Kids Summer Time Bedtime

My kids are 8 and 5 yrs old. I also stay home so we do let them stay up late. 3 weeks before school starts we get back on the fall routine. My kids have stayed up till midnight sometimes and they seem to do just fine.

The best of luck,
Elisa M

In my home, their bodies are still on "routine" for about 2 weeks into the summer.........then the later nights begin and so does sleeping longer :O) I let this go for the most part for most of the summer......the way I get back on track:

Starting 2 weeks before school starts, i begin a 9:30-10 bedtime (if we've been staying up later than that).......and I wake them up around 8:30-9 the next morning.........I do this for about 4 days until they wake by themselves.

Then about 4 days before school starts I make them lay in bed at 8 to watch TV til 9am (if they last that long). They usually wake up by 7:30 by themselves by doing this (even though they need to rise by 7).....The hard part about doing this is not scheduling any "last minute summer fun" before school starts :O)

I've been doing this for about 3 years, my oldest now being 13........we'll see if it works this summer :o) I've had less "tears" the first week of school by doing it this way, though, I can attest to that! :O)

Have a fun summer!

~N. :o)

I remember when I was a little kid in elementary school and my bedtime was 8-8:30. I can't remember for sure which. I would be in bed, daylight outside, and all the neighborhood kids still outside playing. They would flock around my window and stuff. My parents finally decided I could stay up until dark.

Both kids have Summer gymnastics this year and last Summer K's class was at 8:30. I just couldn't get motivated so this year her class is at 10:30, she is finally at a more advanced level. J is 3 now and can take big boy classes which are at 9:30. I am working there too and I am going to work from 9am to noon. So, if I want to be able to get up, get breakfast, have some alone time on the computer, have any time for a shower, etc...I need to be up by 7:30 and the kids by 8. Our bedtime is: J, 8:30 and K 9pm. It works well for us during the school year and it will just be a little later so it will be dark.

i didn't have summer bedtimes for my kids, unless i wanted some quiet time and needed 'em out of my hair!<G> honestly, it's a family decision. if you all love to frolic in the sweet summer starlight and sleep late, i say that your kids are very lucky, and let 'em roll with it!
:) khairete
S.

I say do whatever works for your family. With my kids I would be concerned about getting them back on schedule when school starts plus my husband and I like our time after the kids go to bed.

Mine are 8, 6, and 2 1/2 and they usually start getting ready for bed at 8 and are all tucked in by 8:30. For the summer we will probably go an hour later but they will still have a bedtime.

Good luck,
K.

We've been more lenient during the summer with bedtime. Our kids are 8 and 6. During the school bedtime is at 7:30 since they have to be up by 6. During the summer they had been up to 10 some nights. I'm sure that will happen again this summer due to evening campfires with friends or evening boat rides and fishing. I'm going to aim for a 8:30-9pm bedtime when friends aren't visiting...we'll see how that goes. Even if our kids are up late they don't typically sleep in the next morning. It just makes for a crabby day. Luckily, if we drive to town about 45 min away, they will fall asleep in the car.

I have never had bedtimes in the summer....they were so busy in the daytime they just fell asleep on there own. My youngest is 11 and he will fall asleep around 10ish anyway. During the week now because of school he is in bed at 9pm.

I am a SAHM of 3 girls 13, 8, 6 and during the summer we have no bedtime unless we have to be somewhere the next morning early. Other than that we just "go with the flow" during the summer and it works out best for us.

My kids have an 8:00 bedtime during the school year. They will soon turn 5 and 6. Last summer we let them stay up until 9:00, but many nights their behavior showed they were ready for bed by 8:00. We do let them stay up late for parties and special activities if they can hold out. We'll probably do the same thing this year.

How are they when they stay up later? Every kid is different.
If they are irritated the next day, I'd keep it at 10 except for special occasions, explaining how their bodies need the sleep to stay healthy.
If they are fine in the morning, then feel free to let it slide.

I try my best to keep a regular bed time for my boys. They got to camp, so they need all the sleep they can get. Camp is only a week and their sleep schedule gets off then so I want it as normal as possible before they go and when they get back.

I am also selfish of my me time. I am also a SAM, and being with them all day takes its toll on my patience.

We have a stacked bedtime. My 5yo goes at 8, 9yo at 8:30 and 12 yo at 9, sometimes 9:30. He likes to read before bed and will often try to sneak in some reading time.

Every child is unique and needs different amounts of sleep, but we all need sleep for our bodies to rejuvenate, and kids need more. Also, you need down time after your kids are asleep. Our daughter was the one who needed to be told when to go to sleep so we would figure out what time she needed to go to bed so she would wake up happy. By telling her that, she knew that her bedtime was not a mean rule we arbitrarily set up but was in her best interest. Besides, when she was happy, we all were happy. Unfortunately, her bedtime was always at least an hour before her friends (even through high school), so we had to tell her friends that our family did not take phone calls after 9pm. She would be horrified if someone called and we had to say she was in bed already. We just adjusted her bedtime during the summer depending on when we would wake up. My son just went to bed when told and always woke up happy. Each kid is different.

When my kids were elementary age and into middle school now with my 2nd who is finishing fifth grade, we still have a bedtime that isn't much different than school year because my kids always did day camp. There was no sleeping in during the summer, we didn't leave the house any later. My teenager doesn't have any type of bedtime but she's doesn't need the amount of sleep a littler kid would need and she is responsible enough to know how much sleep she needs and what her plans are for each day/week.
Honestly, 10:00 is late enough for a 9 and 11. It's fine for your kids to know that you don't want to parent til 11 pm or midnight, that you would like some evening time that is just grownup time.

our friends dont have a bed time in the summer and the kids are the worst. they need there sleep. if you kids go to bed any time and are grouchy the next day perhaps they do actually need a bed time. if they are fine then perhaps they can live off of free bed time. good luck. i know ppl that have a 13 yr old and they still inforce the bed time.

It doesn't make a difference if bedtime is 7:00pm or 2:00am. The important part is that they are getting the amounts of sleep they need. You need to do what works best for your family.

My oldest is 11 (we have little ones too) and his school year bedtime is 9pm - I think this summer we are going to let him stay up until 9:30pm. Honestly, any later than that is kinda boring for kids anyway. My son doesn't sleep in well in the morning so if he goes to bed late, he's still up at 7:30. Also, we tell our kids that they have bedtimes before mommy and daddy because that's our time together without having to be parents all day long. Sometimes we do chores, or sometimes we just watch tv but it has been good for us to have some downtime before bed :)

Do what works for you, but a bed time and schedule is typically necessary for kids. I understand that others may not share that value, but we all have to do things that others do not. My girlfriends daughter is 3 and I can call her at 9:30 10pm and her daughter is still up, My son is 21 months and he is in bed at 7pm every night. I see the difference in the kids at this age. I understand that yours are older, but I still think some type of schedule is still something of value. Growing up, we had a bed time until well into high school. Then with work, we still had a scheduled time of rest.

Good luck

My son is 10 y/o and during the summer he does not have a bedtime and can stay up as late as he wants unless we have something going on the next morning. We also like to sleep in. About 2 weeks before school starts I start getting him back on his "school" bedtime routine and have never had any problems.

My kids are about to be 13 and they still have a bedtime in the summer. There are definitely exceptions for special occasions, but for the most part, they will be in bed by 10:00. I still have to get up and go to work and I need the extra 30 minutes or so of down time that gives me.