5 Year Old Needs Sleep!

Hi D.,
With all due respect..... are you kiding? :0) He is getting adequate sleep. Now if he was waking at 6am or earlier then, I would have an issue. My son goes to bed the same as yours 8-8:30 with his routine of reading a book prayers and lights out. He sleeps all night. He is awake 7-8am every day. That is fantastic!!!! Really it is! I can remember that he would be up at 6am or earlier. You really are lucky as there are so many Moms that have children that do not sleep that long. That is almost 12 hours! I don't have any advice other than he is sleeping very well.
Chris

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7 730 is up with the chickens? I would say 5-6 is that time.

He is getting more then enough sleep.

My 6 year old gets about 9-10 hours.

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D.,

Sorry to tell you this, but YOU are being unreasonable. Your son is doing EXACTLY the right thing. You need to get over it, 7:30 is not that early...perhaps you need to go to bed earlier. He is getting the right amount of sleep for a child that age and if anything, 8:30 is too late for a 5yo to be up. You should be happy you have a 5yo that is sleeping this well!

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Dear D.

The reason your son is getting out of bed at that time is because he has had more than enough sleep. Have you ever tried to force yourself back to sleep when you are no longer tired. Not all children need to be having afternoon naps and 10 hours a night are enough for them to be growing strong and healthy. As long as you are keeping your night time routine and the same bed time every night you can be sure that he will wake up when he has had enough sleep. Enjoy this while it lasts the older they get the harder it is to get them out of bed int he morning!!

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I have a 5 year old who has about the same schedule. She gave up naps around 3 years old. My understanding is if they are not tired and cranky during the day they are getting enough sleep. On average, 5 year olds need about 11 hours of sleep and if that is what he is getting, then great! I'd say you have a great routine, stick to it!

Sounds to me like mommy is going to bed too late and doesn't want to get up in the morning.

I would say he is getting enough sleep. Maybe once he gets more into the sports he'll want to take a little nap in the afternoon, but you'll most likely have to turn the tv off. I can't get my daughter to go to sleep unless I take everything away...even books. She's stay up all day and all night if she could!!

Are you crazy ? He's getting close to 11 hours of sleep !!

Be thankful he sleeps as long as he does in the a.m. If he starts to seem tired, be sure he naps, but you are just lucky he isn't getting up at 6:00. My kids napped, but they went to bed at 8:00 and were up by 6:00 every day; and one of ours was up half the night, too, until she was 8 or 9, because she just didn't need that much sleep.

Hi D.! I have a three and a half year old who also has a built in alarm clock. He is up at 6- 6:30 every morning no matter what time he goes to bed. We have him in bed at 7-7:30 every night. I also feel like he is not getting enough rest because he also does not nap. By 4 in the afternoon he is sooo tired and crabby it's ridiculous. But, this is the time he has always gotten up and i have come to terms that I may never be sleeping in (by sleeping in I mean 7 7:30) until my boys are off to college! I feel like that is enough rest for a 5 year old but then again I am not a sleep expert! The very best of luck to you in getting your little guy to sleep in a little longer. Leah

Count your blessings if she is sleeping until 7-7:30. If you want her to sleep longer, try putting her to bed earlier. I've read that children who are overtired tend to sleep longer if they have an earlier bedtime. Good luck.
J. W

I don't know if this will help, but please hear me out first. I have 4 children, I would always tell my frinds, "Why didn't God bless me with children who would sleep in??" my oldest is 4, all his life he'd go to bed late(meanind 9:ish) and he'd be up at or before7:00. he got a 1-2 hour nap until he was 2 years old. We began to notice that if he took even an hour nap, he'd be up later at night, but would still get up at his normal time...i said, oh no you don't!:) Even now we have to be really careful, the only time we let him nap is if he's not feeling good. Just like you, we wondered , how can we get him to sleep in, we had him outside playing, cutting back on the sugars, no drinks after a certain time... we were trying to do EXACATLy what the doctor was saying, but NOTHING changed his "inside clock" now that he is in pre-school, he wants to go to bed around 8:00, but he is still up ready to go by 7:30, some kids just don't need as much sleep as their parents want them to have, The bottom line, your son is getting enough sleep and that is why he's SLEEPING IN until 7:30... the activities your son is now in, may help him to sleep a little longer, but' i wouldn't count your chickens before they hatch! i think he ia doing great, and before you know it he will be in kindergarden where they don't get naps, so if you begin to train him to take naps, you may be aksing for something you really don't want to start, he may begin to get up earlier, becasue his body doesn't really need the extra sleep. and so to make up for it, he won't go to bed around 8:oo and then he'll get up earlier too..becareful what you are asking for!

He's getting 11 hours of sleep a night. I am not sure why you think he needs more than that. The chickens wake up a heck of a lot earlier than that where I live. I think you should consider yourself lucky. My 4 year old daughter gets 10 hours of sleep a night goes to 2 different preschools and doesn't get a nap, and she is fine. I don't think you have anything to worry about.

It sounds like he's getting about 10-11 hours of sleep per night. My 5 (and three) year olds are chicken risers too - usually up between 6-6:30 with a beditme of 7:30. If he is waking up himself, it's probably because he's well rested. My advice, if you're worried about the amount of sleep he gets is to put him to bed a little earlier.

My son will be 6 in June and goes to bed between 8:30 and 9 every night. At that age they just don't nap anymore. My son relaxes with a movie on the weekends. is your child in school?

It is normal for an active five year old to get up around 7-730 when going to bed at 8. I have a very active four year old and she sleeps the same amount of hours your son does sometimes less. All I can say is good luck. Soem children are just early risers.

Count your lucky starts your son sleeps that long!!! My 4-year-old falls asleep at varying times depending on how much he naps in day care during the day. No matter what time he goes to bed he is up at 6:30am!!! However, he is instructed to wake up, go to the bathroom, and return to his room. He is to play in his room quietly until I wake up (I have a baby monitor and can hear him and his 1-year-old brother carrying on) . He won't even turn on the TV that is in his room. Your son is sleeping as much as my 1-year-old who sleeps from 7pm-6am.

I have a five year old as well. My sons bed time routine is about the same. He sleeps about eleven hours. I think that is very normal. You have him on a good routine for when he starts school. He will have to get up around that time anyway, or earlier. Good luck with everything.

I am a grandmother who had one child (he now has 4 kids). I cannot believe you think that a 7 to 7:30 AM rising is being up with the chickens. How late do you think he should be sleeping? Why would he go back to bed or be taking a nap at 5? Is he or will he not be going to school?

My son used to go to bed at approximately 9 PM and rise at 9 AM when he was very young until he was approximately 2 1/2 to 3 years old. When he passed that age, he began rising in the 7 to 7:30 AM window which I thought was wonderful. He was going to nursery school and at 4 1/2 was going to full time kindergarten.

My grandchildren start upstairs at approximately 7 PM (even 10 to 15 minutes earlier sometimes) and sometimes rise at 6 to 6:30 AM. The oldest is in school full time so that is fine during the week. On the weekends they are often awake at 6:00 to 6:30 which is more like rising with the chickens.

If he is sleeping close to 10 1/2 to 11 hours, I think that is wonderful. Your problems could certainly be a lot bigger!

gotta agree with everyone else, these are the same hours that my son keeps, and had been keeping since three-ish when he gave up his nap. dd had similar hours as well.

you sound like me, i just wish they would sleep longer so i could sleep in- i'm just not a morning person!

At this point I think your five year old is sleeping just fine. That is a great schedule. What you should understand is that all kids are different some need more and some need less sleep. I don't understand why you would want him in bed any longer than that, unless you want to be in bed longer. I am not trying to be rude so please don't take it that way. Unless you find that he cannot stay up during the day and falls alseep during school and what not I really don't think he has a problem. Aside from that have you talked to a doctor about this? I am going to take a guess that they will probably say the same thing I am but if you want to be sure go to the doctor. Again sorry if I sound rude.

I also have a 5 year old and sleeps the same amount of time (maybe a little less). My pediatrician said it was plenty and actually was surprised she slept that much.

All I can say is, get used to it. lol My son is the same way except he wakes up when the sun comes up every morning at 6 am. We put room darkening blinds in his room and he got up a little later. We did however tell him that he had to stay in his room to play until 7:30am and that worked. You have to be consistent and make sure he knows when it's time. We told him to read books or play quietly. Reward him with a compliment on how well he did when he does it.

Also, when we put our son to bed earlier he seemed to sleep later. Now that he's 8 yrs old that doesn't work anymore though. Good luck.

Why is 8:00 the magic number? When he goes to school maybe next year or the year after, guaranteed you both will have to get up before that. Seems like he has a great sleep schedule and mom needs to change hers.

11 hours of sleep is PLENTY for a five year old
its normal and average...
unless you are having behavioral problems with him due to him being tired...
Dont worry bout it...
My son stopped napping at 18 months...
and has been sleeping 10-11.5 hours a night since he was three. He does fine...

I do not think 7:00-7:30 is too early for him to be waking at 5 years old. I think he is getting the required amount of sleep for his age if you are putting him down at 8:00-8:30 (I have read that a child his age needs at least 9 hours and maybe some quiet time in the afternoon- not necessarily sleep, but quiet play) Granted, I am a morning person also, so I am up early anyway.
That being said, I have heard that keeping a special clock (one with a favorite character he likes, ect)in his room works well. At his age you can reason with him that he must stay in his bed/room until a designated time you set (8:00?) Only at that time is he to come out/get up. Many children, (I have only read this) learn to go back to sleep or enjoy their own quiet time on their rooms looking at books, ect.
Best of luck to you!

Hi
Change the clocks in his room and one other one and put him to bed an hour earlier. My 5 year old goes to bed at 7 or 7:30. I understand this is a hassle but I assure you it has worked for us and now when she gets up at 7 or 7:30 it's not an issue for us. If he really fights it, try calming music to listen to. My kids love Baby Einstein anything. Good luck. Each child is unique and my son is the total non-sleeper in our house--just like his father!

You could check with your doctor but from what I remember reading that sounds like an appropriate amount of time. I think 11 hours is what they need at that age.

This is actually a very appropriate amount of sleep for him. Every child is slightly different but I don't know a single mom who's child at this age sleeps THAT much more that your son does. My boys have been sleeping these exact hours since they were both about 2 1/2 and that is without napping!

D., You are blessed with a morning child and when he's 16 and you are fighting him to get up in the morning to catch the bus I hope you remember this question. LOL, no seriously, don't worry so much he obviously has great sleeping/waking habits and as his activities increase, I'm sure he will adjust it himself (you may find him sleeping durring those movies in his room). Each person has his/her own rythem and if I were you I'd relax and see how it all shakes out. All three of mine are night owls...they love to stay up late and sleep in til noon!! We managed..you will too. Have fun with t-ball & soccer!!

Hey that is a great sleeper! He only needs 10 to twelve hours a night and he is getting that. My kids go to bed at 8:30 and get up at 5:30-6 a.m. You have it very good girl! Unfortunately my kids wake each other up!

If you want him to stay in bed a bit longer suggest that he read a book or play quietly in his room, especially if you are the one who needs more time in the morning to rest. I had my kids do that for me, especially when there was a new baby in the house and an extra half hour or hour was very much needed. You can always set a cup in fridge and a bowl of dry cereal on the table for him to snack on.. etc.

I just wouldn't expect an energetic 5 year old to stay in bed much longer than that. That is actually a great amount of sleep for a kid his age.

Good Luck!

M. (Mom of Four crazy people!)

Hi D.,
This is how much my son sleeps too for the most part. Every child is different. I have two boys and one seems t need a little more sleep than the other, but both get about 8-10 hrs sleep. When they need more, they will sleep late or if they can't sleep in (due to church or school), then I can begin to tell by their actions and attitudes that they need to go to bed a little earlier that night or a couple nights in a row. Besides, we he starts school he will need to be up that early anyway, he is in a good habit for the future, of course by that time you will have to dragging him out of bed to get the bus stop in time (:

Hi D.,

You can thank your lucky stars that you have a child that does not mind getting up early (to me that's not early though). I assume by his age he will start school in the fall??? It's a good thing that he does get up early now rather than likes to sleep in because he will need to get up at approximately that time anyways once he starts school. My son, whose 8, goes to bed around 8pm and wakes up around 7 each morning. I would definitely say that your son is getting enough sleep.

L.

Does he act tired during the day and seems to need more sleep? If not, maybe he is just one of those kids that don't need the extra hours and you gotta get used to it.

Maybe you should not let him watch a movie during his quiet time, but require that he stay in his bed and look at books or play quietly with toys. He might actually go to sleep.

I have two kids that would sleep until noon if I let them. I have two kids who are up with the light each day. As summer is drawing near, and it gets light earlier, the earlier they get up. This may be your son's problem. The light is stimulating him.

Get room darkening shades or blinds. That might work.

One of the daughters that used to be up with the lights just turned 13 and she does sleep longer now. I wish she had done that when she was little!