How many hours sleep for kids ?

tightgit_2

I would like to ask people's opinions on how much sleep children need. Also do you think it's a good idea to let the kids stay up later on non school nights or does this just upset their routine?

Sarahsaver

depends what age. Mine all have about 12 hours, they are ages 3, 4 and 7, though ther middle one has a bit of a thing for early mornings . Teenagers will need lots of sleep when they are going through puberty. My kids are in bed by 7.30 and though im not so bothered about weekends it makes no sense to keep them up late as you end up with grouchy overtired kids.

rushnowt

Hi tightgit and welcome to the boards


My kids tend to go to bed between 8-9 pm, theyre aged between 4 and 12 the amount of sleep they need tends to vary to be honest, sometimes they get up early usually weekends lol, but are a nightmare to get up on school days.

Although i'm guilty of allowing them later bedtimes at weekends, i do feel its wrong and i think it does upset their routine, they arnt actually allowed to stay up longer, but i do allow them to watch a dvd or video in bed.

they sometimes fall asleep before the end but i always have lights out by 10pm at the latest.

I have friends however that set their kids bedtime between 6.30 - 7 pm so i guess its a individual choice and dependant on how much sleep your own kids need.

Squidgy

Our 2yr old daughter goes to bed between 7.30 and 8pm. We used to let her stay up later at the weekends but she was becoming a right madam, so we have had to stick to her routine. She usually has about 12 hours, sometimes a little bit less, sometimes a little bit more.

tightgit_2

My kids are 12 and 9 and they share a room. They are normally in bed by 9.00, which I think is o.k for the 12 year old, but a bit late for the 9 year old. But the 9 year old will not go to bed on his own. At the weekend they'd stay up all night if I let them, they just don't feel tired. I am sure this ruins their routine, but it seems a bit mean not to let them stay up.

Caz2_2

Hi tightgit
feeling a bit sorry for your eldest. I presume he or she is at secondary school and youngest is at primary. I think (my opinion only) that your youngest should be encouraged to go to bed an hour earlier, maybe with a big teddy or 15mins of reading with you, this would give you time to spend with older one and allow him/her to talk to you alone. I only say this cause I know once they start secondary there can be alot of anxieties and pressures on them. HE/she will be feeling a bit more grown up and going to bed at a later time than brother reflects this. Something to think about, in 2 years they will be 11 and 14 ! it will be very hard to sustain same bed times. I know from experience with my own kids,bedtimes was always a big issue I had 2 years age difference with all of them, this converted to 1hr at bedtime, seemed the fairest way for us. Hope this helps.

tightgit_2

Caz2. Hi, I've tried this, buthe doesn't go to sleep and feels very scared on his own. The older one has just started secondary school and usually tells me about his day when he comes in and has settled in quite well fortunately. I'll keep trying.

Jay-Jay_4

Hiya,

My input is probably not relevant to you as my kids are 1yr and 5 and a half but I thought I'd reply anyway :rolleyes: just in case anyone has younger children with sleep problems.

The 1 yr old goes to bed at 6.30 pm and wakes between 8.30am and 11.30am

The 5 yr old goes up at 7.30pm and usually spends half an hour colouring or reading to wind down. She doesn't have a TV but she has a good collection of CDs and story tapes which she can listen to until 8.30pm

She's got THE most FANTASTIC CD called Relax Kids. It's a meditation CD :eek:. It was a present and I thought it would be a waste of time but it's amazing.

If anyone has ever done Yoga or Meditation you will be familiar with guided fantasy (where you are talked through an imaginary situation) This CD is one of a range where the fantasies are Snow White, Cinderella, The Little Mermaid etc.

If you've got youngish children who find it difficult to relax and switch off then I would definately recommend them.

The titles are:
Sparkling for Shining Stars, Magical for Superheroes, Fairytale for Princesses and Amazing for Wizards.

You can listen to an Audio Sample if you look at this link

http://www.hypnosisaudio.com/km_cd03.htm

To look at the other titles, look to the left

Spendless

Jay Jay- what do you do about getting the eldest to school if the little one is still asleep?

My youngest would probably sleep for longer but i often have to wake her so as i can take big one to school.

Jay-Jay_4

MartinsGroupie wrote:

Jay Jay- what do you do about getting the eldest to school if the little one is still asleep?

My youngest would probably sleep for longer but i often have to wake her so as i can take big one to school.

I wake her up at 8.30am, change her bum, put her in a snowsuit and straight in the car. She sometimes wakes up a little bit earlier but I leave her (happily playing in her cot) until the last minute otherwise she just clings to my leg and i can't dash about getting the eldests snack, waterbottle and breakfast.

She manages fine without breakfast until we get back at around 9.15am.

If we're walking to school I leave her until 8am but give her a beaker of milk and some toast to eat in the pram.

I just hate waking either of them up on cold mornings

Trix

Check THIS site (although there are many others) that says : if your child can go to bed, fall asleep easily, wake up easily, and not be tired during the day, then they're getting enough sleep.

My kids have slept between 12 and 15 hours a night from around 4 months old (now 7 and 10 years old). The eldest can sometimes sleep for even longer on weekends. If they seem grumpy, they go to bed earlier but it's not done as a punishment, just 'I think it might be best if you have a big sleep tonight, let's go have a story'.
We've never had a problem with routines by letting them stay up longer and sleep in later on weekends, but if it is a problem getting them back into their routines for school - don't do it.
Try different amounts of sleep and see which works best.