at like midnight. (the store here is a 24-hour open store).
I, babysat their child. Their child was always very groggy and not real alert. Poor child. Sure, the child slept for like 10-12 hours once she was able to go to bed. But, that meant, that sometimes she didn't wake up the next day, until past 11:00am!
Is that, good? She still got a good 10-12 hours of sleep.
The other reason, that this child went to bed very late every night... was because, (and the Mom told me this), their child was very hard... to put to bed.
So then, they just... kept her up, with them, and through all their social outings and night activities. Because, the parents were night owls. And then they and their child, woke up late the next day.
This couple, had the luxury to work when they wanted. They did not HAVE to wake at a certain time in the morning.
BUT their child, was, always groggy and not real alert... and even seemed, very brain dull. She was, slow in reactions and just not real alert during the day. Really pathetic.
I told the parent, no child should be going to bed at 10, or 11, or 12:00 midnight. It affects, a child's development.
But they, only cared about keeping up THEIR routines and hours. Not their child's.
And you know what? Once their child started school... she had a VERY VERY difficult time, waking up in time for school. The parents, CONSTANTLY took their child to school late. Why? Because, they would say that it was too early for their child to wake. And that, they wanted to let her sleep in.
Is that good logic for a child?
Their child suffered and also in her development.
She was always groggy and just hardly ever alert. During the day.
I am a night owl who was blessed with a night owl. I am so glad I didn't have to find out how I would adjust to an early riser! Your schedule is very similar to our schedule and my son doesn't have any problems with it.
