Bed Times???

[hummingbird_0331]

I have a 10 yrold & a 15 yr old...
What are reasonable bed times during school days?

[ajrsmom]

My son is 10 yrs old. Last yr. he was in 4th grade and went to bed at 8:30. This school yr. we might try him out at staying up until 9:00. He is the type of child that needs to get a lot of sleep to be able to get up and function in the morning. He needs a good 8 hrs. of sleep each night or he is a bear.

I think that it would depend on your child and whether or not he can handle staying up a little later or not. Kids that age still need their sleep, though, and I wouldn't allow any later than 9:00.

I remember when I was 15 that I was allowed to stay up until I wanted to go to bed. Now, being that I was responsible, I would always go to bed by 11:00, if not earlier. Again, I think that it would depend on how your child can handle staying up and getting up the next morning. I'm sure we have members with older children who can give some better advice.

My 5 yr. old is starting kindergarten this year so this will be the first time that she will have to go to bed by herself with her brother staying up later. I am not looking forward to that battle!

[DeBora4BobbyL]

I agree with Tami. Kids at the age of 9 should be in bed by 9pm. However, 15 year olds can stay up later as they require less sleep and use less energy during the day. When my kids became teens, like around 16, I let them choose their bedtime, if they kept their grades up. If they were able to get up and go to school and did well in school, they could choose the bedtime. However, if I had to battle them in the morning, the bedtime would change. Bedtime wasn't a problem for my kids. My DGS is a totally different story! Boy can he fight those naps and bedtimes! LOL

[happymomof4]

My kids when they were younger went to bed at 9pm all year long. I worked full time outside the home. So summer time didn't change for me. My kids still had to get up early and go to daycare. At the age of 13 the kids were aloud to stay up till 10pm. Now my youngest will be 16 in a few months. They stay up till 11 during the summer. They still go to bed at 10 during the school year. I don't let my kids stay up while I am in bed sleeping. Even if my teenagers think it is a stupid rule. Alot of times my kids go to bed before I do at 11 on there own.

[debknechtel]

I guess I am the odd mom out here.....I have a 10, 12 and 14 year old and they go to bed between 8 and 8:30. They have never complained...they are well rested and on the weekends they are allowed to stay up later. My oldest does have a few nights a week where his activites cause him to be home later so bed is no later than 10pm. My kids are well rested. fall asleep right away and the teachers always comment on how alert and bright they are during the day. I know my oldest will be off to high school so it may change for him but he also knows how important sleep is

Hugs dEbbie

[DeBora4BobbyL]

DebK, I don't think you are odd. I think a lot depends on not only the age, but the time the child awakens. My DS still awakens at 5am and he goes to be about 9pm. He's got me beat about 1 hour, except on school times when I might go to bed at about 11pm.

[debknechtel]

My oldest is always awake at 6 am...he never sleeps in....my other 2 will sleep in so on the weekend they make up for a late night.......my youngest if she does not get enough sleep she is impossible to live with.....the whinning never stops...with good rest she is so much better....and she knows it!!! LOL My middle son will actually go to bed on his own at 8 pm if we have had a busy week....he too knows he does not function well with lack of sleep......he tires easily because school work tires him out with all is learning disabilities...more so than the average person..

Hugs dEbbie

[Mish]

Debbie,No I don't think you are odd at all.My oldest is an early riser as well.Alwasy has been too.
For me I try to have the kids in bed at 8:30.That is for my oldest.She does have a few nights when it is between 9:00 and 10:00 at night.
Now that summer is here they are all in bed by 9:00 pm.But when school starts up and when my middle dd starts swimming again she will be getting to bed abit later on becasue of a later swim practice time too.We will have to see on that.Hercoach is pretty good if the kids need to go to a different time.
Mish

[Sammi1961]

My ds2 is 13 and goes to bed at 9:15. this gives him time to finish watching any show he might have been watching on tv and still take a shower and get to bed. He is a kid who does much better when he is well rested. i also tell him if he can't get up in the morning for school, an early bed time will happen but so far he does very well.

My other dks dd is 21 and ds1 is 18) are older now so have no bed time. they stopped having a bedtime at about 15. i told them they could decide when they wanted to go to bed but if I had to start dragging them out of bed in the morning to get ready for school, they would have a bed time again. they were both very responsible and went to bed when they knew they needed the sleep.

[megrayau]

I have been researching this subject just today! Dd has become very tired lately, partly due to low iron, but that didn't feel like all there was.
Recent studies seem to be showing that adolescents (13 - 17) actually need more sleep than 5th and 6th graders! There is also something thathappens in their bodies that changes their circadian rhythms to make them need to go to sleep later and wake up later. Unfortunately, the world isn't geared around that!
It is fascinating to read and googling teens sleep will bring up a stack of info.
There is even a school in Wa. that runs from 2:30pm - 9pm. to accommodate this problem.