Bedtime for 8.5 year old

[waverly]

What time do your kids go to bed say in that 7-10 year old age range plus or minus. Kids get up at 7.

We used to put him to bed at 8, but he spends his entire time bouncing in his room, trying to decide on 8:30 or 9.

[campermom]

Mine are 10 and almost 8 (and 3) but lights are out for everyone at 8. They get up at 6:15. They complain about being tired in the morning. If the 3 year old doesn’t wake up, I wake him up right when we leave at 7.

The 10 year old sometimes doesn’t get home from practice till 9:20ish and I let him sleep till the last possible moment at 6:40.

[traveltheworld]

My almost 7 year old and 3 year old goes to bed at 8 :30, usually asleep in about 10 minutes, and get up at 7 - 7:15 in the me. Hinese feel like that's not enough sleep, but I can't seem to get them in bed earlier.

[sdlaura]

DD is almost 7 and sleeps 8-6:30. DS1 is 5 and has always had more trouble falling asleep. We put him to bed at the same time as DD (they share a room), and he often doesn’t fall asleep until 8:30 or 9, then gets up around 7.

[madringal]

For my 7 yo Its up to bed at 8, lights our at8:30. My 11 yo has until 9. The both get up at 6:30

[mae0111]

My 9.5 year old is in bed at 8, lights out around 820. She gets up at 645. Lately with softball bedtime has been pushed a bit later, and she feels it. She needs a ton of sleep.

[mustardseed2007]

My 7 year old's official bedtime is at 8, but lately he's been going to bed at 8:30 or 8:40. He's the first to wake up, normally around 6:30.

He's staying up later than his sister (age 5) who we are trying really hard to get her to close her eyes by 8. DD sleeps hard and always wakes up later than DS. Also when DD wakes up she's usually in a fog, vs. our son who wakes up, goes and gets dressed and then watches TV and eats breakfast all on his own.

This seems to be their natural tendencies though. He has almost always fallen asleep immediately and woken up early, whereas she has always naturally tossed and turned/wanted to stay up late and sleep late.

[abs]

My 8.5 year old starts getting ready for bed around 7:30. She reads for a bit, we read to her, she brushes her teeth, and we tuck her in at 8:10/8:15. She's generally asleep by 8:30. Bedtime was between 7:30-7:45 for years but this year it's slowly been creeping later and later. I think 8 is probably ideal but it's just not always possible with more homework now.

ETA:  She is generally awake by 6:30 or 6:45

[covergirl82]

DD is 8, DS is almost 10.

We start getting ready for bed around 7:45/8:00. If they need to take a shower, it needs to be done before that time. "Getting ready" time is for putting pj's on, brushing teeth, and reading. Our goal is lights out at 8:30. DS now has baseball games that end at 8:15, and usually one night a week a game is on a school night, so he doesn't go to bed until 9:00 on game nights.

DD gets up around 6:30 every day. M/W DS gets up at 6:30 and T/Th/F he gets up at 7:00. DS needs more sleep than DD.

[CrazyLucky]

DS turns 9 this weekend and DD is 6. The goal for bedtime for both is 8, and both in bed and asleep by 830 is normal. They have to get up at 630, and neither are easy to get up. Baseball has really destroyed our bedtime schedule. Before games started, DS had practice until 9 twice a week. Now the games are twice a week, 730-845. So bedtime is more like 930. It's rough!

[2chatter]

7 and 11 are lights out asleep by 8:00 and wake at 6:30. If no one has activities they are asleep by 7:30. They both need a LOT of sleep. By 12 oldest was going to bed at 9.

[186momx]

DD will be 8 next month. The goal is in bed by 7 and she can read for 30 minutes so lights out at 7:30. I have to fight to get her up and moving every morning during the week. This didn't happen during tax season and you could tell she was always tired and cranky with a 8pm bedtime. She does stay up later for open gym, sleepovers, school events but the missed sleep always shows up in the 48 hour range with an extra cranky kid. Last night she put herself to bed before 7 as she was tired and she looked it.


Question: How do you deal with neighbor kids coming over and ringing the doorbell asking for DD to play? They've learned she isn't home before 6 so now come over at 7:30-8 asking to play. I keep telling them she is in the shower and has started her wind down time. I don't want her to get made fun of for her early bedtime so have been fibbing.

[sdlaura]

186momx, we've always been early bedtime people and I don't see that changing, given that my oldest has always needed more sleep than the average kid. I have no problem telling anyone - kid or adult - that we go to bed early so we can't play after 7. I turn down plans and leave places early all the time. It has to be a really special occasion for me to lose my downtime after kids are in bed and deal with cranky kids the next day (since DD won't sleep any later than 6:30, regardless of when she goes to bed).

[waverly]

I would just make a blanket statement we can’t play after 7 or whatever it is or we can play on the weekends.

OK for some reason I remember my bedtime as a kid being 9:30 but our elementary school started later so maybe that is why. 8:30 it is!

[zarapipe]

My 9 and 4 year old share a room. We try to be out of their room, lights off at 830pm. They usually fall asleep quick and get up at 7am when we wake them. The 9 year old will sleep in till 730 or 8 in the weekends.

[mrspez07]

This time of year is rough. The later sunlight makes my kids think it’s earlier than it is. My kid (nearly 10 and 7) have had a bedtime for quite awhile of 8:30 and awake at 7.
This now includes trying to get them in bed at 8:30 where they read. Both fall asleep pretty quickly once the stay still!