Should kids have a set bedtime?

I believe children should have a set time to go to bed that corresponds with his or her age. My younger kids are aged four years old and aged two years old. Every day of the week they go to bed just before seven O Clock in in the evening. At the weekend if something special happens like a day out in summer they can go to bed as late as nine O Clock in the evening. Each child should sleep in his or her own bed. Every parent has different ideas and children can differ too. I believe it is good to get into a routine in the home.

I never had one for my kids. Kids are like anyone else - some need more sleep than others. Most parents set a bedtime for their own benefit, not for the benefit of the kids. If you really want your kids out of your hair by 7:30 each night, and they aren't tired, at least allow them to read in bed or play quietly with a small toy. When tired they will fall asleep. What I did have was a set GET UP time lol...and believe me, getting up at 6:30 a.m. every day - they were plenty tired by night time!

My kids have a set bedtime! My oldest is 5 and goes to Kindergarten a few full days a week. I feel fair is only fair, and if my oldest has to be in bed by 8 every week day night so does my youngest. I don't mind if they stay up an extra hour or two on nights that she doesn't have school the next day, but no later then 10 for sure. Kids especially younger ones need their sleep, and school can take a lot out of a child.

Yes, there should be a set bedtime for kids because if they won't have a fixed schedule the tendency is that they'll have dark circles under their eyes. It is not good that kids will sleep only when they're tired it's because it can gave them too much stress on their body.

I never used to set a certain bedtime for my children. Then I realized they were cranky and my husband and I never got to spend any time together alone. It was causing us to fight a lot and everything because it felt like the day never ended peacefully. So now we do have a set bedtime for them and it makes things much easier on us.

I believe children should have a bedtime. My daughter goes to bed at 8 o'clock every night. When she gets a little older the time will go up but she is little and needs her sleep. You dont want to have to deal with a grumpy kid the next day because they didnt get enough sleep that night. Also for all the moms that stay at home and take care of their kids and dont work when will they be able to get their mommy time in! :)

Hello sam and welcome to myLot. When I was raising my kids I found that a well rested child is a happier child and therefore a happy parent. A well rested child doesn't get as frustrated as a tired child doe too. A set bed time helps to get a child into a regular routine for school and as an adult for facing the world of work.So in my opinion children do need a set bed time.

Your children: your rules.

To me is good to set up a routine so children know what to expect and bed time is one of them...besides parents need time for themselves as well other wise how can they discuss any thing important with a child interrupting every now and then? I had 4 children...the youngest went to bed at 7 pm and the older at 8 pm except on week ends of course when they were allowed to stay up till 10 pm[ the older ones] if we were watching a movie or playing a game which we did most week ends.

I think children must have still be on their parents until the age of seven because the comfort of parents is very important for children's growth...

Yes I think kids should have a set bedtime.. one thing is that they are still growing and they need enough sleep to be well rested so they can grow better other than that sleep helps sustain the stamina they need for the next day's activities especially if they are at school age already..

Believe me, your childrens teachers love you for that! Children need plenty of sleep to make the most of out life. Remember, their futures depend on learning everything they can, both in school and socially! Teachers can recognize lack of sleep faster than anyone. I am not a teacher but I witnessed how an over tired child is affected by the lack of sleep when I did day care!

Yes. Kids should have a set bedtime. They need a lot more sleep than an adult.

Definitely sam. My daughter is seven and should be inside the school before 7 in the morning. I thought her to sleep early,830 pm so she'll wake up at 530 during weekdays.And sleeps at 9 during weekends. That is better so i don't have a hard time waking her up..

I definitely think that children should have a set bedtime. Granted, their age will affect what time they go to bed, but they should definitely have a set bedtime.

I agree with you, kids should be trained to be desciplined in time. By telling them regularly about the time for bed, time for dinner and so on. Kids will grow up with all of this routine warning. We can start with time, later we can tell them about what should be done and what mustn't be done.

Don't have any kids yet but my niece and nephew is living with us.Kids should really sleep early and we set a sleeping time for them.When my niece sleep really late,she having a hard time to go to school the next day and having tantrums already.I guess kids should be practice to sleep in a certain time for them to used to it.

Yes, they should have a set bed time. It is said that the body repairs itself from 10PM to 2AM. It is important that by that time, our children had already went to sleep since it is important to their growth.

Totally agree to this one.. My mom was quite strict when I was a kid- No Tv after 9 and 9-10 was story book time and off to bed by 10.. On weekends though it was a little more relaxed , but I never did stay up very late.. And though at that time I resented it, I feel its done a lot of good to me as I used to get a good night's sleep which made me healthy, I dint spoil my eyes watching too much tv and it inculcated the habit of reading and also being punctual in me.. I would say thanks to my mom.Cheers

As a mother, I can tell you that my toddlers (4 and 3) have a set bedtime. They go to bed at 7pm with bath time and everything at about 6:30/6:45 pm. I don't understand the point of letting a child stay up super late at night. Once they hit maybe about 15 or 16 then I probably wont mind as much. I mean either way they will still have to get up for school so they should be responsible enough to go to sleep on time. At a young age I think they need a set bedtime. The structure helps with schooling and such and for those parents that want five minutes to themselves without staying up all hours of the night. It is the perfect way to do it. I put my sons to bed at 7pm (7:30pm if dinner ran a bit late) and then I can watch my TV shows instead of NickJR all day and do anything I might need to do including clean with no interruptions.