Best Time for Bed

I believe it should be 12-13 hrs of sleep a day. I have always used 8pm as bedtime for my daughter now 4 who also gets up at 6am.

Good luck

This is what I go by; I got this off of a parenting magazine. Hope it helps!

Age Nighttime Sleep Daytime Sleep * Total Sleep
1 month 8 1/2 7 (3) 15 1/2
3 months 10 5 (3) 15
6 months 11 3 1/4 (2) 14 1/4
9 months 11 3 (2) 14
12 months 11 1/4 2 1/2 (2) 13 3/4
18 months 11 1/4 2 1/4 (1) 13 1/2
2 years 11 2 (1) 13
3 years 10 1/2 1 1/2 (1) 12
* number of naps in parentheses

M.,

There is a book that is called "sleeping through the night" that talks about children getting enough sleep and what the estimated times are for each age and why. I like this book because it talks about children's sleeping patterns and some ways to insure they get the rest they need. It's one of those books you can skim through to get the answers about particular subjects of interest without reading the whole thing.

G.

Studies show that children need 10-12 hours of sleep a night through high school. You definately need to get more sleep!

Hi M.,

Just like adults, all toddlers are different in the amount of sleep they need. But as a rule of thumb, 8 hours is not enough sleep. Usually brain development happens while sleeping. I would recommend putting your toddler down around 7 PM. Here is a nice article on sleep quantity: http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/general/sleep/sleep.html

A.

Please Read this book called Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child, by Dr. Marc Weissbluth. I read it when my son was 8 months old and it helped us get him to sleep thru the night, with out being held all night long. I think it will help you figure out what you need to know. I believe that until they kids are 2 they should be going to bed between 6 and 8 pm with a one to three hour nap, depending on the childs need for sleep. and waking up between 6 and 730???? I know the bedtime changes for the ages over two (7 and 9pm with a nap still, earlier if you have a no napper by this age) and not sure if the wake time is supposed to change. But it talks so much about sleep benefits and the things that you can do to correct any sleep time problems that may occur, even in older children. Heck it helped me to figure out why I have sleep problems, because of the way I slept as a kid. I think I payed 10 bucks for the book at amazon.com.

At that age they need 10-14 hours a day. And, as was said before, putting them to bed later may cause them to get up earlier. Just set a routine and expectation and stick to it. It may take a while for you 2.5 year old to get on schedule but try putting them down at 8 every night for a few weeks and see if the schedule doesn't help them sleep later. My 15 month will sleep from 8pm-8am.
You want to get children on a good schedule now for when they hit school age. Going to bed late (9pm, 10pm) when they are in school is way too late. I hear a lot of Mom's say "my child isn't a morning person" but the fact is that they let their children stay up until 9 or 10 and then get them up at 6 for school. This definately affects their performance in school.
Good luck
-B

At that age, most need 12 hours a day. My 2 yr old will take a "catnap" 15-30 min nap during the day, and still sllep about 12 hrs at night.

Any child of that age should be getting at least 10-12 hours of sleep each night. My son is 13 and his doctor says that he still needs to get 10 hours of sleep to be able to function.

No wonder your tired! I have a 5 and 7 yr old that have always needed 10-12 hours of sleep per night depending on growth spurts. They easily splept 12 hrs straight when they stopped napping at about age three. Less than 10hrs (regardless of naps or no naps) always resulted in grumpy kids, still does:)

We put ours to bed at 8pm at that age and they slept for 12 hours. Our middle schoolers still need 10 hours of sleep every night.

Most toddlers need about 12 hrs/night, try putting your 2 1/2 year old to bed around 7-730. It may be hard at first, but stick with it, for your own sake as well as your toddlers. Also, don't forget naps - they will help too.
Life isn't fun at our house if our 3 year old goes to bed any later than 8....good luck!

My two are just now getting to where they go to bed between nine and nine thirty for my older one and he sleeps for about ten hours if I am lucky and my 18 month old goes to bed at about ten and sleeps for about 9 and half hours. They have never been typical though. It has been even unbearable at times because the little one wanted to stay up until one or two am and then sleep until almost eleven so getting him off that schedule was hard. Now they are pretty well set as long as either of them dont sleep any later then like 330 in the afternoon.. I would talk to your doc and see what they say becasue each child maybe a little different.

Eight hours of sleep is not nearly enough at this age. He should be getting 12-15 hours of sleep each day. Every child in our PEPS group (all of our kids are between 2 1/2- almost 3) have bedtimes that are pretty similar. Almost all are at 8pm and some as early as 7pm. That seems to be a pretty natural time from about 18-months on.

I HIGHLY recommend you pick up a copy of "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" and check out the age appropriate information. That book was a godsend for us right from the start. At this point in time, you don't need to read all of the scientific info (unless you wish to, of course), so you can skip right to the section broken up by age. It has wonderful information and supports different parenting styles. :-)

Hi M.,
Kids that age should get a good 10 hours of sleep, so if your little one gets up at 6 no matter what then 7pm or 8pm at the latest is when I would put mine in bed. You should also give your child time to fall asleep too, so maybe even laying him or her down for bed about 20 minutes earlier. I hope what info gave helps you out.

Hi M.
my name is K. and I have a 11 yr old and a 8 yr old. when my kid's were young (and even today) they went to bed early. They had a 7:30 bed time up until they were 8. Now they get to bed by 8:30-9:00. I truly think that kids need 10plus hours a sleep a night. Their little bodies are growing and they play so hard. My husband and I also found that this early bed time was good for our marriage as well. The kids go to bed early, we can have a few hrs of couple time and we still get to bed early, so the whole family is rested!! Good luck..

Bedtime is a very hard routine to pin down. But, I don't think 8 hours in total for the day is enough sleep. However, if she's had a nap or two during the day, that might impact how long she sleeps at night. I've read that 12-14 hours of sleep per day is the goal. However, my daughter is almost 2 years old and rarely if ever naps (which is another issue). She goes to sleep between 8-8:30 p.m. and wakes at 7:30 a.m. That's only 11 hours, just shy of the recommendation. My husband and I have struggled to get her to nap or to sleep longer at night. But nothing seems to consistently work. Her wake time is the same almost everyday, regardless of the occasional nap or how late she's stayed up. So, I aim for 12 hours of sleep during the day, in total. I count those 15 minutes of sleep during car rides and even 5 minutes of quiet time lying on the mat on the floor. This seems to be enough for her. One little side note: We begin the "bedtime process" at 7:30 p.m. with a bath, a few stories, and a snuggle. When we skip this, our daughter wakes up still sleepy and grumpy. So, the "process" seems create a more restful sleep for the whole family. I hope that my posting is helpful to you.

8 hours is NOT enough! Our daughter wakes up at 6AM also, always has, probably always will until she is a teenager. So we put her to bed by 7:30 at the latest. And she goes right to sleep. And then, you have some time alone with your husband. If you have been putting her to bed later, 7:30 may sound insanely early, but it isn't, and everyone will be much happier.

6am wake-ups aren't bad if you're a working Mom who has to get them up and to the daycare provider on your way to work. What time they go to bed depends on the time of their last nap, and the duration of that nap. If they get up at 6, get dressed, eat breakfast, play, maybe take a morning nap around 10 to 11 or so, get up eat lunch, play, get another nap around 3 to 4, then by the time you and/or Dad get home from work, dinner at 6, bath, a book, bed by 8 that should be plenty of sleep during the course of the day for the toddler. Now, you on the other hand, if you're working outside the home don't have the advantage of a catnap during the day, so you will be tired. Make sure you're getting all your vitamins and that you don't stay up much later than 10 pm. This will give you some time to get ready for the next day, do the laundry, etc. Have your husband help out as well. Most housework will have to wait until Saturday morning. Make it a family affair. As I type this I see you are a stay at home mom, so you have a little more flexiblity than a working outside the home mom. The dark circles could be allergies, it's that time of year. Allergies will make a child really tired and restful sleep is hard to get because of them. Talk with your pediatrician about an antihistamine. Use an air filter/ionizer in their bedroom. Baths at night will remove allergens. Enjoy these years, they go by much too fast.

8 hours of sleep is NOT enough. Kids that age generally require about 12 hours of sleep plus a possible nap. Sleep is necessary for proper brain developement. My kids and all the kids I know are always in bed by 7:30 or 8:00 and get up between 7:00 and 8:00, and then have a 2-3 hour nap at noon. I have been running my own daycare for years and all the kids who attend have a similar schedule, as do almost all the kids I have worked with at other daycares and preschools in my life.

no he needs more sleep. I put my little girl who is the same age to bed around 8 or 8:30 and she sleeps till about 6-6:30 and she takes a 2 hour nap every day.

eight hours was not even close to being enough for my two kids. Ask your pediatrician but I believe they recommend 10-11 hours a night for that age. When my kids were over tired they were whiny, cranky, prone to tantrums and were hyper alert (not wanting to sleep because they were so wired).

Hi there,

Both my girls bed time was 7pm until the age of four. They would wake between 6-7am. Now at the age of 4 and 6 years old, bed time is 8pm and they wake between 6:30-7:30am. I think most children not in school need a min. of 10 hours asleep. Even with those bed times they take a 1-2 hour nap. During the summer we are more flexible. But routine is best. Good luck!

I thought 10-12 hours total was what they are supposed to get at that age, but you didn't say if you child naps. My daughter is 3 and gets up about 6:30, but she is in bed by 8:30 and naps about 2 hours a day.
Honestly it is harder to get them to sleep the more tired they are, and they don't sleep as well. If my daughter is exhausted she sleeps much more fitfully and wakes up a lot more. When she is well rested she goes to sleep easier and stays asleep.

Macia,
8 hours a night for a 2 1/2 year old is definately not enough...it's no wonder you all have circles under your eyes! I have a 4 year old and a 2 1/2 year old, and they both require at least 11 hours of sleep to function well throughout the day. My 4 year old is up in the 6 o'clock hour daily (he's one of those dreaded morning people, and unfortunately I'm not...which makes for an interesting morning, ha ha!) Since he's up so early, and doesn't nap much anymore, we put the kids to bed between 7 and 7:30. We tried pushing it back to later, but his wake up time never changed, so by the end of the week, he was behind on sleep by 7 hours, which is a nightmare! So, for your sanity, and your child's...put him/her to bed earlier...you'll love the quiet time you'll have in the evening with your spouse, and you'll be much more rested the next day! Good luck!

Read the book "Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child." It is the best.

Our pediatrician (and other sources) said that 10-14 hours per 24 (this includes naps) is the best for a toddler, and it really seems to be true of my 2.5 yr old. We've struggled with serious bedtime and sleep issues with our son from the very beginning, and at this stage what works the best is a daytime nap plus 9-10 hours of sleep at night. If he gets overly tired, then he can't sleep the following night (counter-intuitive, but true). The more sleep he gets, the better he sleeps. I hope that helps!

I am pretty certain that most will suggest 12-15 hours per day for that age. I have a 2.5 year old who goes to bed (typically) between 6:30-7:00 and wakes up between 6:30-7:00, and also takes a 2-3 hour nap each day...he is very happy with sleeping, and very happy when he is awake!

my kids go to bed at 8pm and wake between 7a and 8am. My 2 year old takes a 3 hour nap as well. My 3 year old naps for about 1 hour. My 9 month old naps 2-3 times per day for a total of 4-5 hours of napping for her.

kids need at least 14 hours of sleep until they hit age 5 or so....

For some strange reason, when they go to bed earlier, they sleep longer. 8 hours is definitely not nearly enough. They grow when sleeping. It will probably be a struggle, but you should start asap getting the child to bed at more like 7:30 consistently. John Rosemond's book Making the Terrible Twos Terrific has a lot of good ideas for getting them to go to bed, and stay there. It takes persistence. I sometimes have to unscrew the lightbulb in my boys' room to get them to go to sleep; otherwise they bounce off the wall for hours.

It can be a vicious cycle; they are tired because they didn't get enough sleep, then bounce off the walls and don't go to sleep because they are wired from lack of sleep. Also, if they won't stay in there, we have the door knob turned around and we lock them in until they are asleep, then unlock it before we go to bed. I have no interest in chasing them back in for hours. They lock it themselves sometimes because they are used to it.

You did not mention if the child takes a good nap. If the child gets a good 2 or 2 1/2 nap, then all together that is 10 hours and that is not so bad. All kids are different, I wouldn't worry too much on it. But if you are concerned I would ask you Ped. what his advice is.

They need about 10 hours of sleep a night depending on the nap(s). I would put your son down to bed around 8pm and see what happens.

I'm not sure what is the best time to go to bed but I know that they need 12-14 hours at that age. Back then my son never slept more than 8 hours straight but he took 3-4 hours naps and that worked for us. Trying to change his sleeping schedules always ended up with less sleep for him and big disappointment for me. Now he is 4 and he goes to bed around 9 and wakes up around 8, we do "quite time" in the afternoon and sometimes he will go for a nap, sometimes he won't. I go to bed 15 min after him and get up about 1-2 hours earlier. This way I have 8 hours sleep and some time for my-self. Hope my experience will help you to decide what to do. Good luck!

Your toddler should get more like 10hours a night. Both my 8year old and 2yr old go to bed at 8pm and get up between 6-6:30am. Children need different amount of sleep but my 2yr old still takes a 2-3hour nap in the afternoon. I find that she is a lot easier to handle with less tantrums if we keep to pretty accurate schedule! It helped me to get a book on sleep at the library. Ifound a lot of very helpful information. -C.

M.,

I agree with the other posts that 8 hrs is not enough sleep for a 2.5 year old. My son is 3.5 and sleeps about 12 hours at night, from 8pm-8am. and he takes around a 2 hr nap most days! He falls apart and gets 'naughty' when he's tired. I would try putting your child to been a little earlier. Generally the earlier they go to bed, the longer they sleep. Good luck.

Children need well more than 8 hours of sleep at night. I just did a Google search and WebMD says 1-3 year olds need 12-14 hours a day. By 2 1/2 she's probably down to one 1 1/2 - 2 hour nap so he/she needs a minimum of 10 hours, but probably closer to 12 hours a night.

For comparison, my 4 1/2 year old goes down at 8:00. When we don't wake him for school, he'll sleep until 8:00. My 18 month old goes to bed at 7:00 and sleeps until between 6:00 and 7:00 a.m. He's just now working out of his morning nap, but still takes an afternoon nap.

Sounds like your son/daughter should be getting to bed no later than 8:00 based on the WebMD information. Good luck!

I have read in Dr. Sears and other sources that 7pm or even 6:30 is good. I can't remember how many hours a 2.5 year old needs, but it is more than 8 hours. Good luck!

No, 8 hours is not enough. Does she take naps? A child that age should be getting between 10 to 12 hours in a day.

Every child is different in regards to sleep needs. The best determinent of how much sleep your child needs will be you. A 2.5 year old may only need 10 hours in a 24 hour period -- not the 12 hours that most of the books tell you. I was always worked up over how much sleep my son needed until my doctor told me that if he's functioning as a happy child all day that he's probably getting the amount of sleep he needs. My son has never slept more than 12 hours in a 24 hour period (even as a baby). Although he slept MUCH less than every other child his age, he's always been extremely active, very happy all day long, didn't throw many tantrums, and extremley advanced cognitively for his age. He's now 2.5 and will vary between 10 and 12 hours of sleep in a 24 hour period. He also gets up early like your child, although he's now sleeping in until 6 or 6:30. He use to start his days between 4:30 and 5:30 and it didn't matter when we put him to bed. And he would start his day that early and not take a nap until 1 p.m. We started putting a clock in his room that projected the time above his bed and told him that he couldn't say "Good Morning Mommy!" until it was 6:00. That's how we got him to sleep in until 6 (he sometimes gets up earlier, but he just waits to ask for us until he sees the 6). Similar to what others have said, if you want them to sleep longer in the morning then putting them to bed earlier will often help more than putting them to bed later. But early risers can't be changed much. We put our son to sleep at 7:30 p.m., but he'll often happily talk and sing to himself until after 9 p.m. while laying in his bed. If we wait until after 8 p.m. to put him to bed, he then fights going to bed. If he sleeps more than 10 hours at night (which is very rare since he usually sleeps just 9 hours at night), he often can't take an afternoon nap. I would try putting your child to bed about an hour earlier than you currently do and see what happens. If your child is acting like he/she is not getting enough sleep, he/she might be going to bed sleep-deprived and unable to stay asleep. That's why going to bed early can help. Don't worry about when he/she takes his/her nap. If our son takes a late nap, we still keep his bedtime the same. If you wait and put them to bed later after a late nap that just throws them off. Sometimes a late afternoon nap, that's not more than 1.5 hours, can help them relax enough to sleep better that night.

I have a 4 year old, and a 14 month old. They both sleep about 10 - 11 hours at night. The 4 year old doesn't take naps any more and I think he would probably sleep a little longer if he wasn't sharing a room with the younger child who likes to get up earlier. The baby also takes 2 naps during the day, they're usually about an hour and a half apiece.

I have always read and heard that young children need 10-14 hrs of sleep. My 2 1/2 yr old gets 11 hrs at night and a hour nap during the day. My daughter is 4 and gets 11 hrs at night. Most of the time they seem rested and get through the day well. I would say your little ones need a couple of hours more.

Your pediatrician told you for sure, but I think at that age, they should still be getting at least 10 hours per night. My children have a 7:30 and 8:00 bedtime and they get up around 6:30 or 6:45. In fact, they get up at the same time every day, no matter when they go to bed, so we try to stay to that schedule so we make sure they're getting enough sleep.

He should be getting between 10 to 12 hours a sleep a night, bed time around 7 p.m. Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Dr. Marc Weissbluth will spell out all your child's sleep needs throughout his childhood. The book is based on scientific fact/research. It will be your 'bible' in regard to children's sleep patterns.

Also, the later he goes to bed, the earlier he will wake. Earlier to bed, the later he will sleep. It's ll in the book!

A 2 1/2 yr old needs more like 11 - 12 hours of sleep per night. Contrary to common thought the more sleep during the day (naps) the better a child will sleep at night. It is much more restful sleep. Our son had 2 naps per day of an 1.5 - 2 hours, then went to bed at 7 p.m. He slept till 7 a.m. His attitude and demeanor where wonderful. I can count on one hand how many temper tantrums he had and when they did occur it was because he was tired. Just my 2 cents.

My daughter slept more like 12 hours a night until she was 5. She is 7 now and still sleeps 10, 12 in the winter when days were shorter and I could get her to bed at 7:30! She also took naps until she was 5 as well. so thats 12 hours in the night and 1.5 in the day. get more sleep!!

For a broad perspective on bedtimes and sleep requirements by age, check out the book "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" by Dr. Weissbluth. You will see, according to the research presented in this book that the average sleep time for a child that age is 12-12.5 hrs/day, which includes 10-11 hrs at night and 1.5-2 hrs nap in the afternoon. My daughter (now 3) fell right in the averages; she would go down around 7:30 and wake around 6:30, then nap at around 1pm after lunchtime. Hope that will be helpful in your discussions with your husband.

When to put them to sleep depends on what time they need to get up. Toddlers usually need about 12 hours of sleep - and you will get used to exactly how much sleep yours needs. 2.5 years also needs about 10 - 12 hours of sleep every day. Again each child is different. I discovered what happens when they go to bed too late they get a second wind and then they dont sleep at night when they're supposed to. If they take naps that may also interfere wtih evening sleep. Two of my children no longer needed naps by 2.5 and one did. You have to tailor everything to that child.

Put them in bed before they get that second wind. Then they and you will sleep longer and not be as tired any more and they will get the sleep they need.

I personally don't think it is enough but our three year old still sleeps 12-13 hours at night and takes a 1-2 hour long nap during the day.

Our kids schedule us they go to be around 7:30-8:00 and sleep till around 8:00-10:00 then they take a nap around 2 for an hour or so.

Our daughter the oldest would do where she would wake up early on like 7:00 at around 15-18 months old and we had just told her it was still night time and that she needed to go back to bed would start music and she would go back down. I think she just didn't realize how much sleep she really needed so I would suggest trying this if you feel she is not rested enough. But I really don't think 8 hrs is enough especially if she doesn't take a good nap.

I agree with the previous poster that 8 hours is likely not enough sleep at age 2.5. My daughter is the same age, and sleeps about 11 hours at night, with a 1.5-2 hour nap. Her bedtime is around 7:30p or 8p. Some kids are just early risers, but some will sleep later if they start getting enough rest - I would recommend the book 'Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child' as a good resource for sleep information. Best of luck!

No, 8 hours is NOT enough for any young child. Put your kids to bed earlier. 6am is an okay wakeup time, but a two year old should be getting about 10-12 hours at night, plus a nap if you can still swing it. I also love "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child". Good guidelines.

Hi,

My children always go to bed no later than 7:30 and sometimes @ 7:00. I have found that 10 hours is needed to balance out their busy schedule.

I have a 7 year old son and 4 year old daughter.

I don't believe that 8 hours is enough sleep for a 2 year old or even for an older child, and it sounds like you don't think it is either. I'm not sure if your child is waking up at 6 themselves or whether that is the time you need to get your child up? Either way, it sounds like bedtime needs to be moved to an earlier time. I would suggest moving it to the time you decide in half hour increments over a period of a week or so in order for your child to get used to the new bedtime.
My son is almost 4 and will sleep anywhere from 10 to 14 hours at night. He is at the point where he doesn't nap much anymore, but even with a nap during the day, he will still sleep at least 10 hours. If you look this up on the internet, I know you will find more info and suggestions. Here is what just one website says about a toddler's sleep needs:
1 to 3 Years
From ages 1 to 3, most toddlers sleep about 10 to 13 hours. Separation anxiety, or just the desire to be up with mom and dad (and not miss anything), can motivate a child to stay awake. So can simple toddler-style contrariness.

Note the time of night when your toddler begins to show signs of sleepiness, and try establishing this as his or her regular bedtime. And you don't have to force a 2- or 3-year-old child to nap during the day unless yours gets cranky and overly tired.

Parents sometimes make the mistake of thinking that keeping a child up will make him or her sleepier for bedtime. In fact, though, kids can have a harder time sleeping if they're overtired.

Establishing a bedtime routine helps kids relax and get ready for sleep. For a toddler, the routine may be from 15 to 30 minutes long and include calming activities such as reading a story, bathing, and listening to soft music.

Whatever the nightly ritual is, your toddler will probably insist that it be the same every night. Just don't allow rituals to become too long or too complicated. Whenever possible, allow your toddler to make bedtime choices within the routine: which pajamas to wear, which stuffed animal to take to bed, what music to play. This gives your little one a sense of control over the routine.

But even the best sleepers give parents an occasional wake-up call. Teething can awaken a toddler and so can dreams. Active dreaming begins at this age, and for very young children, dreams can be pretty alarming. Nightmares are particularly frightening to a toddler, who can't distinguish imagination from reality. (So carefully select what TV programs, if any, your toddler sees before bedtime.)

Comfort and hold your child at these times. Let your toddler talk about the dream if he or she wants to, and stay until your child is calm. Then encourage your child to go back to sleep as soon as possible.
this is the link for more info:
http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/general/sleep/sleep.html
Good luck! I hope this helps
M.

Your instinct is leading you in the right direction. According to the tables in the No Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers and PreSchoolers, your baby should be getting 12-14 hours of sleep each day at this age.

Your daughter should probably be going to bed at 6-7 pm and taking a midday nap too.

So check out the book I mentioned above, by Elizabeth Pantley. Since you are currently probably sleep deprived, simply choose some of the suggestions in the book to get your daughter - and your family - back on the right track. You can read it more thoroughly when your under-eye circles have diminished.

Other good books are Sleepless in America and The Seven O'Clock Bedtime.

We've all been there and we know how tough it can be to be a stellar parent 100% of the time. So tough, it's impossible! So be gentle with yourself.

Good luck!

We have an almost 2 1/2 year old boy too who gets 10 hours of sleep at night. He's up between 6 and 7am and goes to sleep about 8 pm or so. He also takes a two hour nap in the daytime. And he still looks tired. I don't think I can get him to sleep anymore!

I think you should follow your instincts. They are given you by God to take the best care of your toddler! If he looks tired all the time, give him an extra hour of sleep. See if that helps with his dark circles.

Personally, I grew up as the oldest of 7 children (my littlest brother is 18 years younger) and I NEVER thought the toddlers or even older should stay up so late. Mom always pushed their sleep limits and they always looked tired.

You need to move the bedtime back to give at least 9-10 hours at night (that then includes a nap during the day). Don't try to make a drastic change...start by moving bedtime 15 min earlier, wait a few days to a week, and then keep moving it back until child is getting enough rest.
good luck! I've been there. my four yr old was going to sleep at 10:00 because she'd get her second wind and we couldn't get her to sleep. Moving her bedtime back, means that she's asleep by 8:30-9 most nights:)

my kids are 6months, 2years and 4 years they all go to bed at 8pm and get up between 730and 9. our 4 year old usually does not take a nap but our 2 year old takes at least a 2 hour nap.

My opinion would be 8pm if they are getting up at 6am. Kids NEED more than 8 hours of sleep and you sound like you need some extra rest too:)

S.

Just to add to the list. My son who is almost 3 now has consistently been a 9 hour a night sleeper with a 2 1/2 to 3 hour nap during the afternoon (total 12 hours). So they don't have to sleep that 12 hours at one time, but rather it is split up between naps and nighttime. Sometimes you might get lucky and get the long nighttime sleep and the nap (as I see in other posts) but my little guy is an early riser and always has been. He wakes up when it is light in his room. We put him down at 8pm at night, but start getting him ready for that at 7:30pm. He wakes now at 6am or so, but this is new in that he is sleeping longer, it used to be 5 and 5:30...ugh! Another good clue that he needs to go to sleep earlier is if he gets really hyper at night. It seems the opposite would be true if he were tired, but it is a known fact that kids who are overtired will actually be hyper and have a burst of energy. Our son does this a lot and at first we thought he just wasn't tired, but it was clear he was from other signs he was giving us. Best of luck!

~H. C.