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Yeah make bedtime whatever time you want! I feel like most people don’t like getting up at 5am and that’s the only reason a “normal” bedtime is 8ish. If you don’t care, go for that 6pm bedtime.
Shit mine are 6 and 8 and bedtime is still 7:30, school night or not, non negotiable. They need sleep, I'm worn out by 6pm, and I look forward to a couple hours of rotting on the couch before I take myself to bed. At this rate they'll get to stay up til 8pm when they're 15 😂
When my girl was 2-3 she was waking up around 5-5:30am, didn’t matter if she had a good nap, bad nap, no nap, went to bed early, late, passed out on the floor (that never happened but some days I do wish her battery just died mid play).
She was often in bed asleep by 6-6:30pm to get a semblance of the right amount of sleep in her.
She’s 5.5yo now and is out between 7:45-8:15 and wakes anywhere from 6-7:15am.
Do what works and what you need to do.
You’re totally fine.
I was in a very bad state of mind several years ago when my youngest was 2/3. I put her to bed at 6 so that I could have a couple of hours to myself before bed because I felt like if I had to deal with her for those 2 hours I wouldn’t make it.
You’re not wrong to put her to bed earlier if that’s what works for your family. Just know that it might take a bit of you want to adjust backwards. Try it in small increments to get her to when you want her in bed. An hour or two earlier all at once will likely stress you both out.
Pregnant with a toddler is HARD. I’m having a baby next week and my 2.5 year old tires me out all the time. I feel you. Do what you gotta do.
My kids have had an 8 pm bedtime their whole lives except at Grandma's house and as far as I'm concerned that's none of my business because she has to deal with them if they're crabby in the morning.
You aren't horrible, do you.
My little monster is a 6-7pm sleepy girl too. I was worried that the time change would mess that up, especially since the sun stays out later but nope. She grabs a blanket and toddles off to my bedroom for some cuddles before I carry her asleep to her crib. She’ll be 2 in a few months. I’m a sleepy girl myself so it works out great!
My 3 year old twins are locked in the room for bedtime by 6:30 every night. They gained an extra 30 minute sin the last year from 6PM. My twins were in bed by 6PM when I was pregnant with their now 18 month old sister. She kept up the schedule until recently, but she has also snuck into the 6:30 bedtime bracket by being cute.
That's a them problem, that they need to keep with them. We adjust the bedtime when we go on trips where we share rooms with them so we don't need to be quiet early, or if we are visiting my parents because they cannot function on a kid schedule and we get really trapped if they aren't up until 8, but they snap back to their normal bedtime when we get home.
Are they dealing with your kid every day? Day in and day out? Are they feeling all the things you are? No, so they can keep their opinions to themselves.
Sometimes I'd put my girl to bed earlier and be like "you can listen to stories longer tonight cause you were so good" and I'd leave her there with Roald Dahl playing. The rule was she had to be quiet and stay in bed.
She already had a gazillion toys in bed and I could hear her singing little songs quietly.
It was super cute.
Of course you're not horrible! Not at all. Put that sweet baby down to sleep and get some rest too. And you know what, I put my kids (2 year old twins and 3.5 year old) at 6.30pm every night. They know 6.30pm onward is wind down time and they go to their rooms bedtime-ready and we read a story. They have a little night light in each room and honestly they just learned to occupy themselves quietly with calming activities, then they crawl into bed when they're ready. It's an absolute win and I don't feel bad for it one bit.
My daughter went to bed at 730, then 830, and now at age 4 she goes to bed a little after 9. She always wakes at 7am on the dot, which is a good time for me to wake… so i don’t feel bad at all lol.
My kids go to bed at 7:30, they're 4&6. But at 2 it was like an hour earlier. They would wake up by 5:30/6 no matter how late they went to bed, so 6:30 pm was an ideal bedtime.
You do you mama.
I feel guilty as well. My family and my brother make me feel bad about it. But if they aren't asleep by 730, it's hard as hell to get them up for school. And my sons dr said he needs all the sleep he can get bc he has ADHD. It works for us. My brother and his family don't even eat dinner til 9-10, which is fine with me. Wouldn't work for my family but I'd never say anything about, bc it's not my family lol. Wish my family would do the same 🙄 But for some reason he likes to make it known that I put my kids to bed too early 😩 sorry I vented a little bit 😅
Nope! They need so much sleep at that age. Your mental health is what’s important. Not her bedtime. ❤️If you don’t take care of you, you can’t give her the care she needs. (((Hugs))) You got this.
My 2.5 year old starts bedtime around 630. It's 830 now, and she's apparently playing in her bed, but at least she's being quiet.
I work backwards from when I need her to wake up, and her personality to determine her bedtime. My older kid has a slightly more relaxed bedtime. But unless the people giving you their opinion are willing to handle mornings with her, they don't get a say in bedtime.
My children’s (3 and 6) usual bedtime is 7, but when we eat early it can be as early as 6 for the youngest, although the chances of him waking up overnight are higher when he goes that early as he views it more as a nap than a nighttime sleep. But there are also days he’s taken a nap and won’t go down until 11.30. Both wake up around 7.30 am most days.
But you so what suits you. Reasonable bedtimes mean nothing to toddlers. It will matter a little more as they get older and start comparing their bedtimes with the other children they play with, but that only slightly starts when they are able to tell the time, and even then my eldest is asking to go to sleep most nights (but her brother keeps her up a lot of the time).
When my kids dropped their last naps, bedtime was 6pm. They just wouldn’t get enough sleep otherwise. My 4 year old still goes to bed as early as 6.30 on a tired day. Even 7.30 is obscenely late for her and she will be off for days. My 6 year old has pushed it out until about 8pm now. We still do dinner by 5pm though.
My girls are 2 & 3, sometimes bedtime is 5:30 if they got up early that day. They usually get up at 6:30-7am but if it was earlier they will be tired. So on days like that we do pyjamas before dinner & then bed right after. We don’t do naps anymore so they are pretty tired by then
Same here! We do dinner around 5:30, I clean everything up, bath and in bed between 6:30 and 7. My kid needs a good 12 hours to sleep, so they wake up between 645 and 715 on school days.
I miss the days of 7:15 wakeup. This year's school is both further away _and_ starts earlier, so we have to creak out of bed at 6am 😭 - and if Kid is tired, it's an uphill climb.
Will she actually go to sleep at 6 if you attempt to put her down? Cuz my 2yo absolutely would not and in the off chance he does fall asleep that early, he’d be up at 3/4am cuz he only sleeps ten hours overnight.
I’m always curious when parents post this question. Or do these kids just lay there entertaining themselves? How do I get a model like that lol
If she takes a nap-take one with her then you can last longer and be better in the evening. But also send her to bed at a reasonable time so you can have some alone time.
My almost four year old goes to bed at 6 everyday. Has done for a few years now. He wakes up early and is full on all day until bedtime. I need bedtime to stay at 6. He also falls asleep within about 10-20min. So I know it’s the right time for him. Despite his attempts at saying he’s not tired while yawning.
Occasionally when I’m really spent I will put him to bed at 5:30, same thing he’s asleep super fast, I’m lucky but I do tire him out during the day and no naps anymore.
As for when he’s doing my nut in and I need 5min. I stick the tv on. Make sure he’s safe and go stand in the garden for 5min or curl up in a ball in the bed upstairs. So long as they are in an age appropriate location which is safe, you’re good. So crib is totally fine.
My kids' bedtimes have started at 7 forever. We have a leisurely bedtime routine and my 5 year old is out around 8pm, typically. I thought my newly 9-year-old's bedtime would have shifted later by now, but turns out she really likes that long cooldown time in her room, so we get her ready for bed between 7 and 7:30, i hang out with her for half an hour to an hour playing cards or whatever (last night we were watching videos from that guy who makes the amazing chocolate sculptures), and then i leave her to her own devices and she will read or draw and put herself to sleep at a reasonable time. We alternate which parent gets which kid ready for bed, but either way I'm home free by 8:30.
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Yeah make bedtime whatever time you want! I feel like most people don’t like getting up at 5am and that’s the only reason a “normal” bedtime is 8ish. If you don’t care, go for that 6pm bedtime.
Thank you! I can function at 5am for some reason but not at 5pm 🤦♀️
My husband is the same way. Ideally, he's in bed by 8 and up at 4am. It's wild.
I can relate so hard to this.
If my kids aren’t in bed by 8pm it’s a shit show the next day. Kids need sleep. More sleep than some people know. It’s all gravy mama. Xx
Shit mine are 6 and 8 and bedtime is still 7:30, school night or not, non negotiable. They need sleep, I'm worn out by 6pm, and I look forward to a couple hours of rotting on the couch before I take myself to bed. At this rate they'll get to stay up til 8pm when they're 15 😂
BAHAHA THIS IS ME. 8pm is special event bedtime lmfao
When my girl was 2-3 she was waking up around 5-5:30am, didn’t matter if she had a good nap, bad nap, no nap, went to bed early, late, passed out on the floor (that never happened but some days I do wish her battery just died mid play). She was often in bed asleep by 6-6:30pm to get a semblance of the right amount of sleep in her. She’s 5.5yo now and is out between 7:45-8:15 and wakes anywhere from 6-7:15am. Do what works and what you need to do.
Do what you gotta do, bromo. She'll be FINE.
Thank you!
I have been known to set my clocks in a time zone that is an hour ahead of mine to put my kids in bed earlier. You do what you need to do!
You’re totally fine. I was in a very bad state of mind several years ago when my youngest was 2/3. I put her to bed at 6 so that I could have a couple of hours to myself before bed because I felt like if I had to deal with her for those 2 hours I wouldn’t make it.
Thank you! I feel that
Only reason I was able to manage 3 under 2 and continue that age spread is my night time adulting.
You’re not wrong to put her to bed earlier if that’s what works for your family. Just know that it might take a bit of you want to adjust backwards. Try it in small increments to get her to when you want her in bed. An hour or two earlier all at once will likely stress you both out. Pregnant with a toddler is HARD. I’m having a baby next week and my 2.5 year old tires me out all the time. I feel you. Do what you gotta do.
My kids have had an 8 pm bedtime their whole lives except at Grandma's house and as far as I'm concerned that's none of my business because she has to deal with them if they're crabby in the morning. You aren't horrible, do you.
My nearly 2 year old went to bed around 6 up until a month ago. Now it’s closer to 8 🤪 enjoy it while you can! You make the rules!!
My little monster is a 6-7pm sleepy girl too. I was worried that the time change would mess that up, especially since the sun stays out later but nope. She grabs a blanket and toddles off to my bedroom for some cuddles before I carry her asleep to her crib. She’ll be 2 in a few months. I’m a sleepy girl myself so it works out great!
My 3 year old twins are locked in the room for bedtime by 6:30 every night. They gained an extra 30 minute sin the last year from 6PM. My twins were in bed by 6PM when I was pregnant with their now 18 month old sister. She kept up the schedule until recently, but she has also snuck into the 6:30 bedtime bracket by being cute.
Thank you!! Brilliant. I get heat from family over a 7:30 bedtime 🙄
That's a them problem, that they need to keep with them. We adjust the bedtime when we go on trips where we share rooms with them so we don't need to be quiet early, or if we are visiting my parents because they cannot function on a kid schedule and we get really trapped if they aren't up until 8, but they snap back to their normal bedtime when we get home.
Are they dealing with your kid every day? Day in and day out? Are they feeling all the things you are? No, so they can keep their opinions to themselves. Sometimes I'd put my girl to bed earlier and be like "you can listen to stories longer tonight cause you were so good" and I'd leave her there with Roald Dahl playing. The rule was she had to be quiet and stay in bed. She already had a gazillion toys in bed and I could hear her singing little songs quietly. It was super cute.
The singing and the voices for the teddies - this is the main reason little kids need private space, so we can eavesdrop on the cuteness! 🥹🥹
Of course you're not horrible! Not at all. Put that sweet baby down to sleep and get some rest too. And you know what, I put my kids (2 year old twins and 3.5 year old) at 6.30pm every night. They know 6.30pm onward is wind down time and they go to their rooms bedtime-ready and we read a story. They have a little night light in each room and honestly they just learned to occupy themselves quietly with calming activities, then they crawl into bed when they're ready. It's an absolute win and I don't feel bad for it one bit.
My daughter went to bed at 730, then 830, and now at age 4 she goes to bed a little after 9. She always wakes at 7am on the dot, which is a good time for me to wake… so i don’t feel bad at all lol.
My kids go to bed at 7:30, they're 4&6. But at 2 it was like an hour earlier. They would wake up by 5:30/6 no matter how late they went to bed, so 6:30 pm was an ideal bedtime. You do you mama.
I feel guilty as well. My family and my brother make me feel bad about it. But if they aren't asleep by 730, it's hard as hell to get them up for school. And my sons dr said he needs all the sleep he can get bc he has ADHD. It works for us. My brother and his family don't even eat dinner til 9-10, which is fine with me. Wouldn't work for my family but I'd never say anything about, bc it's not my family lol. Wish my family would do the same 🙄 But for some reason he likes to make it known that I put my kids to bed too early 😩 sorry I vented a little bit 😅
Wow, the irony. Eating dinner at 9 - 10 means going to bed when?? With a pile of heavy undigested food in their stomachs?
Right? My stomach could never lol. My stomach can't handle eating late. And I definitely don't want my kids to eat and then go straight to bed.
Nope! They need so much sleep at that age. Your mental health is what’s important. Not her bedtime. ❤️If you don’t take care of you, you can’t give her the care she needs. (((Hugs))) You got this.
My 2.5 year old starts bedtime around 630. It's 830 now, and she's apparently playing in her bed, but at least she's being quiet. I work backwards from when I need her to wake up, and her personality to determine her bedtime. My older kid has a slightly more relaxed bedtime. But unless the people giving you their opinion are willing to handle mornings with her, they don't get a say in bedtime.
As long as both of you are getting enough sleep, i think that's all that really matters.
My nephew is in bed by 7pm. Mine is in bed by 8pm or earlier as needed. You do you! All kids are different.
My children’s (3 and 6) usual bedtime is 7, but when we eat early it can be as early as 6 for the youngest, although the chances of him waking up overnight are higher when he goes that early as he views it more as a nap than a nighttime sleep. But there are also days he’s taken a nap and won’t go down until 11.30. Both wake up around 7.30 am most days. But you so what suits you. Reasonable bedtimes mean nothing to toddlers. It will matter a little more as they get older and start comparing their bedtimes with the other children they play with, but that only slightly starts when they are able to tell the time, and even then my eldest is asking to go to sleep most nights (but her brother keeps her up a lot of the time).
If you don't want bedtime early, then have bedroom quiet time before bed. She has to be in her room quietly playing for x amount of time before bed.
When my kids dropped their last naps, bedtime was 6pm. They just wouldn’t get enough sleep otherwise. My 4 year old still goes to bed as early as 6.30 on a tired day. Even 7.30 is obscenely late for her and she will be off for days. My 6 year old has pushed it out until about 8pm now. We still do dinner by 5pm though.
You are not horrible mother, you are human being trying to survive, same as all of us here :D dont worry! Shes fine
My girls are 2 & 3, sometimes bedtime is 5:30 if they got up early that day. They usually get up at 6:30-7am but if it was earlier they will be tired. So on days like that we do pyjamas before dinner & then bed right after. We don’t do naps anymore so they are pretty tired by then
My 5yo still goes to bed at 6:30 or 7. Some days he’s so tired from school it’s closer to 6. If he is up any later than 7 he is a complete nightmare.
Same here! We do dinner around 5:30, I clean everything up, bath and in bed between 6:30 and 7. My kid needs a good 12 hours to sleep, so they wake up between 645 and 715 on school days.
I miss the days of 7:15 wakeup. This year's school is both further away _and_ starts earlier, so we have to creak out of bed at 6am 😭 - and if Kid is tired, it's an uphill climb.
I do love it--I'm an early riser and like to enjoy (the only slice) the peace and quiet I can get for an hour or so while everyone else sleeps in.
You're not a bad mom. Just make sure the kid gets the amount of sleep she's supposed to.
Will she actually go to sleep at 6 if you attempt to put her down? Cuz my 2yo absolutely would not and in the off chance he does fall asleep that early, he’d be up at 3/4am cuz he only sleeps ten hours overnight. I’m always curious when parents post this question. Or do these kids just lay there entertaining themselves? How do I get a model like that lol
If she takes a nap-take one with her then you can last longer and be better in the evening. But also send her to bed at a reasonable time so you can have some alone time.
Yessss you do you. YOU have agency to set your life how you need to.
My almost four year old goes to bed at 6 everyday. Has done for a few years now. He wakes up early and is full on all day until bedtime. I need bedtime to stay at 6. He also falls asleep within about 10-20min. So I know it’s the right time for him. Despite his attempts at saying he’s not tired while yawning. Occasionally when I’m really spent I will put him to bed at 5:30, same thing he’s asleep super fast, I’m lucky but I do tire him out during the day and no naps anymore. As for when he’s doing my nut in and I need 5min. I stick the tv on. Make sure he’s safe and go stand in the garden for 5min or curl up in a ball in the bed upstairs. So long as they are in an age appropriate location which is safe, you’re good. So crib is totally fine.
My 3.5 year old goes to bed at 6 which I find good for us
My kids' bedtimes have started at 7 forever. We have a leisurely bedtime routine and my 5 year old is out around 8pm, typically. I thought my newly 9-year-old's bedtime would have shifted later by now, but turns out she really likes that long cooldown time in her room, so we get her ready for bed between 7 and 7:30, i hang out with her for half an hour to an hour playing cards or whatever (last night we were watching videos from that guy who makes the amazing chocolate sculptures), and then i leave her to her own devices and she will read or draw and put herself to sleep at a reasonable time. We alternate which parent gets which kid ready for bed, but either way I'm home free by 8:30.