We were discussing this on one of my mommy boards the other day, and actually posted a poll about this. There was one lone person who said (claimed? 
) on the poll that she put her little one to bed at the exact same time every night. About half of the respondents put them down within an hour of their “bedtime”, and the other half put them down when they were sleepy.
If Lil’ Duck was always tired at the same time every night, I’d definitely put him down at the same time. I think it would also be easier if we didn’t have wacky work hours where Daddy is coming home late at night, encouraging the little guy to play with Daddy since he hasn’t seen him all day.
What do you think? What do you do in your house about bedtime??
We normally put them to bed between 7 and 7:30. The main exceptions are when we are visiting relatives. They wake up right around 6am which works well with our work schedules. I think one of the keys to making sure they fall asleep easily is to make sure they wake up pretty much at the same time every day.
I’ve been trying to email you photos for a few days now, and every time I try the email bounces back to me with a crazy error message….do you have another way I can send them to you?
Lisa, I for one put my girls to bed around the same time every night 7pm. Sometimes they aren’t sleepy so bed time is a little later. When I was working full time the bed time routine was not very strict because we wanted to spend time together. Now that I am home we are a little more strict with the time we put them to bed because getting a routine together is a bit easier, plus DH and I can have some time to ourselves.
bedtime has gotten later and later for aidan, he usually goes to bed around 10 pm. he doesn’t have to wake up early,though, so i think it’s ok. wanna know something terrible? during baseball season, the astros games usually start around 7 and end about 10. the game ending and aidan’s bedtime being the same time is not a coincidence….
he sleeps well though, wakes up around 8 am, and naps once per day for an hour or two. this way i get to hang out with him for a while after i get home from work and cook dinner. if he went to bed any earlier, i’d never see him!!
We’re the same way- it’s different every night depending on when Daddy makes it home. Also, my oldest is in afternoon kindergarten so we can sleep in a little if we want!!
Since I’ve had Julia, I’ve pretty much disregarded the clock. We have a regular routine that we go through everyday. We wake up and begin our routine, whether we wake up at 7AM or 9AM. The only activities really bound by the clock are the ones outside our home – library time, Kindermusik, dance class, etc. My husband works a night shift so we tend to eat dinner later at night so we can eat with Daddy, which means Julia goes to bed later than most kids I know that are her age. I’ve found that we naturally tend to go to bed around the same time, with a one to two hour variance. Every family is different, and they should make decisions based on what works for them. For some, a specified bedtime is what they need. The important thing to me is that Julia leads a healthy lifestyle – which means getting enough sleep, eating the right food and being active – and she has that. Routine is important for toddlers, but tying it to the clock isn’t necessary for us. It’s one of the luxuries of being a stay-at-home, work-at-home mom.
I put my boys both down at about the same time every night. Even on the weekends. During the summer, bedtime is about an hour later than during the school year. I think consistency and routine are the keys!
My girls go to bed between 7 and 7:30 every night (barring weekends). I dont make them, but I guess that being in headstart all day wears them out pretty good
Interesting poll. Getting anough sleep is healthy physically. Bedtime battles are unhealthy mentally. What to do? Over the years we have become more consistant with an 8:00 bedtime, at which time he falls right asleep – but I do allow for the occasional later night if he doesn’t have preschool or we can skip it.
Munchkin’s bedtime varies, depending on:
1. what’s going on
2. how her day went
3. how tired she is
We are a very busy little family (marketing director of an arts center AND a single parent) and sometimes it’s hard to keep a strict 7:30 bedtime.
I agree with previous comments that say that each child and family is different and so you have to find the groove that fits.
I don’t wait for Munchkin to tell me she’s tired before putting her to bed, though. If she skips her nap at preschool, then she goes to bed earlier. If she doesn’t think she’s tired, at least she’s in bed, in the dark and it’s quiet while she is getting ready to sleep. Weekend nights are a little different because she likes to come to gallery openings and shows “at Mommy’s work” so we make deals – you take a nap at school and you can stay up and come to the show, etc.
For the most part, it works. I think we are all learning as we go. Good question! This is a great blog!