Bedtime?
Posted by SnowQueen690 on Mar 28, 2010 · Member since Jun 2005 · 1569 posts
What time in your kids bedtime and how strictly do you adhere to it?
My son gets up at 4AM it seems no matter if he goes to bed at 8:30 or 6:30. I am not sure if I should set a set bedtime and say, this is what time you should be in bedd everynight or should I just let him go to bed when he is tired? Problem is I like to have some time to myself so I like him to go to bed a little early. What do you do?
my daughter is 2 and I yet to have much time to myself :) I work during the day, so I don't want her to go to sleep at 630 because I would barely see her, but she also doesn't have to be up early, she usually sleeps until 730-8am. I think what works for you works for you....as they get older, however, night time consistency is probably much more important....
Mine are 5, 4 and 18 mo and they all go down about 7pm. I can stretch it a bit if absolutely necessary, but the older 2 don't nap, so by that time they are ready for bed. My daughter still takes about a 90 min nap, but she's ready then too. It depends on the kid. Mine get up anytime after 6am. Usually the boys are up then, and my daughter wakes up between 7 and 8am.
I think it depends on how you feel about your routine with your child. I personally like that they go down early, it gives me time to myself and I can get stuff done at night. I have friends whose kids don't go to bed until 10 pm and I would be going crazy by then. Mine need to be up by 7am to get ready for school and therapy, and my husb and I are too, so it works for us and they wouldn't get the sleep they needed if they stayed up that late.
Amelia goes to bed at 7. I love it. It gives me some time in the evening. If I worked (outside of the home that is - being a SAHM is definitely work) I might feel differently and want more time with her. She gets up between 7-8 am. Her bedtime routine lasts about an hour and it works like a charm. Even if she isn't tired at 6, we start the routine, and she's tired and asleep by 7.
If you want the time to yourself (and it sounds like you do), I say get a routine started. It may take a week or two for him to get the hang of it, but it is worth it. I think the predictability alone makes kids sleepy.
Sorry Hopfrog, I wasn't implying SAHM's don't work, I meant since I am away from her, at work :)
The actual time varies, we usually get ready @ 8, but shes probably not asleep until 830...
On another note, night nursing used to just about kill me....when my daughter was 18 months old I weaned her off of night nursing but I wish...wish....wish I had done it earlier...(I was always paranoid about my milk supply because I had to pump so much at work and school.) Anyways, my daughter used to try and night nurse all night! And I was a walking zombie... to wean her I started just associating nursing with the couch. Whenever she nursed it had to be on the couch. I would nurse her one last time before bed and then I slept on the couch for about a week while she slept with daddy. I also always had a non-spill sippy cup or bottle of water by the bed for when she did wake up thirsty. It took a couple of weeks for her to stop waking up, but it helped us both sleep better! It did cut down my milk supply some, but I continued to nurse her until 26/27 months and I had enough milk for 2/3 day nursing sessions until then.
Sorry Hopfrog, I wasn't implying SAHM's don't work, I meant since I am away from her, at work :)
Oh, I know. I wasn't even talking about what you said. I was checking myself!