Back to School: Getting Back on Bedtime Track
In my household, one thing I am very anxious about is bedtime. Friends who are teachers have told me that ample sleep is one huge thing that parents can do to help prepare their kids for learning, every day. To prepare for those crazy mornings struggling to get to school on time, I've been trying to be more strict about the bedtimes, which have just slipped, slipped, slipped later and later over the past 10 weeks. How we've gone from a 7pm bedtime to a 10pm bedtime, I really can't tell you. All I know is that we've GOT to get our bedtime closer to 8pm, so the kids can get a reasonable amount of sleep before their [first] days of school.
Does your summer bedtime approach the double-digits or have you remained vigilant about a consistent bedtime, even with the lure of all those summer concerts and the warm evening sun that won't set? Is your summer bedtime well into the double-digits with wake up times correspondingly late? How ever will we get back on track?
I was just reading somewhere the other day that young children should be getting 9 - 11 hours sleep every night. I know that with with both my boys if they don't get enough sleep it really affects them in every way. This summer I have been letting them stay up until 9:00 or 9:30 at the very latest. But in the last week I have been moving the bedtime up a little in preparation for back to school time. Once school starts bedtime will be at 8:00, my oldest is eight and the youngest will be going to all day Kindergarten and I know he will be really tired out the first few weeks.
Posted by: Heidi | August 26, 2009 at 07:49 PM
At the beginning of summer we pushed back bed time from 8:00 to 9:00. But, I must admit it has slipped back to 9:30 or 10 recently, I guess we are all just trying to wring the last joy out of summer. (btw my kiddos are up at 8:00 or 8:30 most mornings)
Posted by: pdxmomto2 | August 26, 2009 at 07:54 PM
The kids' bedtime has stayed the same...it's me I've got to worry about! :-)
Posted by: Kathleen McDade | August 26, 2009 at 08:13 PM
Our new preschool recommends waking them up earlier and earlier, until they're up when they would need to be on a school day. And practice getting OUT OF THE HOUSE by the time you'll need to leave for school. Plan an errand, whatever. The earlier wakeups, I guess, help with an earlier bedtime. We're definitely edging back toward 8:00pm, and starting to get the morning routine down ... now, how to factor in packing those lunches? *sigh*
Posted by: Amy | August 27, 2009 at 09:18 AM
My kids are, unfortunately, little roosters. No matter what time they go to sleep, they wake up by 6:30 at the latest. And they are extremely grumpy if they don't get enough sleep. During the school year we try to have them in bed for a story by 7:30 and the lights go out at 8. During the summer lights go out at 8:30.
What helps get them into bed is knowing that the longer they delay, the shorter the time for a story.
Posted by: zinemama | August 27, 2009 at 09:22 AM
My daughter has always been a good sleeper and never been a morning person. I kept the summer bedtime the same (8pm for my beginning Kindergartener) but her wake-up time has been an hour later than needed for school days. We've really enjoyed that luxury and hearing that 6:30am alarm on the first day of school - when we've enjoyed getting up either all on our own or with a 7:30am alarm - will be a real bummer.
Posted by: Sharyn | August 27, 2009 at 09:58 AM
Chiming in to say that I'm getting my teenagers to bed earlier this week. In the summer they sometimes stay up past midnight. Now they are in bed by ten.
Posted by: philomom | August 27, 2009 at 04:57 PM
Sleep is a big priority in our household, and as a result, my kids are great sleepers. My toddler knows when she's ready for a nap or bedtime. It's only when she's overtired that she fights going to bed. She elects to go to bed between 6:30 and 7 and sleep 12 hours. She takes a 2-3 hour nap each day. My 8-year-old goes to bed at 8 and sleeps until 7. Important to note that we are very physically active which plays a big role in our solid sleep patterns.
I can't imagine keeping a kid up until 10 except on the rare case (a special party, etc.) With small children, I've passed up certain fun activities because they are simply too late, and the physical/developmental price paid isn't worth it. There's plenty of time in life to experience late night fun, and plenty of fun daytime things to do as a kid.
Reserach has shown a correlation between diagnosis of ADHD and less sleep. Kids are getting less sleep than they used to, and they need sleep time to ensure proer brain development. A bit of a rant, but I feel pretty strongly about this subject.
Posted by: jlz | August 29, 2009 at 08:53 AM
We've stuck to our bedtime pretty well. Our kids have always gone to bed around 7:15, asleep many nights as we walk out the door of their rooms. They run and run and run all day and hit the sack hard. Needless to say, they are up early, but we are glad for the quiet time at night, even in the summer. We've had a couple late nights for special things (went to the fireworks, for example). Getting back on track for school will be hardest for the adults... we end up staying up tooooooo late all summer!
Posted by: LizardMama | August 29, 2009 at 09:02 PM
I'm in Highschool, and I have to get up at 6
to make my bus of 6:47 and 40 minutes is barely enough for me ;D
honestly I like going to bed at 8
It makes it alot easier to get up!
Posted by: Tessa Wallis | September 02, 2009 at 06:50 PM