What Time Should The Children Go To Bed?

Knowing what time children have to go to bed is of paramount importance if we want our children to be in excellent physical and mental health. 

Every parent wants to know what time their children need to go to bed so that they can enjoy good health, perform well in school, be in a great mood during the day and boost their growth. In this article, we address this very topic: we know very well that it is not at all easy to get them to go to bed at the time we choose.

The good news for parents is that there is no need to despair. With the information you are about to read, you will be able to decide what is the ideal time to send babies to sleep based on their age. In addition, some practical tips are included to put an end to distractions and finally get them to sleep.

What time should the children go to bed?

The first thing parents need to know is that it  is more important to know the number of hours the child needs to sleep than the exact time they need to go to bed. Of course, the idea is not to send them to bed at eleven in the evening, but we also don’t have to go crazy to have them strictly follow a set time, but rather to ensure that they enjoy several uninterrupted hours of good quality sleep .

According to the United States Association of Pediatrics,  an acceptable time interval for children to go to bed is between 7:00 pm and 9:00 pm when they are between 5 and 9 years old, and until 10:30 pm when they are between 10 and 12 years.

However, this time also depends on the time at which they have to wake up to go to school. For this reason, it is more practical to divide the data by age.

Recommended bedtime based on the age of the child

Depending on the ages of the children, their physiological sleep needs are different.  The information below is an approximation that comes close to the sleep needs of babies.

Babies in their first months up to the year of life

Babies in this group need to sleep 16 hours a day, including afternoon naps. Naturally, babies should sleep as often as they wish, according to their body’s needs.

Children between one year of life and 5 years

They need to rest approximately 14 hours a day.  It is also necessary that a portion of these hours be devoted to afternoon naps. A good time to get them to bed is 6pm or 7pm.

Children between 6 and 10 years old

The estimated time for children of this age to go to bed is approximately 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm . The number of hours for which they have to rest is around 12 hours.

Children from 12 years to adolescence

Are you wondering what time older children have to go to bed? From 12 years of age, they can go to bed until 10:30 pm, and  must rest between 10 and 8 hours daily.

How can we manage to send them to sleep at the time we say?

We now know how long babies have to sleep and what time they have to go to bed, but… how can we do that? The list of recommendations we present below can be very helpful in starting to create good bedtime habits.

• If it is a baby,  you should know that it stays awake no more than three hours. Pay attention to his cues to know when he wants to sleep. They consist of crying and rubbing your eyes.
• If he is already at least 4 or 5 months old  and you want him to start sleeping for several hours in a row during the night, try to keep the space in which he is located always illuminated during the day, and that this is accompanied by music or from a moderate noise. At night, keep the light off in its spaces, even when it wakes up and you have to feed it; always be very quiet.
• For children between 3 and 4 years of age, it is recommended to give them a relaxing bath before sending them to sleep, to read them a story and try, as far as possible, to respect the same sleeping times every night. habits to put them to bed.

• From the age of 7,  avoid that they are exposed to distractions such as the TV on, the mobile phone or tablet in hand, or any visual stimulus that prevents them from sleeping. A glass of lukewarm milk before bed can encourage a pleasant sleep.

We hope that we have answered your doubts and that you now know what time children should go to bed based on their age. In conclusion, it is important that you pay attention to your child’s sleep habits. If you think you are oversleeping or, conversely, have trouble doing so, always consult your doctor for expert guidance and opinion.