appropriate bedtime for toddlers?

I have a 4 yr. old son, and 3 yr. old daughter. We are trying to figure
out an appropriate bedtime for them, because it seems like they would like
to stay up as late as we do.

Can anyone give us suggestions for what is appropriate? I seem to
remember not getting to stay up past 9 until I was in middle school (~12
years old), but can't remember much before that.

OhioGuy wrote:
I have a 4 yr. old son, and 3 yr. old daughter. We are trying to figure
out an appropriate bedtime for them, because it seems like they would like
to stay up as late as we do.

Can anyone give us suggestions for what is appropriate? I seem to
remember not getting to stay up past 9 until I was in middle school (~12
years old), but can't remember much before that.

What difference does it make how late they stay up?

What is important is that they get enough sleep so that they are not
tired during the day.

So if they stay up until 1:00 AM, and sleep until noon or 1:00 PM, as
long as they are bright-eyed and bushy-tailed during the day, that is
just fine.

So, they just need to go to bed early enough (with proper sleep hygiene,
like quiet activities before bed and a bedtime routine like getting into
sleepwear, peeing, brushing teeth and bed-time story) so that when it is
time to get up (whether it is 6:00 AM or 1:00 PM), they are not tired
during the day.

Kids that age need around 10 to 13 hours of sleep (there is a great deal
of variability), so they need to go to sleep about 10 to 13 hours before
they need to get up. So if they need to be up at 7:00 AM for daycare,
then they should probably go to sleep around 8:00 PM.

Also, remember, in 1 or 2 years, they will also have to follow someone
else's schedule (the school's). So you will have to adjust to that
schedule at some point.

Jeff

What difference does it make how late they stay up?

A BIG difference. They pretty much wake up with the sun like we do,
unless we let them sleep in a tiny bit, but then they are up to get
breakfast when we eat it, by 7.

OhioGuy wrote:
What difference does it make how late they stay up?

A BIG difference. They pretty much wake up with the sun like we do,
unless we let them sleep in a tiny bit, but then they are up to get
breakfast when we eat it, by 7.

Well, then, they need to go to bed so that when they get up, they have
had enough sleep; they shouldn't be tired during the day. Sometime
between 6 PM and 9 PM, most likely, unless they nap during the day.

The big variables are when they get up and how much sleep they need,
which, together, determine when they need to go to bed to get enough sleep.

Jeff