ok...so another weird question

[hisleading]

What time do you go to bed? We have such an OUT OF BALANCE life going on here. We are ALL up around 7:00 and we go to bed SO LATE! I want th ekids to be in bed by 8:00 and 10:00 for me, but it is always around 11:00 for all of us. What are your bedtimes

[tinkgumby]

I try to have my kids in bed by 7:30 or 8:00, though sometimes they sit up reading and it's closer to 9.

For myself and my husband, it varies - anywhere from 10 to midnight!

[Karen sn]

Like you I shoot for 10 for me and earlier for dd.
When she was a baby and toddler - and for a very long time - she was in bed at 8.

Lately - we're ALL up late.

When I work - I get out around midnight to 2am. Drive home, wind down, fall asleep 4ish....in the morning.

I think the whole world is on speed - it seems no matter how hard ya try - so many of us are up past bedtime.

[Ellie]

and when my dc were as young as yours, they were *in bed* no later than 8 p.m. (except nights when we were at church). That means we started getting ready at 7--baths (including washing and blow-drying hair...yes, almost every night) and jammies and whatnot. I didn't read to dc at night because when it was time for bed, I wanted dc *in bed*:D If I had read to them, though, they would have been in bed no later than 7:45, and I'd have turned out lights at 8.

Of course, mine were pretty compliant; YMMV.

[Mom2legomaniacs]

The boys are 10 and almost 7. Younger goes in around 8:30 (although lately, a bit later). Older goes in around 9:30. Me, usually lights out by 11. Dh, who knows? He is a late night guy. He often passes out in front of the tv downstairs.

Morning: Dh usually up first (by 8). Younger, anywhere from 730 to 830. Older, usually around 830. Me, around 830.

[mcconnellboys]

Well, during school times, we try to go to bed sometime between 8:30 and 10:00 because most of us have to get up by 7:00 (if not before). Sometimes that bedtime ends up being later, but not too often. Right now, we're transitioning into summer and most of us are tending to stay up really, really late, LOL..... But we can also usually sleep later and we'll get back on schedule soon enough.

[Pamela H in Texas]

My kids go between 8 and 10, whenever they wish (I don't micromanage teens....or try not to).
Me? well, when I'm doing well, between 9:30 and 10:30 is perfect. But my meds (well and my issues) have me nuts right now and even with a sleeping pill, I'm not getting to sleep or staying asleep well.

As for y'all? It is my experience that young children, if they don't get to bed between 7:30 and 8:30 (depending), will not go to bed til late. They get a 2nd wind between 8 and 9 and all seems to be lost after that. It is my belief that children need more sleep and I personally would have them all tucked in, lights out, by 8 at latest. Now, my daughter was a non-sleeper, but I believe it did her well to have this rule anyway. She used that time to develop a wonderful fantasy land (character development, story development, etc). When she was a little older, we did allow her to read a little later...in bed.

JMO,

[Ohio12]

Girls are almost always in bed by 8. We stay up until almost midnight. I know I would do better if I went to bed by 10 or even 11. We get up around 7:30.

[hisleading]

ok....so now i KNOW we are getting into bed WAY TOO LATE!! i do not want to jeapordize the girls' health, ya know. I was thinking of this and your responses and I think we need to invest in some "DARK OUT" blinds. IT is very very bright in the girls' rooms even at 8:30-9:00 at night

[Trivium Academy]

The one constant has been the kids' bedtime between 8:00-8:30 pm, my bedtime has been all over the place but the last 3 weeks it's been 10:00-10:30pm with a 6:00 am wakeup call. It's been wonderful. It also helps that I have a 8 month dog that wakes me up anytime between 5-6 am and ds4 that really doesn't understand the joy of sleeping in. Ds4 is up anywhere between 6-7 am. Now I'm going to bed by 10:30pm no matter what is going on, even if I'm not tired and it's working for me- I physically feel better.

I look forward to the kids' bedtime, I'm with them all day long and once they're in bed, I'm on my time.

[mrscopterdoc]

We used to have nice, 'normal' bedtimes. DD was in bed by 8, no later than 9 ever. Now that she is a teenager....she's up till 10 sometimes 11. That is when we go to bed also. I would love to get back to a nice routine, but I like staying up late and sleeping in. :D

[Elisabeth in IL]

I try to get the kids in bed by 9:00 but definately by 10:00. I'm in bed anywhere from 10:00 to 11:00 but usually closer to 11:00. We wake up anywhere from 6:30 to 7:30. Again it is usually at about 7:15 am.

[Alenee]

Since my oldest was a baby, 8pm for kiddos. 9yo now has an hour of quiet time in her room reading or doing crafts. 6yo has 30 min. of quiet time, lights out at 8:30pm. almost 4yo is in bed by 8pm. I think it helps that we've had this schedule for 9years. Had we not, I can imagine it would be harder to keep to a regular time.

Dh and I vary. He goes to bed anywhere between 9pm and 11pm. I vary between 10pm and 11:30pm. I'm up by 8am and he's off to work by 5:30am. When we're on our regular school schedule, I'm up by 7:30am but I just cannot get up any earlier unless we have to be somewhere.

The only advice I can give is to set a time and keep to it. If that means you have to start getting them ready an hour before, then do so. This is working right now for a friend of mine.

[elegantlion]

My dh falls asleep early. He works physically hard and is just worn out. I usually go to bed around 10pm, lately it's been later.

We sleep like cats, usually we are all up at some point in the middle of the night. The cat thinks that is fun.

[RebeccaC]

My dh works a sort of second shift 10 am- 6 pm but gets 4 hours overtime and has a 45 minute commute, he gets home at 11 pm. Our boys are in bed by 12:30 to 1 am and I am in bed by 1 on a good night. I get up at 8 am to make dh breakfasts and lunch. He leaves for work at 9 am. Our boys get up between 10 and noon. School day starts at around 1 to 1:30 pm. Dh's days off are Monday Tuesday so we hs Wed- Sat. We have black out shades and curtains on all of our bedroom windows.


Dh's shift changes through out the year due airline schedules. I keep the boys on the above schedule. However dh often has a shift that will mean he gets home at 3 am after overtime. If we held a traditional schedule our sons would see very little of their dad but the beauty of hsing is that we can have a nontraditional schedule that will allow us family time.

[Cathy in IL]

I have the children in bed by 7:30. The evenings are my time to myself. It's been amazing to me that having my three trained to be in bed early makes it fairly easy to get the new children down that early too. I am in bed betwwen 10 and 11 - 9 or 10 lately with 6 small ones!

[Brigitte]

ok....so now i KNOW we are getting into bed WAY TOO LATE!! i do not want to jeapordize the girls' health, ya know. I was thinking of this and your responses and I think we need to invest in some "DARK OUT" blinds. IT is very very bright in the girls' rooms even at 8:30-9:00 at night

When we lived in New England we bought room darkening roller shades from Lowes. They were a BIG help and were the most inexpensive window covering option we found.

I wish I had put them in here, but when you don't own the place...well, you hate to put money into it. I will put them in our new house when we get there.

[Sue G in PA]

Around here it's 8:30 for the dc on a school night and church night (so basically M-Th and Sat.). 9:00 on a non-school night (Friday). That's a good time for them. Any later than 9 or so and they are rotten the next day. My dh gets up for work at 5:00 or 5:30 so he is wiped out by 9:30 or 10pm. Poor dear tries to stay up to be with me, but he konks out at 10. Me? I'm the insomniac. I'm up late. After 11 usually. However, I do try to turn in earlier now to match my sleep rhythm to the baby's sleep patterns. I try to go to bed when he goes down for his long stretch in the evening (around 10 or so). But, if I have work to do...I know I can have 3 hours of uninterrupted time from 10-1 to do it. So, it varies. But, basically, I'm a night owl...not a morning person.

[Just a Jen in Mississippi]

My kids are in bed at 9. We get in bed around 10:30, but I watch TV for another hour or so, while dh snoozes! It's one of my favorite times of my day!:lol:

[muffinmom]

Kids--7:30 or 8:00 (the earlier the better IMO!)

Dh and I ought to go to bed by 10:30, but it's usually more like 11:30 or 12:00.

It's like I'm so greedy for more and more time to myself, so I just can't seem to make myself go to bed....And I'm paying the price. Sooo tired...not to mention grumpy.:glare:

[Parrothead]

My sleep schedule is supposed to be 11:30p - 7:30a That doesn't happen often. Although in the last week I've been very close. When the insomnia or the RLS kicks in I tend to be up most of the night.

Dh is usually in bed by 10 when on day shift. Dd is usually in bed by 10 at the latest. I try to have her in by 9.