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Why I put my kids to bed at 7:00 … it is a hot topic, that’s for sure! When our children were younger, we had all of our kids in bed around 7:00 every night. They were asleep around 7:30 every night.
UPDATE: This post was written several years ago in 2014, when our kids were much younger, but I believe that it is important. We still maintain a regular bedtime, but they no longer go to bed as early as they once did.
I owe so many well-rested nights and happy children during the day to the fact that we have a regular and early bedtime for our children. In fact, many Dutch parents put their kids to bed between 6:00 & 7:00 for very similar reasons that we have an early bedtime.
Before I begin- remember that although this works for us, it is not for everyone. As with all of my advice, do what works best for your family. ♥
Our kids (ages 2-9) are in bed by 7:00
Yes, our young children are in bed at 7:00. It is 2014, and my children range from 2 years old to 9 years old. Our 9 year old now goes to bed at 8:00, because he is older and needs less sleep. Until they are 9 years old, 7:00 remains their bedtime.
Last week, a fellow blogger shared my post about what to do when your 2 year old is still waking at night. In the post I talked about our early bedtime and gave some life-changing advice for our toddler that was waking up. That post led someone to leave the comment “Who puts their kid to bed at 7:00 pm?”
WE DO.
Yes, We have received mixed feedback about this, but it works for us. I know that 7:00 is early. I know that it cuts into their day, but I can tell you that I would rather have happy kids for 12 hours a day than tired or grumpy kids for 13 hours a day. (Our older kids wake up at 7:00 no matter what time they go to sleep. Really!)
Playing hard in the day makes kids tired by bedtime!
Our four YOUNG kids play hard during the day. They run around a lot and they spend a lot of time outside with us.
They are busy in the day, so they are tired when 7:00 rolls around.
They DO NOT nap anymore and they are just plain worn out by the evening, even if they don’t want to admit it (and they never do! haha!)
We have tried to push this back when we are on vacation, but they just aren’t as relaxed and easy-going the next day. They are a little more on edge, just like we are (as adults) when we don’t get the rest that we need. I put them to bed early because I want them to be smiling & ready to take on the day. 🙂
Plus- the are usually asleep in 5-15 minutes, so I know they are tired.
Do they ever stay up late?
YES! Once a month they each stay up late for Their Special Night. Plus, every night, our oldest son gets to have Read-Alone time in his room before bed, too. Or they can read their spelling words while they fall asleep with this little hack.
If that have football or wrestling, they are up even later, but we AIM for an early bedtime! Our younger children have a really hard time waking up for school at 7:00 am when he doesn’t get his full 12 hours of sleep, so I do try to get him to bed as early as possible.
I want him to be able to focus at school, be energetic in play and at his sports and be happy at home! This little chart can help you to know how much sleep they truly need…
Kidshealth.org says:
“Most kids between 5 and 12 get about 9.5 hours a night, but experts agree that most need more. When your body doesn’t have enough hours to rest, you may feel tired or cranky, or you may be unable to think clearly. You might have a hard time following directions, or you might have an argument with a friend over something really silly. A school assignment that’s normally easy may feel impossible, or you may feel clumsy playing your favorite sport or instrument.
Sleep Impacts Growth & Health
One more reason to get enough sleep: If you don’t, you may not grow as well. That’s right, researchers believe too little sleep can affect growth and your immune system — which keeps you from getting sick.” All in all- sleep is important! Your kids need it, even if they don’t WANT it.”
Do you have time with them in the evening?
I am not saying that this is right for everyone, so please hear me out. My husband and I both work from home, so this works for us. Two of our kids stay home with us during the day, and our older children go to school until 3:30. We have plenty of family time daily from 3:30 until bedtime.
Before my husband worked from home, I used to have the kids showered and in their pajamas before he got home, to give us more time together. Remember that it is quality over quantity.
Does it happen every night?
7:00 bedtime does not happen every single night, but it’s our goal every night. Most nights, one of our kids will be at practice until 8:00, so of course bedtime is later on that night.
Sometimes, it’s even earlier than 7:00. A few years ago, when my youngest kids were 3 & 5, they would fall asleep in the car at 6:00 on our way to drop the older kids off at practice… and I just take them up to bed and they slept ALL NIGHT LONG. They never woke up during the transition to bed. I know it’s crazy, but when I try to wake them, they are NOT happy, so on those nights, I just let it go.
It’s good for your marriage:
My husband and I see each other all day long while we work from home or while we are spending time with the kids, but at night we have time to watch a show, play a board game, etc…
Now, I am not saying that this is why we put them to bed early or that it is why we started, because it’s not, but we do enjoy that time together. Did you know that the #1 fear of preteens and teenagers is divorce among their parents? Quality time together, with your spouse, reduces this risk greatly.Make it a point to tell your children that you are going to spend time with your spouse.
Children Need Sleep
Remember- our bedtime certainly isn’t for everyone, but it works for us. It is healthy for our kids to get that amount of sleep and it helps them overall. Quality sleep + healthy foods make a huge difference for children (and adults).
On the other hand…
I wanted to share a story, for those of you that have a late bedtime. My very dear, long-time friend, Julia, has always had a late bedtime and her children follow her lead. They stay up well past 10:00 and it works for them. They sleep in every morning and they are happy, healthy, smart children. Her children are the same ages as mine. I know that I need to wait until 11:00 or later to talk to her on the phone. 🙂
All of that to say that this is what works for us, but it is up to you to find out what works best for your family.
I hope this helped to shed a little light on families with early bedtimes. Sleep well… no matter the time!♥
I totally agree. Sleep is so important. My preschooler goes to bed about 8 but she is like me… A little bit of a night owl, so she will read (look at books) in bed until falls asleep which is about 9pm…she get up just before 7am on the weekend she gets up at 8am on her own. I wish I could do earlier… But I’m a full time working mom (outside of the home) and feel guilty I can’t spend enough time my little girl ?
This article is so good. Here in New Zealand 7pm is the most common bedtime for kids. Heck my 2 year old is sometimes in bed by 6 if he hasn’t napped that day. I encourage more parents to do it because the kids are happier and it is nice to have adult time at the end of the day.
I completely agree with you! My daughter is in bed at and asleep by 730 most nights. Research shows that kids between the age of 10 months-6 years should be in bed between 630pm-8pm. They should be getting 11-13 hours of sleep. So you are right on target! 🙂 it’s so important for kids to get the sleep they need!
My 4 kids always went to bed at 7 until around 3rd or 4th grade. We slowly transitioned to later times by letting them read in bed, but they had to get a minimum of 10 hours of sleep a night. They needed the sleep and I needed the break!
How many working mother’s (I’m talking full time career here, not part -timers) put their kids to bed at 7? Considering my 8 month old isn’t usually even awake when I leave the house at 7 am, and I usually don’t arrive back at home until around 6 pm, I could never have her in bed that early. Call me selfish but it’s better for my child, and myself, to have longer than an hour a day together. She is always in bed by 9:30 and awake by 8 am. My husband stays at home while I work and she has a very consistent schedule. Works for us!
I totally get the WHY of it, but struggle with the HOW. By the time I get home from work 4:30/4:45, transition from the sitter, nurse the little one, get the kids settled so I can cook dinner, cook & eat…it’s often 7 (or later) when they’re done eating! Then the bedtime routine and the falling asleep seems to take quite a while (even longer if it’s a bath night). When they’re FINALLY asleep, it could be well after 9! At that point, I’m exhausted myself. My husband and I DON’T get that quality time that’s talked about AND the kids still get up early every day (avg. time 7 am). I’d love some practical advice.
It is really hard some nights. Most nights, I give them a bath before I start dinner, because the after-dinner rush is crazy. So I would get them home, etc… and give them a bath while dinner is in the oven (or do crock-pot meals). Then after dinner and teeth brushed, etc… everyone goes to their own room to look at a book in their bed until we come in.
Hope that helped!
My kids are in bed by 6-6.30pm… They are 6 and 4 years old. My big boy gets to read until 7, but then lights out. They work their bodies and brains so much during the day, that by 6pm they’re beyond tired.
Plus!!! It’s my time! If they’re up late, I feel like I haven’t had enough time of my own to regroup! Having a 6month old aswell is exhausting… So good night my sweet babies! Mummy needs to put her feet up and switch her brain off!!!
My daughter is 12 nearly 13. The only reason she is up later is because of the sport she does . Brilliant children at least should be in bed if not asleep xx it helps . Well done xx
Actually, research has shown that quality AND quantity time are important for children to feel grounded. That is one of the biggest reasons we homeschool. Our kids go to bed at 9:30 every night because my husband doesn’t get home from work until 7:30. I still make my younger two (age 4 and 5) have a quiet rest time during the day and they fall asleep every time. We’ve created a routine and we make sure we’re not running all over the place with them during the latter part of the day because that is when they need to rest. That’s what works for our family and our kids are flourishing.
That is perfect. 🙂 My husband and I both work from home, so we can be finished by the time that the kids come home from school (around 3:00).
My daughter is 4, almost 5. She is in bed every night by 7 (or at least that’s what we shoot for). I work in surgery so I am up by 5am and she gets up at 5:30am because I have to be at work by 6:30am. She WANTS to go to bed then, she is a grouch the next day if she doesn’t get about 10 hrs. She goes to school from 8-3 and takes a 45 min nap. I completely agree with you about the early bed time. It makes such a difference. The days she is well rested she is my bright, happy girl but on the days she doesn’t head for the hills, a terror has been unleashed!!
I also agree that it is definitely case by case whether it works for each family. Mine happens to benefit.
Great post! ?
My son ( 7) is exhausted and delirious if I keep him up past 7. He is in bed at 6:30( with time to read) on a good day when we aren’t running behind from all the homework. It means we have no free time, but he us we rested for school. Even in bed that early, I have a super hard time waking him up the next day.
Your not kidding about the getting negative feedback. Friends and relatives constantly give me a hard time for it. It makes it hard to do things with them since their kids all go to bed at 830 – 9 and their kids are in after school stuff. Then there’s the sports. My kid wants to join them, but since after school ends so late sports stuff starts at 6pm here. I do jeep him up for scout night (starts at 6:30)
That’s a great bedtime – 7pm. Most Americans put their kids to bed too late.
I Love this! My daughter is 6, in first grade, and goes to bed at 7. Last year in Kindergarten, she would got to bed at 6 or 6:30, and sleep all night! I hear comments – some joking, some not – about her early bedtime frequently. No matter the time she goes to sleep, she’s awake by 5:30 or 6 almost every morning. It drives me crazy when I’m around children who I know don’t get enough sleep, and the parents don’t understand or believe what a difference a earlier bedtime and /or more sleep can make!
Thank you for your post! I am a kindergarten teacher and used some of your info for a parent night. I have four children and put them to bed between 6:00 and 6:30. We too have received a lot of negative feedback when we tell other people. After I shared that tonight, one of the parents thought I was “ridiculous”. Because of what I shared, sleep was a hot topic during our small group discussions. We will definitely touch on the topic of sleep again at one of our future nights. I will be coming back to your blog to share some more.
Most of a child’s brain development apparently happens before midnight, so more time spent asleep before 00:00 means a better chance of maximal development taking place.
When kids don’t sleep enough today, they are cranky 2-3 days later. Most people don’t recognize that link, and therefore they never fix the cause. We’ve tested that theory and find it to be 100% accurate!
My wife works shifts, 07:00-19:00 so the kids don’t get to see much of her on her work days, but I still try have them in bed by the time she gets home at around 19:20. That means she gets to kiss them good night and have a quick chat, which sucks for all involved, BUT she gets to spend quality time with rested and happy kids during her off days.
But as said already, each family to his own 😉
Ahhhh… makes so much sense!