Sleep for a 8-9 year old?

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  • Kate Mom of 1
    Participant

    Just curious how much sleep most kids this age get and thier bedtimes.  My 8 year old has been protesting her 8:30 bedtime for the last few weeks, claiming her friends stay up much later. I was fairly leinient about bedtimes during the summer and let her stay up as late as 9:30-10, but now we both need to try to get back into a routine that involves enough sleep.  She gets up between 7 and 8 most days, so she gets about 12 hours.  Am I just expecting her to fall asleep too early before her body is ready (which I don’t think is the case, because she’s tired a lot and has always needed a lot of sleep before her medical issues), or is this an obedience issue?  

    I should point out that she requires 40 minutes to an hour of breathing treatments, therapies and medicine before bedtime, so we really have to start her routine about 7:15-7:30 to get her to bed by 9. 🙁 But, I do my best to make it a special time for us, by watching a movie/show, snuggling, and reading aloud.  

    I guess the point of this rant is how long should I expect her to sleep, and what time do your 8-9 year olds go to bed? 

    suzukimom
    Participant

    My 8 almost 9yo goes to bed most nights at 8:30, and can read until 9:00 when his light goes out.  That said, for the last number of months his Dad had to leave for work at 8:30PM, so my son was often doing quick errands for him to get ready… or when his dad isn’t working, he ends up being called down to do the odd thing here and there as well.

    My kids younger than 8 go to bed at 8:00.  

     

    I’ve heard that for getting to an earlier bedtime – going to be 10 min earlier each night works better than trying to change it by a huge amount….

    Misty
    Participant

    AHHH I just wrote a long deal on this and then it went into computer land.  I don’t have time to re-write so I will just sum up.

    Everyone in our house needs to be up and MOVING at 7am daily.  14yr – 9pm, 12yr – 830, under 12yrs – 8, 6yr to 4 goes down at 730 and 3 and under at 7.

    It’s very important that the smaller ones and the teen years are getting between 9 hrs or more.  The old 8 hrs of sleep is not true our bodies go in sleep cycles and it’s more like 7hrs, 9, hrs etc.

    Well gotta run.  Good luck figuring out what works for your family.

    Tristan
    Participant

    Over the summer bedtime was 9 for all the kids except the 11 year old, who would stay up to help me with the baby and 1 year old who fall asleep in my arms or beside her on the couch, or just stay up for girl time. My husband is in bed by 7pm most nights to start work in the wee hours of the morning.

    Now that it is dark earlier we’ve been inching bedtime for all back to 8:30pm, and often the 11 year old goes then too. (The 1 year old and baby are better coordinated for falling asleep so I don’t need help usually now). However, everyone gets a book light until 9:20pm, and the 11 year old until 10pm. Even if you can’t read you get one so you can look at picture books. If you get out of bed you lose it (don’t have that problem, they treasure those lights). Then at 9:20 I turn on our audio book until 10pm. If anyone is still awake by then it is usually the 7(8 next month) and 11 year old.

    Wake up time officially is by 8:00am. Several of my children wake up on their own well before that time (think 6am to 7am).

    We do a daily quiet time in the afternoon in their beds for 1 1/2 hours. That helps if anyone needs more rest, they’ll fall asleep. The routine works well for us.

    pslively
    Participant

    My kids all go to bed at 8:00.  They are allowed to read as long as they want.  They are all up by 7:30 in the morning.  Some kids don’t need as much sleep as others.  My son (10) generally doesn’t go to sleep until after 10:00 and he’s always up by 6:30.   My girls (11, 8, 6) are almost always asleep by 8:45 and up by 6:30 except for the 6 year old who sleeps until 7:15.  My 4 year old is usually out by 8:10 and wakes up about 7:15.  Just like adults, I think that some kids are night owls and some kids are morning people.  I try to give them some freedom to do what fits them personally.  We do have nap time every afternoon and they never fall asleep, so I guess they are getting plenty of rest at night.  

    That said, your daughter should not get to stay up later just because her friends do.  But I’m sure you already know that.  If, however, she really isn’t tired, perhaps she could read in bed.  I do think it’s important to get the kids to bed so that you can have some time to wind down without kids.  

    thepinkballerina
    Participant

    My 7 and 9 year old get about 10-11 hours sleep. Their bedtime is 9 p.m. and they are up by 7:30/8:00. Our 5 yr old also goes to bed at 9p.m but she sleeps til 8:30ish. They are not crabby or yawning all day so I know they get enough sleep. Smile We also have an afternoon rest. Only my 5 and 7 yr old will take a catnap.

     

    Tara

    momto2blessings
    Participant

    My 10 and 13 yo generally go to bed between 9:30 and 10pm and sleep until I wake them…8-830.  I think they’re already awake though:) My friend’s Dr. told her to just move bedtime ahead by 30 min. ea. night (I believe it was 30) until it starts to affect their wake-up time.  I think our bodies need to sleep until we naturally wake up…and if we have to be up at a certain time and it requires an alarm clark, we need to go to bed earlier:)  Blessings, Gina

    Kate Mom of 1
    Participant

    Thanks for all the opinions ladies. I think it’s just a matter of trying to adjust our schedule so that’s she’s going to bed around 8:30-9 again.  Sleep has always been hard for me to figure out with her, because she’s tired a lot from medicines and medical issues, but has always been so stubborn when it comes to bedtime. 

    pangit
    Participant

    Don’t tell my kids what your kids bedtime is!!  I think we’d have a mutiny!!  My 6 y/o goes to bed at 7 and my 8 y/o goes to bed at 7:30.  They both get up around 7 AM.  About a year and a half or so ago I noticed that my oldest was laying awake for a long time after I put her to bed.  At that time she was going to bed at 7.  So, I started letting her stay up an extra 30 min and she no longer lays awake at night.  DH has to be up by 5 AM, so I want our kids to continue an earlier bedtime so we can have some wind down and couple time before we also have to head to bed.

    If she is waking in the morning when you need her to be up and is not laying awake at night unable to sleep, then I’d say that she is going to bed at the right time.

    HollyS
    Participant

    I’ve also heard about those “other kids'” bedtimes!  😉  We start our routines at 8:30.  We have a short family devotion, brush teeth/wash face/jammies so it’s pretty quick.  They are allowed to read in bed for a bit…usually they are asleep soon after nine.  I was worried about them staying up all night reading, but they generally read a quick chapter and fall asleep.  

     

    chocodog
    Participant

    I was just wondering ….   Is the breathing treatment Abuteral???(not sure of spelling)  My son when he was little was on that and my neice had been on that for asthma.  It makes them stay awake. It is exhausting but it messes with their sleep for the first couple of hours.  

       Anyway,  Here it doesn’t get dark till around 11pm during the summer months and at 9 there is still some daylight left.  So in the summer there is not much we can do about it. So, we ease into a Winter schedule.  Right now we are around 9- 9;30. we like to get them in bed at 8:00 but have found that last year it was around 8:30.

        When my daughter was younger I taught her how to figure her own schedule out. I told her to see how long she likes to sleep to make her feel refreshed when she wakes up in the morning. I think she came up with 8-9 hours. Then, she knew she had to get up at 7 am  and get ready for school. So she had to count backwards from 7am, 8 or 9 hours to get her bed time. I never had to tell her to get in bed or to get up.  She always new her best function was when she got enough sleep. She also knew it was her fault if she didn’t. 

       We all have different sleep patterns and some require more than others. So, I would see what their rhythm is and tell them how to figure their sleep pattern.    We always require them to go to bed around 8 because we are exhausted and need our time together.  They however can talk in their bed as long as the other one isn’t trying to sleep.  I just told them if you are to tired tell the other you are going to sleep.  If you don’t answer the other will know. 🙂  A clock in their room will let them know they are close to their time.

                BLessings!  hope this helps….

     

    Kate Mom of 1
    Participant

    Yes, albuterol is one of the things she gets…I didn’t think about it! She’s been getting it for so long, I thought she may be used to it. I know other medcines are 

    I like the idea of giving her the responsiblity to figure out how much sleep she needs and decide her own bedtime. I think she’d take well to that. 

    Thanks! This is helpful 🙂 

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