What Is The Right Bedtime For My Child?

All parents know that it is not easy to get their children to bed at the right time every night. But when is it really best for children to go to bed?

We all know that good sleep is the key to good health and growth. Getting enough sleep is also a must for those who want a child in a good mood all day and who do well in school.

The good news for parents is that there is no reason to give up hope. With the advice that follows, you can more easily decide on the best time for your children to go to bed, depending on age.

We will also give some practical tips on how to avoid distractions and make sure the child goes to bed without problems.

What time should children go to bed?

The most important thing to understand is how many hours of sleep the child needs rather than what time they should go to bed.

We rarely plan for them to be up until 23:00, but you also do not have to worry if they stay up late one evening from time to time. The most important thing is that they get a sufficient number of hours of undisturbed sleep.

According to the Association of Pediatricians in the USA , an acceptable time for children between 5 and 9 years is to go to bed between 19.00 and 21.00, and up to 22:30 for children from 10-12 years.

Sleep time should also be set in relation to the time the children have to get up to go to school. For that reason, the number of hours is divided here by age group.

Recommended sleep time by age

Depending on the age, a child’s physical sleep needs vary. The following information is an indicative guide to children’s average sleep needs.

Infants from one month up to one year

Children at this age should sleep about 16 hours a day, including naps. Of course, children at this age should sleep whenever they want, according to their physical needs.

Children between 1 and 5 years

Children at this age should sleep about 14 hours a day. Some of these hours should be a nap during the day.  A good sleeping time is at 18:00 or 19:00.

Children between 6 and 10 years

These children need to go to bed between 19:30 and 21:00. Ideally, they should sleep around 12 hours.

Children from 11 years and teenagers

As children approach adolescence, they can stay up until around 10:30 pm, and  they should sleep between 8 and 10 hours a day.

How to get them to go to bed on time

Now that we know how many hours the children will sleep and what time they will go to bed, the question is: how do we make it happen?

Here are some recommendations to help you create good bedtime habits.

• Infants  are not awake for more than three hours at a time. Signs that they want to sleep are often that they cry in combination with rubbing their eyes.
• If they are older than  4 or 5 months  and you want them to start sleeping more hours at a time at night, try to make sure their surroundings are bright during the day, with music and a moderate noise level. In the evening, make sure to always have the light off, even when the baby wakes up and you need to feed. Also try to be as quiet as possible.
• For children between 3 and 4 years, we recommend giving them a relaxing bath before bedtime. Read a fairy tale and try, as best you can, to keep the same bedtime and routine every night.
• From the age of 7, avoid distractions such as having the TV on, a cell phone or toad nearby, or other visual stimulus that may prevent them from falling asleep. A glass of warm milk before bedtime can help them get a good night’s sleep.

The most important thing is to pay attention to your child’s sleeping routines.

If you feel that they are sleeping too much or, on the contrary, are not getting enough sleep , consult your doctor  for advice.