One of the parenting topics that come up again and again has to do with bed time. If a parent is not wrestling with a child trying to get her to go to bed, we are trying to get a child to stay in bed. A question that I get asked periodically is whether or not there is a “right” time for bed time? And, if there is anything a parent can do to control when a child goes to bed and how long they sleep?
As parents, we can provide structure and reasonable expectations, but there is a certain amount of flexibility and negotiation that takes place between our child and us. Not all children need the same amount of sleep and different families have different schedules too. For example, one family would much rather a child go to bed earlier so that he or she can get up by 5 or 6 am, while another needs the child to stay up later for a later family meal time and sleep in a little later to accommodate the family schedule.
To a certain degree, you can influence your child’s sleep schedule so that it can fit into the family needs, but you will still need to take into account the child’s sleep temperament too. Additionally, the age of the child will influence things. As a child gets older, he or she will want to have more of a “say” in bed time and you may find yourself renegotiating bedtime every year or so.
A child’s bed time should provide for him or her to get enough sleep for his age and needs. If the child needs to get up early, than an earlier bed time makes sense. It is unreasonable to expect a child to stay up later and then get up earlier to make it to school or day care on time. As a parent, you will have to decide what works best for your family schedule, how the child’s “sleep clock” works, and balance out these concerns in choosing the correct bedtime.
See Also: Getting Up after Going to Bed
and BED TIME discussion in our FORUMS section