Back-to-school Bedtimes

This is the last week of summer for my children although for many throughout the area and state their kids have already gone back to school. For us, that meant a bedtime discussion, especially for my middle school aged child. She needs more sleep than her brother, always has. That also meant drama and whining in our household since I suggested 9:00 p.m. as her bedtime. So how do you deal with getting back into the routine? What is your child's school bedtime?

WebMD suggests that school aged children ages 7-12 get 10-11 hours of sleep each night while older teens should get 8-9 hours of sleep. As a parent with kids in that age range, I know how challenging mornings can get when they don't get into bed early enough. Cranky mornings are the worst.

One of the ways I avoid cranky mornings is that we don't allow TV or technology before school Monday-Thursday. Then IF they get up and get going without complaint, they get to have technology or TV on Friday mornings. We also pack Monday lunches on Sunday night, since Monday's always are the worst. While these help our morning routine some, it still does not help me encourage them the get into bed earlier.

A recent University of Michigan blog post offered these school night bedtime tips that I thought were interesting.

• Be consistent
• Store gadgets
• Cut out caffeine
• Create a refuge

We do store any electronics. In fact even I find that placing my phone across the room means I won't reach for it in the middle of the night to surf social media. We also don't dink much, or caffeinated beverages. Our challenge, with sports, activities, scouts, etc. is consistency.

"Set and maintain a schedule that helps reinforce the notion of turning in: bath time, brushing teeth, putting on pajamas and perhaps reading a book together. “Routine is very important,” Reed says, noting that the rundown shouldn’t change on weekends." 

This was easier when they were younger but not so much now.  So, what can a mom do? Your thoughts are always appreciated! Comment below with your school routine challenges or solutions we can all benefit!