S/O: sleep

[TwoBees]

Those of you who have DC with early bedtimes (before 8 pm, especially before 7), how do you make it work in your family? I would love for DDs to go to bed earlier, but I don't see how that is possible. But we have so many sleep problems with DD2. DD1 has been doing really well right now. DD2 did fabulously well for several months after 6 months of working at it with help from the sleep team at the children's hospital, and then things began to fall apart after daylight savings ended and now it is a total mess. We have an appointment oath another sleep doctor closer to our house in January. Right now, DD2's bedtime is 8:30, although she usually isn't asleep until 9. It was previously 8 pm but lately she has been WIRED at night. I know that is later than many people out their kids to bed, but as I said, I can't figure out how to get it to work. DDs don't need to be up until 7:15/7:30 am. I leave the house at 6:30 am, so I don't see DDs in the morning. I don't get home with DDs until 5:30 pm AT THE EARLIEST and dinner frequently isn't until 6:30 or 7. So...how do you make it work?

[PZMommy]

My boys go to bed at 7ish. We eat early. Dinner is at 5:30, on occasion 6. We make it a priority to eat early. We do easy dinners that don't take much prep time. Homework gets done before dinner. We eat, and then start bath time and reading, and then to bed. I do dishes after they are in bed.

[hillview]

We eat very early at 5 or 530. If I can't be home at that time or dh can't be the kids eat anyway. Can you do crockpot or other easier dinners and move dinner up earlier? Maybe Cook tonight (after bed) what you will eat tomorrow and then Reheat? Who is with them til,you get home? If nanny or sitter could they feed dd?

[twowhat?]

Sometimes I walk my kids straight into the bath/shower right as they walk in the door. A nice warm bath/shower often fixes attitude problems:) When they were a bit younger (but safe to be in the tub by themselves for a few min), I'd let them both in the tub together with some bath toys and they'd play/wash while I got dinner together.

Dinners are SIMPLE. I pretty much don't cook. We heat up spanokopita from Costco for dinner, for example. It takes 20 min, while they're in the bath/shower. Often we just cobble together "snacks for dinner". Cheese, bread, carrot sticks, yogurt... Sometimes it's just a turkey/cheese sandwich with carrot sticks and fruit. Honestly we don't eat very well:/ On occasion I've also done dinner in the car on the drive home from daycare. Hardboiled egg, cheese cubes, crackers, applesauce pouch...

But my kids are in bed by 7:30, 8pm at the latest on school nights, and they have to be up at 6:30am the next morning.

If your DDs don't need to be up until 7:30am and actually sleep until then, depending on their ages that might explain why they can't fall asleep any earlier than 9.

Oh I remember one thing that helped a TON with being able to fall asleep quickly - NO DESSERT!!!! We went cold turkey no desserts on school nights and it made a HUGE difference in our kids being able to wind down better. So maybe take a look at the amount of sugar they are eating that afternoon/evening? "No desserts" made such a big difference that even on weekends we have our kids eat dessert in the mid-afternoon rather than after dinner! Desserts after dinner just make for wired kids who are then tired but can't easily fall asleep!

[mackmama]

DC eats dinner at 5:15pm and goes to bed at 7pm. DC wakes at 6:30am.

[klwa]

Well, I'm out of the house at 5:40, starting work at 6:30 so I can get off at 3. We get home ~4, start homework & supper. Eat about 5 when DH gets home. We start bedtime routines at 6:30 for Dd2, 7 for Dd1, and 7:30 for Ds.

[chlobo]

Those of you who have DC with early bedtimes (before 8 pm, especially before 7), how do you make it work in your family? I would love for DDs to go to bed earlier, but I don't see how that is possible. But we have so many sleep problems with DD2. DD1 has been doing really well right now. DD2 did fabulously well for several months after 6 months of working at it with help from the sleep team at the children's hospital, and then things began to fall apart after daylight savings ended and now it is a total mess. We have an appointment oath another sleep doctor closer to our house in January. Right now, DD2's bedtime is 8:30, although she usually isn't asleep until 9. It was previously 8 pm but lately she has been WIRED at night. I know that is later than many people out their kids to bed, but as I said, I can't figure out how to get it to work. DDs don't need to be up until 7:15/7:30 am. I leave the house at 6:30 am, so I don't see DDs in the morning. I don't get home with DDs until 5:30 pm AT THE EARLIEST and dinner frequently isn't until 6:30 or 7. So...how do you make it work?

I think sleeping from 9 to 730 is a decent amount of sleep. Are you having other problems related to being tired?

[SnuggleBuggles]

I think sleeping from 9 to 730 is a decent amount of sleep. Are you having other problems related to being tired?

Good question. My ds2 is on a 9:30-8 schedule. It works for him and our family.


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[Mommy_Mea]

My boys sleep from around 7:30 to 6/6:30 (DS2 is up earlier than DS1). We get home around 5/5:30, and it is a very quick prep dinner, homework while dinner is being prepared, eat, straight to bath (if we do bath, bath is only 2-3x a week), and then PJs/teeth/reading/lights out. Lights out is at 7:30 at the very latest, sometimes earlier if they seem crazy tired.

ETA: My boys sleep less than some, DS2 far less than some. But after trying just about everything, I have accepted that they just need less sleep than some. and 10-11 hours is quite average. They don't fall asleep in the car on long rides, or other signs of a sleep deficit. I still get a little jealous when I see kids who sleep 12+ hours, but also know that 10-11 hours allows us to do a little more in our day :)

[Ms B]

I think sleeping from 9 to 730 is a decent amount of sleep. Are you having other problems related to being tired?

This. On a good night, we finish the bedtime routine at 9 pm and The Biscuit talks to himself for another 30 minutes or so. He gets up or we wake him up by 7:00 a.m. and try to be out the door by 7:30 a.m. He still naps about an hour to 90 minutes most weekdays (his school requires nap/quiet time, even next year in pre-K), although not so much on weekends (go figure). Our ped agrees that he gets enough sleep so long as he is not falling asleep in the car, etc.

I envy the earlier bedtimes some people make work, but DH and I both have jobs where a lot happens later in the day. Before The Biscuit, DH and I both worked until 7:00 p.m. four days a week and that really worked great for us. We have had to move our days "up", but there is a limit to what we can do on that front.

If we had to deal with an earlier bedtime, we would not get any fun time with The Biscuit on a daily basis and that time is important to us in these years before he has evening activities.

[DualvansMommy]

I'm SAHM, so that allows me little bit more flexibility in terms of time for errands & dinner prep. Before I pick up DS1 at 2:45, I usually start the bulk of dinner prep. By the time we get home around 3, I let boys play outside, go indoor playmate if weathers bad, come home by 4:15.

Dinners usually around 5 when DH is home from work, playtime, coloring or reading books. Bath around 6:15, lights out for DS2 by 6:45 and 7pm for DS1.

Can u keep dinner really simple most week nights? Who picks up your DD? You , DH or sitter? And get them all in bathtub or bed by 630 if they want stories read for lights out by 7.


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[doberbrat]

Its hard. We are a family of night owls. While their 'official' bedtime is 7:30, I'm usually happy if my kids get to bed by 8. Then I let them read in bed alone for 15-30min. dd2 almost always falls asleep during this time. dd1 struggles to get up by 7:30 most mornings to get ready for school.

All bedtime prep is except teeth brushing is done before dinner. They dont shower every day but when they do, its predinner. I really dont get it but it takes us FOREVER to get dinner ready. I dont understand how it can take 45min to warm up leftovers in the microwave but somehow, repeatedly, it does. So they kids are almost always getting up from the table, brushing their teeth and getting into bed.

[trcy]

OP, I was going to post the same question. After the New Year, DH isn't going to be getting home until 6ish and he leaves before DD is awake. I am trying to figure out how to get her bed earlier and still have time for dinner and for DD & DH to spend time together.

[gymnbomb]

DS is younger than many who have responded here, but he goes to bed around 6:30 p.m. and sleeps until 7-7:30 a.m. We do dinner around 5:15-5:30 most nights, then have bath if needed, a little play time in his room, books and bed. He also naps 2 hours most days. He is a kid who really needs his eating and sleeping schedule to stay in a decent mood!

Fortunately, at least one and frequently both of us can be home early enough to pick him up from daycare between 3-4 so we still get some family time in the afternoons. Some days one of us can also play with him for 30 minutes or an hour between breakfast and daycare drop off too. We are lucky to have very flexible work schedules and to be able to do a little bit of work from home some days.


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[TwoBees]

We eat very early at 5 or 530. If I can't be home at that time or dh can't be the kids eat anyway. Can you do crockpot or other easier dinners and move dinner up earlier? Maybe Cook tonight (after bed) what you will eat tomorrow and then Reheat? Who is with them til,you get home? If nanny or sitter could they feed dd?

Both DDs are in daycare/ school aftercare until I pick them up, and we don't get home until 5:30 at the earliest. I already work an earlyish schedule (DH takes care of mornings) but with my commute it is difficult to get home any earlier than that. DH doesn't get home until 6 or 6:30. I often feed the kids before he gets home.


I think sleeping from 9 to 730 is a decent amount of sleep. Are you having other problems related to being tired?

Not usually with DD1, who is 6. If she has trouble getting up in the morning, we move her bedtime to 8:45 or 8:30 for a few days. Some days she needs that bit of extra time, other days she doesn't. DD2 is currently the problematic sleeper. She has been WIRED at 8:30 at night. I can't really take away nap since all the kids nap at the same time in daycare. I can ask if they can shorten the nap a bit, but she really does still need her nap. I had previously been putting her to bed at 8, but she suddenly stopped falling asleep until after 9, so I moved it until 8:30. Maybe I need to go in the other direction and try 7:30?


This. On a good night, we finish the bedtime routine at 9 pm and The Biscuit talks to himself for another 30 minutes or so. He gets up or we wake him up by 7:00 a.m. and try to be out the door by 7:30 a.m. He still naps about an hour to 90 minutes most weekdays (his school requires nap/quiet time, even next year in pre-K), although not so much on weekends (go figure). Our ped agrees that he gets enough sleep so long as he is not falling asleep in the car, etc.

I envy the earlier bedtimes some people make work, but DH and I both have jobs where a lot happens later in the day. Before The Biscuit, DH and I both worked until 7:00 p.m. four days a week and that really worked great for us. We have had to move our days "up", but there is a limit to what we can do on that front.

If we had to deal with an earlier bedtime, we would not get any fun time with The Biscuit on a daily basis and that time is important to us in these years before he has evening activities.

Us too. I take the "early" shift with work so that I can get the girls and get home at a reasonable hour, I have approx. a 1 hour commute in each direction. DH goes into the office later after the bus/daycare drop-off, but he comes home later.