Why do people put their kids to bed so early?

Question

I know young children need around 12 hours of sleep a night (at least mine do) but why put them to bed so early? I put my kids to bed around 9-9:30 and then they sleep until about 9-9:30, but I have a friend that is always telling me I'm so lucky because her 3 year old son (I have a three year old daughter) wakes up at 5am. But she puts him to bed at 5pm! Durh. I told her why don't you just put him to bed at 9 and she told me that kids aren't supposed to be up that late. That makes no sense to me. It might be harder to get them onto a rtouine for pre-school, obviously. But I home school, so what the hecks the big deal??? So I guess my question is, why is it wrong to let a young child stay up to 9-9:30 at night if there's no school in the morning and no where they have to be?

Answer 1

I thought that most parents put their kids to bed between 8 and 9:30pm.  5pm is sooo early.  I mean, it's still sunny outside at that time!  I ut my 2 year old and 6 month old in the bed at 9:30, and they still wake up at 5am on some days! (Butgo back to sleepfrom 6am-9am on those days)  So if I put them in the bed any earlier, they'd be up at like 3 am!

Answer 2

As long as they are getting enough sleep and it is a routine, I dont see the problem.

Of course it would be hard for her to start putting her kids to sleep at 9, because they will first be exhausted staying up so much later. But it would work eventually, so yeah i dont see why she thinks you are lucky if she's organised that routine.  

But i see it this way, she's lucky to get her kids in bed by 5! I'd rather early sleep, early rise. It's personal preference.

edit: GAH, i read reagans answer, she's a horror!! Most of her answers are horrible. It is not an idiotic question and you are not making everyone else conform to your ways. sheesh.

Answer 3

5pm?  She must be crazy.  I do put my youngest ones (3 1/2 yr old twins) to bed at 8:30.  They were on a very strict schedule of 8pm, before the age of 3 yrs., or I would have went totally insane.  They do sleep about 11 hours at night and are now at an age where they sometimes nap and sometimes don't.  I also still have one twin that gets up in the night.  My other two kids are 17 and 19, so they are up late.  I just say, selfishly, that little kids do need to and should go to bed before the parents to at least try to grasp at sanity.

Answer 4

My thought would have to be that it might have something to do with parents who are married/a couple.  They might enjoy that time together at night.

Answer 5

Thank you.  I'm like you.  My kids go to bed between 10 - 11 p.m. and sleep the full 12 hours so I have no worries.  I work from home so they don't have to be up early in the morning.  Obviously, if that was the case, they would be in bed much earlier.

Answer 6

I was put to bed at 8:00 when I was a kid, the homeschoolers in my church, their parents put them to bed at 7:30, but 5PM is TOO early, she just does not want to be a parent and wants mor e time with her or if she is single, to invite me over for a fling. I see no reason to keep kids up late on the weekends. I put my kids to bed at 9:00 when I was in the military just so I could spend more time with them.

Answer 7

During the school year my kids are in bed by 8pm and up at 7am. During the summer they are in bed by 10pm and up by 9am. They are 6 and 8 years old. It works real well for us. Now I have to work on getting our 4 month old on a steady sleep schedule!!

Answer 8

It's not wrong to keep them up late and let them sleep in if that's what works for your family.  My best friend's daughter goes to sleep at 10pm and sleeps in.  I envy her when my son and daughter get up at 6:00, but for my family, we enjoy having the kids in bed by 8:00.  We have dinner and time together as a family, but it still leaves time for my hubbie and I to enjoy couple time.  One way isn't better than the other, you do what fits your family... you're spending quality time with your kids whether it's late at night or early in the morning.  However, if your child had to wake up early and isn't getting enough sleep, then that would be a different story.

Answer 9

My 5 year old goes to bed at 9 sometimes 8:30.

There is only so much screaming I can handle. Sleep is a very good part of the day sometimes.

Answer 10

I put my son at around 7.30-8 pm, my reason for not keeping him up later is so I can spend some alone time with my partner. I wouldn't se the point of putting him to bed at 5 though.

Answer 11

I dont think there is anything wrong with letting your child stay up that late. I put mine (18 month and 3 yr old) to be at 8:00. I use to put them to bed later but I got them on a schedule now so thats when they get sleepy. I would never put my child to bed at 5:00pm though. Thats way ealier. I don't see a big deal about putting them to bed late either. You're spending time with your children....what's wrong with that?

Answer 12

Because they want more time to make more kids. : )

One of my children is home schooled as well. He is 13 and has always been a night owl like mom and dad. I let him stay up till 11 p.m. Of course he sleeps till 10 or 11 am the next morning, which is great I've got time to myself for chores, business calls and the like. One the days my husband doesn't start his job till late afternoon, its great for us as well.  When our son wakes up, we have brunch and he launches into his studies. I wish my other two children could do the same, but they have autism and attend a special school that starts at 8:30 am.

So the bottom line is do what works for your family and forget the advice from others. I think this early morning routine stuff doesn't really work with most kids bio rhythms anyway. Humanity got stuck on this schedule because of planting and crop picking. So like how many of us have that kind of job now. :-]

Answer 13

There's nothing wrong with putting your kids to bed at 9.

REAGAN - - DID YOU NOT READ HER POST???  She didn't say everyone should conform to HER routine.  If you have to be out the door by 8 then, by all means, do what you gotta do, but don't call her post idiotic because YOU don't know how to read!!!

Why do people have to be so nasty with their replies on this forum?

Answer 14

My grandson is seven...He goes to bed at 10:00. Lights out nite nite time....When school starts back up he will be going to bed at 9:00, unless he's unusually tired...Putting the kids to bed at five means to me someone is selfish with their time and don't want to put up with kids

Answer 15

Good question! I figure young kids should get 12 hours and older kids about 10. In the summer/weekends, they go to bed at about 10:00 (my 13 year old daughter usually stays up until like 12). The days I need them to wake up early enough to go to school, I will calculate the time they need of sleep.

Answer 16

some people are night people some people are day people.....don't u think children are the same???

You have to remember what works for one child/person doesn't always work for everyone.  Be respectful.

Answer 17

My 15 month old has been going to bed at 8:00 since he came home from the hospital and he wakes up around 7 every morning.  I don't do later because they get tired and cranky and deprived of their proper rest. It is not appropriate to teach your kids to be lazy and lay in bed until 9:30 or 10 in the morning either. That won't work when they someday want a job or go to a school elsewhere.

I also think that 5 is ridiculous as well. It's not just that it is early, but can't the parents do a nap for them in the afternoon and then do actual bedtime a few hours later?   That to me is a little extreme.

Answer 18

I put my kids to bed at 8:30-9 and they sleep until about 7:30. I couldn't imagine having them in bed at 5 they would be up way tooo early.

Answer 19

I think that as long as they are getting a healthy amount of sleep, it doesn't matter when they go to bed. I have a 15 month old and I used to put him to bed at about 9:00 - 9:30. He would then wake up at about 6:00 and he wasn't napping during the day and it was just a big mess. I read a book called Healthy Sleep: Happy Baby and I tried putting him to bed earlier (about 6:30) and he actually slept later in the morning too (until about 7:30)! I think he was over tired and so he just wasn't in a good schedule. He also naps during the day and it's just so much better. So, that's why I put mine to bed earlier. But like I said, if a kid is getting enough sleep, I don't think it matters when they get it.

Answer 20

Theres nothing wrong with putting your child to bed that late. I put mine to bed about 10 to 11 and she sleeps in till 930 the latest. Its easy that way and i get to sleep in a bit lol.

Answer 21

My husband's ex-wife does the same thing with his daughter (7pm, even on weekends and the summer) and gets on us if she stays up on the weekends we have her (though she still wakes up at 7am for breakfast...on her own).  She's nine.  I think that may be too much sleep for her.  Her mother told us she doesn't do well in school the next week if she stays up on Saturday night (until 11 or so).  Routine is important, maybe more so than the total hours they sleep.  So...put them to bed whenever...they'll wake up when they're not tired.  If they wake up too early...put them to bed later.

Answer 22

I wish my 2 year old went to bed earlier (he goes around 9:30 - 10:00) but 5:00 is a bit extreme.  Yea, seem kind of obvious to me if you don't want your kid up at 5am you'd put them to bed a bit later!

As for the time you put your kids to bed, it's entirely up to you and whatever works for your family.  As long as they're getting plenty of rest and they don't have to get up early there's absolutely nothing wrong with it.  Anyone telling you otherwise needs to just butt out!

Answer 23

I agree, and 5pm??  Though my daughters go to bed at 8pm, but during the school year they need to be at school at 9am, and they get up at 8am.  And in the summer I just keep the same routine, as it works for us, and I don't think 8pm  is too early.

Answer 24

It's personal preference, and you have to remember that all children are different.  My older 2 kids, however tired they are, take from half an hour to up to 2 hours for my eldest to fall asleep.  If mine go to bed any later than 7.30pm I can guarantee I'm in for a hellish night.  I would love to put them to bed a bit later, but they've lost the plot by then!

Maybe this lady knows how her daughter reacts if she's put to bed later?  5pm does sound early to me but to each their own.

Answer 25

idk. some parents think differently.