I am not really sure..... I usually put my children to bed at 8 pm, but it seems like the last year and a half my daughter who is about to turn 10 yrs, won't go to bed, she will stay up until 11 p.m. coming in and out of her room ( bathroom breaks, more water, I have a question, oh i forgot to tell you something etc....) it seems like any and all excuses she can come up with just to go to sleep. So I was thinking about uping her bedtime to 9pm and seeing how that goes.....

fancyk_970 Nov. 20, 2008 at 8:52 PM

I think it has a lot to do with school schedules. For my family, my daugther is 13 and stays up till about 11 but we get up later than some families in the morning because we homeschool in the afternoons. Soon we will need to change our schedule though and do morning work requiring she gets to bed at 10 ish.

I think it also has to do with the child- I would think a 10 yr old needs a little more than a 13 yr old.

katjg Nov. 21, 2008 at 12:08 AM

This is becoming a big concern for me. My daughter is almost 10 years old. I start the "going to bed" process at 8pm so she isn't rushing to take a bath, brush her teeth, clean up her room, and we still have time for reading, cuddling, talking, and prayers.  However, when it's "light out" time at 9pm, she still doesn't go to bed until 10-11pm.  The problem is that, not matter what, she still needs to get up by 7:30am, which she doesn't.  This week she has been fighting with me about being tired in the morning.  I can't imagine sending her to bed earlier!  But, I'm worried that if I send her to bed later, that it won't improve her getting up in the morning.   I even watch what she eats within an hour of going to bed.  I'm lost and confused.

Andicat Nov. 21, 2008 at 1:17 PM

We start the night routine at 8pm but we don't hit bed till 9pm.  He takes meds for ADHD which keep him awake, so he also takes Benedryl (for allergies as well as drowziness, prescribed  by dr)  and we do warm milk, cinnamon toast with butter, warm shower, then bed. And we are in a cold state, so he has a heating blanket which helps him fall asleep faster. Plus a CD of a talking story (Harry Potter, or Eragon) .  NO TV IN BEDROOM is a must.

Nakashama Nov. 21, 2008 at 7:14 PM

MY dd goes to bed at 9 and reads for 15 min.  This is new since we moved to Iowa this year and school starts so much later. In Texas where we had to be up at 6am she had to go to bed at 8. I think Its really all up to what time you have to get moving in the morning.

Katyarmywife Nov. 22, 2008 at 7:33 AM

I have to adjust bed time.  My 11 year old needs more sleep than my 10 year old.  I adjust the time depending if I have trouble getting him up in the morning.  It seems if he is sleeping by 9:00 then a 6:30 wake up is ok.  I think 10 hours of sleep would be ideal for him but not realistic with school and sports.  Also, I see how much he sleeps on the weekends and that helps determine how much he really needs.

Globalmoe Nov. 24, 2008 at 10:35 AM

My daughter turned eleven in October and she goes to bed at 8:30p but I let her read for thirty minutes, then 9p lights out.

npacheco9 Nov. 24, 2008 at 6:26 PM

WOW Im shocked to see after 9pm is OK. If your child stays up that late when do you and hubby have YOUR time?  My sons went to bed at 10 as seniors in HS.They played sports and were just worn out and so was I.

lucky2Beeme Nov. 27, 2008 at 11:34 AM