Sleeping - Chesterfield, MO

One of the best things is consistency. You should pick a ONE betime and that is the time they go to bed every night. Eight or Eight-thirty sounds good. They'll sleep better if they go to be the same time--even on the weekends.

Here are some links with articles stating how much sleep kids should get.
http://www.plateaupediatrics.com/sleepinfo.html
http://singleparents.about.com/od/parenting/f/sleeprequir...
Good luck.

You don't mention what time your kids have to get up in the morning, and everyone is different, but from what you have said, my OPINION is that they need more sleep. Sleep helps with behavior, learning, and overall health. I wouldn't let them stay up so much later on weekends, it makes going to be Sunday and waking up Monday more difficult. Physical activity is not only important for overall health, but it makes getting to sleep and staying asleep easier.

Good luck

F.,
A steady bedtime is best, even on the weekends. From what I've read children that age should be getting at least 10 hours of sleep. I discovered that 8:30 is the perfect bed time for my 11 year old. He actually gets up in the morning without my nagging at him. He goes to his room at 8:00 and reads for a half hour. He enjoys that time by himself to wind down also. Hope this was helpful :)

More than anything, kids this age need consistancy. If they are going to bed later on the weekends, it is no wonder that they are having a hard time getting to sleep during the week. I am not a put all kids to bed at 7 kind of person but bedtime should be about the same time every day regardless of the day of the week. I would probably push the bedtime to 9 every night since they seem to have trouble getting to sleep. That doesn't mean that occationally if something special is going on that they can't stay up late but it should be an occational thing. They will probably fight the change at first but in the end, you will all be more rested and bedtime will go smoother.

5-7 year olds need about 10-10 1/2 hours of sleep each night (as per a newsletter about child development from my daughter's guidance counselor.)

:) Angie

Weekends- not that I am going to say it is right or wrong but when is your alone time. We always found it nice to keep it at the same time when our kids were younger because we had our time. Which was date night at home playing card, watching a movie or any thing else we wanted to do. Cuz when they won't always stay young.

These numbers come from an article published in The Wichita Eagle in Sept. of 2001. I kept it because I tutor dyslexic children and have frequent problems with children who do not get enough sleep and therefore cannot function optimally at tutoring sessions. For 7 year olds, the number is 10 1/2 to 11 hours per day. For 5 year olds, it's 11 hours. For 4 year olds, it's 11 1/2 to 12 hours (the assumption being that at this age, some of that sleep will come from a nap). I know, seems like a lot of sleep, doesn't it? But I believe these numbers to be correct. When you factor in all the extra curricular activities so many parents insist on keeping their children in, it's no wonder our kids go to school tired everyday.

I think it all depends on what time they get up in the morning and whether or not your 4yr old takes naps.
Here is some info I found:

Preschoolers sleep about 10 to 12 hours per night, but there's no reason to be completely rigid about which 10 to 12 hours they are. A 5-year-old who gets adequate rest at night no longer needs a daytime nap. Instead, a quiet time may be substituted.

Kids ages 6 to 9 need about 10 hours of sleep a night. Bedtime difficulties can arise at this age from a child's need for private time with parents, without siblings around. Try to make a little private time just before bedtime and use it to share confidences and have small discussions, which will also prepare your child for sleep.

Hope this helps

Oh my, that is really late for that age, even on weekends. My girls are 10 and 11 and they are only allowed up til 10. At the age your kiddos are, my girls were only allowed to stay up until 9 on Friday and Saturday. Their bedtime was 8 pm. I'd rethink that, they need a lot of sleep at night. Do they nap? I hope not, they are certainly to old for it. That could be another reason for them not going to bed on time. Start a ritual of them reading for 30 minutes before lights out, that should help some. My girls still do that everynight except Friday and Saturday. Good luck and God Bless.

Hi F., My kids go to bed by 8:00 pm almost every night, even weekends. There is the odd night they stay up late, but usually because something is going on and we're not home. But if my kids don't a good 9 or 10 hours of sleep they are bears (they are also 7 & 5). My little one still takes naps on the weekends and often times goes to bed at about 7:00 pm (but I think mine need more sleep than a lot of kids). But I think that at that age they need a good 9 or 10 hours of sleep per day to be at their best.

Hi F.! I am the mother of 4, oldest 23, youngest 9. Been down that road for a long time! What is going on? You are confusing their "internal" clocks. I also have let my kids stay up later on weekends, but only an hour at the very most. Children this age, require 11 - 12 hours per night. Try this - immediately after baths, read. Quiet them down. No TV! No loud or "UP" music, only soothing, quiet, restful. Read for about a half hour. Then, leave them to go to sleep. Don't let them stay up more than a half hour later on weekends, an hour at the most. I would guess they stayed up later during the summer too. Parenting isn't for cowards, you got to be tuff, or you'll be trained, rather than you training them.

Hi F.,

You've already received a lot of wonderful information & it's even helped me out too (I also LOVE this website, it's so informational!).

I have an 8 year old daughter. I usually try to get her to bed about 8:30 on the weekdays - she gets up about 6:45 or 7 to get ready for school. On the weekends we're a little more flexible, but 9:30 is usually the latest we let her stay up (of course it's pending what's going on - trips, events, etc.).

I agree that a lot of it depends on the child and the schedule. You're their parents, evaluate them and see what you think is the best for them.

Hope this helps and good luck! :0)

Hi F.,

My 2 year old kid goes to bed at 8, and my 7 year old goes to bed at 8:30. I used to think that it would be fine if during weekends I would let them stay up late around 10 pm, but I realized that was not a good idea. In my experience, Kids need schedule and routine to be well rested and in a good mood, so my husband and I decided time ago that we would let the kids be up late just until 9 pm Fridays and Saturdays, so we can share more time together. Of course, there will be times when that won't be possible (trips for instances, etc.)but, in my opinion children should go to bed early) My little one has one nap at noon, and because of school, the older one just take a 20-40 min. naps during the weekend to "charge batteries" for the school days. I do the same with their meals. I keep a schedule so the kids know when they are going to eat, and if we go out, I pack something nutritious for them to eat on the go.
When my older kid "does not feel tired" at bedtime (and he is but, he does not want to feel tired and want to keep playing) we read a little bit whatever he wants to read, or have a chat to talk about his stuff. One thing that helps my kids to go to bed at the time scheduled, is taking them to the park for an hour or so otherwise we play in the backyard, that way they can vent and have fun. If you work out of your home, probably someone you know, a relative or close friend may take the kids to the park or just take them to a gym or some activity where they can have some exercise and get..tired..
I think that having a routine, help kids to be healthy and happy most of the time without exaggerate of course....
At the beginning, it won't be easy to make them go to sleep earlier during the weekends, but insist and try until they get the HABIT.
Good Luck and I hope this helps.
Alejandra

I too used to allow my children to stay up late on the weekends. I then started working part-time days from nights and figured out that if we kept a consistant bed time we reset there "sleep clocks" and they were able to fall a sleep a lot sooner and without all of the ups and downs of trying to go to sleep.

Hope it helps.

It is important to keep it consistant. I think 11:00 is too late unless there is a special event. I would say weekends 1/2 hour later than usual is within the consistancy.

11pm is WAY WAY too late. Why would you alter their sleep schedule so drastically just because it's the weekend?? They will become sleep-deprived and then have a hard time sleeping at all. That's probably why they can't get to sleep until 10pm during the week. Better to be consistent all week long.

I think sleep is very important for kids that age. We have an 8 year old, 5 year old and 3 year old. We were in the same boat as you and noticed that they were a bit crabby so we moved up their bedtimes. We put them to bed at 7:45 to 8 and they are usually asleep by 8:30 or 9 on the weekdays. They have to get up at 6:30 to be at school by 7:30. We let them stay up til 8:30 or 9 on the weekend simply because their bodies really don't know if it is the weekend or weekday. Trying to keep them on a schedule makes it easier for them during the week. I am not exactly sure how much sleep children need, but your doctor would know. Ours gave us a chart when our eldest was little which was lost in our move. Also, each kid is a bit different and requires a bit different amounts of sleep. We know if our kids get enough sleep, they are happier and we have less meltdowns. Hope this helped. Good luck.

Their body is trying to adjust to the time difference from 830 to 11 is a Huge difference, try moving bed time up on weekends to 10pm. they are too young still to stay up until 11 even on weekends besides this will give you a extra hour for Mama to relax as well.also no sweets or sweet drinks after 7pm it will keep them energized too much to sleep.My 12 year old is like that after energy drinks or anything sweet. Good luck and move up the weekend bedtime 1 hour they are young and need 10 hours sleep a night. God Bless!!!Let me know if this helps.

Eleven is way too late for them to stay up...unless there's something unavoidable or a special event. They need at least 10 hours of sleep a night. They don't tend to sleep in when they've gone to bed late...so you have to make sure they're down 10 hours before time for them to get up.

Also, if you don't vary their bedtime much on the weekend, maybe only half an hour later than weekdays, it should make the week easier too. Otherwise they won't figure out why they have to sleep early some nights and very late others.

If they're expected to get up when called in the morning and not be lazy because they went to sleep too late, they'll soon to get to sleep quicker. (Or at least they'll be tired enough that night to go to sleep on time.)

Hope this helps.

Yes, 11:00 PM is too late on the week ends. That is why they are not going to sleep until 10:00 PM during the week.
Children need 8 to 10 hours of sleep per night to be well rested and healthy. It should be the same time to bed and same time getting up EVERY day of the week.

Besides ..... wouldn't you love all that extra "adult" time after they are asleep, that you are NOT getting now ?

I think kids sleep 9-10 hours at that age. My 8 yr old goes to bed at 9:30 and gets up at 7:30 during school days. I let the kids stay up as late as they want on Friday nights and he usually falls asleep around 11 on his own where the other 2 teenagers will stay up later. Every child is different, some require more sleep and others function well on 8 hours. If they aren't cranky from not getting enough sleep then they are probably ok with staying up later on weekends.