Bedtime for 2Nd Graders

My daughter is in 3rd grade this year and I still try to get her to bed by 8pm or 8:30pm at the latest. She has to get up by 6:15am. Although my older daughter had requested a 9pm bedtime when she was in 3rd grade. I agreed because she seems to be ok with less sleep. I agree with you that 9pm or later for a 1st or 2nd grader is quite late.
C.

I have a 7 and 10 yr old and they both go to bed at 8:00 to 8:30 but if they are real tired they go at 7:30 now that is is getting dark so early. They were waking up early this last week but is now changing a little as their bodies get used to the new time. Good luck.

My daughter is 6 and in the first grade she goes to bed any where from 7:45 (if she has been sassy and mis behaving) to 8:30.

Hi C., I have a second grader also and a 5th grader. Bed time for them is 9:00 on school nights. My 5th grader has always gotten up early. I have no problem with him at all in the morning even if he gets to bed a little later. My daughter (2nd grader) is a little different. She loves to sleep. One night last week she went to bed around 7:30 and I still had a hard time getting her moving the next morning. So you are probably correct in sending your 2 to bed earlier. It is hard for me putting 1 child to bed earlier than the other because they think that I am not being fair. Also anytime I have put my younger one down early she will lay in bed awake for a long time.

Hi C.,

I have a 1st grader and a 4 year old and they both go to bed between 8 and 8:30. Sometimes they even fall asleep by 7:30 watching t.v. during wind down time. They usually get up around 6:30-6:45.

Good Luck!

I recall having a 7pm or 8pm bedtime. Kids do need their sleep, especially to maintain their immune system and keep it healthy.

I would guess it's the time change that has some part in it. Also, I like to wear my son out an hour or two before bedtime by playing active games. A full tummy a dinner time is super helpful, too.

My kids have always gone to bed at 9. If they can't handle it and fall asleep earlier which sometimes they do than so be it. But I think 8 is too early and especially if there gonna get up so early

Stick to your bedtime!! I wouldn't adjust things at all. Sleep is so important and not enough parents feel that way. And I've read that the sleep we get before midnight is worth more than the sleep after. My 6 year old is in bed between 7:30 and 8 every night.

I have a 6 yo and a 2 yo. They both go to bed at 8 and get up at 7. Kids this age still need at least 10 to 11 hours of sleep at night to stay healthy and function properly. Maybe try putting a clock in their room and telling them they can't get up until it reaches a certain time. They may see it's too early and fall back to sleep. I know I do!

Hi C.! I have two girls a 7 year old and a 10 year old. I have always read that kids' brains grow when they are sleeping and they at this age need at least 10 hours of sleep for that to happen. On that note, my kids go to bed between 8:00- 8:30. I think the time change may have something to do with it, although now my 7 yr old is actually sleeping in with the time change. She was previously waking at 6:00 a.m. and now when I wake her at 7:00 p.m. she is still asleep. You are doing a great job! keep it up!

My 1st grader goes to bed between 8-8:30 and wakes at 7:15am

C., no, I do not think that time is unreasonable. I have a nine and an eleven year old, 4th and 5th grade who still go to bed at 8pm most school nites. Sometimes I let them stay up until 8:30. Weekends, they are usually allowed to stay up until 9:30 or 10, also in the summer. I agree children need a good night of sleep to function their best. Take Care. R..

my stepson is in 2nd grad and at my house he goes to bed by 8. if he is acting tired he goes to bed at 7.30. he gets up anywhere from 7-8 in the morning. I know at his mom's house he goes to bed later and if it isn't a school night, he stays up WAY to late. When we see him on monday's he is so tired, because of the later bedtimes.

Kids need their sleep. They function so much better when they have it. I remember i was going to bed at 7p, even in the summer, until i was about 8, then it was 7.30 until I was 10, and then it moved to 8. I was in high school before I stayed up until 9. I know I complained about it, since all the other kids stayed up later than me, but I did a lot better than most kids in school, because i wasn't constantly tired and falling asleep in class.

Your bedtime is fine! Have you tried blackout shades for the room? Your issue might be light. Our kindergartner used to wake up at 5:30 everymorning no matter what time he went to bed. It was just his internal clock. He could go to bed at 7 or 9 and still wake up at the same time. He was in much better shape when he went to bed at 7. Now he wakes up at 6:30 which is fine because then he has more time to get ready in the morning. The blackout shades keep his room as dark as possible to extend his sleeping. Pottery barn has some really cool heavy shades that we got.

8 is a good time. Kids need their sleep especially during school and now flu season.

Hi C.
I have a 1st grader who will be 7 in January and a 4 year old and I also believe that sleep is very important. Until the summer both my boys went to bed by 7.30, then during the summer they had later nights and I decided to make their bedtime 8pm. So they are both in bed by 8pm most nights (especially school nights). My 1st grader usually wakes up around 6.30, which is perfect so he can take his time waking up and getting ready for school without any stressful rushing around before school. I love that I know he's getting enough sleep because I don't have to wake him in the morning, he just wakes up naturally.
I too am shocked at how late some young kids go to bed and I don't think it is good for them if they don't get enough sleep, it must make it very hard for them to concentrate at school if they are tired.
Personally I think 8pm is a reasonable bedtime. :)

I have 5 boys ages 14, 11, 8, 6, and 2 1/2. They all go to bed at 8pm. They start the bedtime routine at 7pm, showers or baths if their needed, eating, and brushing and in bed by 8pm with the lights out.

Not only do young children need their rest but so do teenagers! I also need a few hours of quiet time in the evenings just to decompress for awhile.

The boys were all bickering/argueing/fighting amongst themselves one night so I made them go to bed with lights out at 7:30 and I could so tell a difference the next day, it was much better!

We also have a rule that if they wake up before the rest of the household and don't want to stay in bed, they may get up and do a quiet activity like reading, puzzles, or silently playing with a toy. My middle boy is in 2nd grade and that is definitly old enough to understand this concept. My 6 year old follows these rules as well and hes only in Kindergarden.

My kids are all teens, (or nearly teens) 16, 14, 13, and 11, and they all go to be at 9 on school nights. Up until the were 10 they went to bed at 8 pm every night because children need between 10 to 12 hours of sleep. Also... one thing to thing about, parents need the time between the kids bedtime and their bedtime to reconnect with each other and to chill.

My boys, ages 3 and 8, go to bed at 7:00 pm. My older one falls asleep within minutes while my little one lays in bed with a book and pretends to read for at least an hour before passing out. If we all didn't have to be up at 6:00 am, I might move the bedtime, but 7:00 is working fine for us!

My second and fourth grader go to bed at 8:30. And just this year, my eighth grader started going to bed at 9:30

Hi C.,

I have a 2nd grader, kindergardener and 5th grader and they all go to bed between 8 and 8:30. I agree I think kids need their sleep, I can tell the next day if mine don't get to bed on time, they are not happy children.

Our bedtime is 9:00. As they got older (now in 5th and 8th), they still go to be at 9. They are in more sports and activities that makes it impossible to get them to bed any earlier. They all get up at 6. 8:00 was just too early for us and each child is different.

My son is now in the 3rd grade, but his time has not changed from last year. His bedtime is 9, but come 8 o clock he is taking his shower and getting ready for bed and usually lays down about 15 to 8 watches a little TV and lights out at 9. I think it all depends on what time the children get up in the morning on school days. My son gets up at between 7:00 and 7:30 am and gets on the bus at 8:25 am, so he is getting 10 hours of sleep a night. On the weekends he will stay up later, but sleeps in too. 9 is the latest he can stay up too in his elementary years. They say young children should get 10 hours of sleep a night.

My 3rd grade twins go upstairs at 7.30 get into PJs, brush teeth and read till 8 then lights out!