What Time Should My Child Be Going to Bed?

How does this chart compare with your family’s schedule?

See what other parents are saying about this chart on Facebook.

Charts like this are helpful guidelines; however, every child and family routine is unique. Let’s come together to help parents who are asking themselves, “What time should my child be going to bed?”

Pop on over to Facebook and share YOUR answers to these two questions:

How old are your kiddos and when are they heading to bed?
Do you have any special evening routines?

Prompted by Love & Logic books, our family started implementing bedroom time (vs bedtime) awhile back. Basically, this means that instead of having a designated “sleep time,” we have a designated time the girls need to be in their bedroom.

Bedroom time can consist of a variety of relaxing activities:

Reading with a book light
Listening to gentle music
Drawing by lamp light
Enjoying an audio book
Writing in a journal

Over the years, what the girls do during bedroom time has varied greatly. It simply needs to be an activity your child finds calming.

While we don’t have a set sleep time, we do have a set lights-out time. While we want to give our children a nice gap of time where they can choose their own bedtime based on their body queues, we still need to ensure their basic needs are taken care of. That being said, most nights the girls turn their light off on their own without any prompting. It is amazing how well children can self-regulate if we give them the opportunity to do so.

In the future, our girls will continue to stay up later and later. What I love about this approach is that my husband and I still get some private time together, regardless of when the girls go to sleep. I think retaining time for adult conversation is an important way to strengthen a marriage.

If you have questions about bedroom time, I’d love to chat in the comments below or here on Facebook. We’ve been using this approach since the girls were toddlers, so I’d be happy to talk about our experiences.

PS: These are my three favorite Love & Logic books:

Parenting With Love And Logic: This is the first Love & Logic book I read. I like the specific situations and suggestions provided in the book.
Love and Logic Magic for Early Childhood: Practical Parenting From Birth to Six Years: This is a case of “don’t judge a book by the cover.” This was a great resource. We got it on audio from the library and listened to it many times over the years.
Parenting Teens With Love And Logic: Preparing Adolescents for Responsible Adulthood: This is what I am currently reading. I like that many of the Love & Logic approaches grow with your kids.

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