Wow... such early bedtimes!!!

How do you guys get your kids in bed at 7-7:30pm??? Are you SAHM??? I don't even get home from work and picking up the kids from daycare until 6:00pm.

My kids are 7, 4.5 yrs and 4.5 months and pretty much go to bed at the same time which is around 8:30-9:00pm. And of course they won't stay in bed so they don't even go to sleep until probably 9:30-10:00pm. And the baby has decided that she needs to go to bed at the same time as her older brothers so that makes it even harder since I can't do everyone at once.

I guess if I didn't work they would be in bed sooner? And like another poster said, if I put them to bed earlier, I'd never see them.

For those that work FT, what time do your kids go to bed???

Re: Wow... such early bedtimes!!!

I think the ages makes a huge deal.. you don't have toddlers anymore ya know.. and you have a newborn....my toddler 17 months (almost) 8:00pm bed time.. I get home with him at 5:00.

Re: Wow... such early bedtimes!!!

SAHM here, and bedtimes range anywhere from 8pm - 10pm for my 3.8 year old and my 21 month old

Re: Wow... such early bedtimes!!!

I agree with Linda.

When DS was younger, he'd be in bed at 7-7:30. When DH was working and I'd pick him up from daycare, we wouldn't get home until 6:30 - so I'd feed him and bathe him quick and straight to bed.

Now he goes to bed around 8 (well, we start the process, if he's tired, he'll fall asleep quickly, otherwise he may be up until 9 or so).

ETA - When I don't have to pick up from daycare, I get home anywhere between 6:15 and 8 so sometimes, I would completely miss him.

Message edited 4/13/2011 12:12:26 PM.

Re: Wow... such early bedtimes!!!

I'm a FTWM and DH is a FTWD also. I do have the benefit of working from home sometimes also. We work overlapping schedules, so i go in early in the morning and he gets up with them and i'm home by 3 or 4. We also found that the later we let them stay up the earlier they wake up in the morning. So 8 pm is usually the latest they go to bed or else they are super duper cranky in the morning.

Re: Wow... such early bedtimes!!!

DS goes to bed anywhere between 9 - 10pm - on the days he has school I shoot for the earlier end since he has to be up at 8am....on the the other days he has can get up when he wants and its usually 9am.

edited to add - DS is 3 years old and has never been an early sleeper. I work 15 minutes from home so I don't need to wake up earlier than 7:15am. If DS goes to sleep earlier than 9 he wakes up in the middle of the night.

Message edited 4/13/2011 2:28:17 PM.

Re: Wow... such early bedtimes!!!

I work FT but get out of work at 3:30 PM. I pick the kids up from daycare by 4:30 PM. DS #1- age 2 1/2- goes to bed between 7:30-8:00 (although lately it's been closer to 8:15 PM). DS #2- age 9 months- goes to bed between 7:30- 7:45 PM. We aim closer to 7:30. DH gets home from worker later than I do so sometimes he sees the kids for only a few minutes. If I put them to bed any later, they are beasts! Last night the baby was upset that we were singing to him before bed and tried to just get into the crib himself!

Re: Wow... such early bedtimes!!!

There's no way I could put DD down to bed at 7-7:30. I get out of work at 6:30, by the time I go pick her up and get home it would be 7:30. Then I'd have to bathe her and feed her.

I feel like I'll never see her

Re: Wow... such early bedtimes!!!

I work FT and I don't get home until almost 7.. when I was a SAHM, my kids would be in bed between 730-8.. but being that I work until almost 7, there is no way that's happening.. so that's why they go to bed between 830-9.. my oldest sometimes goes a little later depending on his sports schedule

Re: Wow... such early bedtimes!!!

I work FT and DD goes down around 7:30 - 8. I've been pretty lucky that DD has never gone to bed earlier than this. I know a few people who have kids that go down around 6 or 6:30 and I don't know what I would do if that was the case for us. We would never see her! The earliest I can usually get home is around 5.

Re: Wow... such early bedtimes!!!

also such late sleep in times! I will be dropping DD off at daycare so i need her up at around 6 LATEST to give her a bottle, burp her, dress her, change her, get her in the car, etc and drop her off at day care by 7! That also means i may need to be up at 5:30 to get dressed and ready myself...although i'd prefer to get dressed after DD in case she spits up on me but i doubt i will have time for it. Sometimes she takes forever to burp. It makes me want a nanny..but i can't afford a nanny and part of me prefers she be around more people

Re: Wow... such early bedtimes!!!

SAHM...my twins...I thinkits just their biology...They are asleep by 7pm. My son stays up longer..I'd say 8:30 average.

Re: Wow... such early bedtimes!!!

DH & I both work FT. We kid ourselves about a 7:30 bedtime. We're grateful if she is in bed and done with shenanigans by 8:30.

Re: Wow... such early bedtimes!!!

I work full-time and my children go to bed at 7/7:30pm (DS2 - 1yr) and 8/8:30 pm (DS1 - 4yrs).

I work in Manhattan and have a long commute so as soon as I walk through the door I get everything ready. Once the kids come in with DH we move super fast.

If DS2 is asleep he goes straight to bed (shower in the am with DH). If he is awake he gets a bath and then straight to bed. DH feeds him dinner before they leave daycare.

DS1 used to get to bed earlier but we've had to bump him later to accomodate DS2. He has no complaints since he gets some tv time.


We don't get much time at night with DS2 but we get more of it in the morning because DS1 is a late riser

We live for weekends.

Message edited 4/13/2011 12:16:24 PM.

Re: Wow... such early bedtimes!!!

I am a SAHM & honestly it would not matter bc even if we are out (on friday nights), come 6:30 DS wants his milk & by 7:30 he wants his crib. I feel bad for DH bc most days he only walks in the door at 6PM so his time with the boys is limited

Re: Wow... such early bedtimes!!!

actually, DS made his own bedtime, but he does need his 11 - 12 hour sleep at night. Since he gets up around 6AM he goes to sleep around 7PM. He takes a 2 hour nap

Just to add - I'm a FTWM and DS is 22 months
We leave the house close to 7AM to get him to daycare at 7 or a drop later. They play and do activities all day with 1 two hour nap. I pick him up around 4:30 - 4:45 PM, have dinner at 5 then we play till 6:30ish, bath, books, and usually in bed by 7PM
Sometimes he passes right out and other times he plays in the crib for a bit and then out by 7:30

Re: Wow... such early bedtimes!!!

FTWM here. I pick the kids up at 5:30, get home by 6, 6:15. Make dinner, eat by 7:15, kids go to bed at 7:45.

They are tired, they need their bed by 7:45. If we are out, I don't rush home, but if we are home, the latest they are sleeping by is 8 pm.

Re: Wow... such early bedtimes!!!

I am a FTWM.

I come home between 6-6:30.

Nightime is basically a mad rush to get my DC fed, bathed and into bed.

DD is 8 months, gets her bottle and bath and is in bed @ 7:30.

DD is almost 3, eats dinner, bath, and he's in bed by 8/8:30.

Re: Wow... such early bedtimes!!!

I posted this on the other thread. AJ's has never gone to bed before 8pm.

Guess every kid is different. She sleeps like the dead when she's out tho! (except lately she has been waking up in the middle of the night).

*shrug*

To each their own

We both work FT. In NY I'd get home around 7-8pm and she'd be half asleep but wake up around 9pm to play with me then go back down around 11pm. During her infant stage

Now as a toddler she's in bed around 9:30pm. We're all home by 6pm (unless we run an errand).

Re: Wow... such early bedtimes!!!

Im a SAHM and my 7 month old twins usually go to bed anywhere between 8-10. I must admit Im very jealous of the 7:00 bedtimes!

Re: Wow... such early bedtimes!!!

I'm a FTWM and my kids have early bedtimes... how? I don't spend much time with them.

DS is only 9 months - he NEEDS to be in bed by 7:30. I generally walk in the door, bathe him, put him in his pjs and hand him off to DH to put him to bed so I can take care of DD.

She's 3 and I like to get her in bed by 8, but it doesn't always work. She is in bed by 9 without question.

If I happen to be home during the day, I can get them both in bed by 7 and 7:30, but definitely by 8:00.

Re: Wow... such early bedtimes!!!

I'm a FTWM and DS goes to bed 7-730. I get home M&F at 5 (I pick him up at 4) the rest of the week, I have him by 530. We made that routine since he was like 3/4 months. Well, technically he did b/c he would be a nightmare btw 6 & 8, so I finally took that as his cue that he wants to be in bed and not hanging out with us anymore

Re: Wow... such early bedtimes!!!

Im a FTWM and DD is asleep by 7:30. I'm a teacher and work really close to home, so I am home by 3:30, the latest. When I get home we play until I cook dinner, then I'll give her a long bath to tire her out some more.

Re: Wow... such early bedtimes!!!

I am a SAHM, and my children have always been early-to-bed, early-to-risers. Now that my older 2 are 5 and 7 years old, they are in their beds by 8:00 at the latest and are sleeping by 8:30. DD is 3, and is in bed by 7 and sleeping by 7:30. They are all awake between 7:00 and 7:30am.

Re: Wow... such early bedtimes!!!

It probably has a lot to do with being a FTWM, I'm a SAHM and by 6:30 we start our bedtime routine, bath, pjs & books he's in by 7 latest b/c 1-I'm wiped from the entire day running after him ect (I'm also 5 mos pregnant), 2- He needs it - he falls asleep soon after I put him down. But, if I was working full time rt now I'd probably be putting him down a little later just to get in a little time together/get everything done.

Message edited 4/13/2011 1:00:18 PM.