This is one are where my husband and I differ. He routinely stays up late, but I'm definitely not a night owl! Even if I don't have to wake up early for work the next morning, I still feel better and function better with a consistent bedtime. Knowing how much better, more relaxed and healthier I feel after a good night's sleep, makes me a big stickler on the kid's consistent bedtime. We will let the kid's stay up a little later on the weekends (if they nap/take quiet time during the day) or over school holidays, but during the school week I'm strict with bedtime by 7:30pm. We start our bedtime routine at 7pm with stories, pj's, brush teeth and then in bed by 7:15-7:30pm. For me being strict about bedtime is so important because our kids are naturally earlier risers and this way I know that their bodies and brains get the proper rest needed. Even when we let them stay up late for a special occasion, they are naturally wide awake by 6:30AM, and are typically cranky the whole next day because they're overly tired.
Multiple studies have been done looking at the effects of bedtime on children's physical and mental health. One particular study done in 2013 found that children and adolescents who went to bed late were more likely to have a BMI classified as overweight or obese, and had poorer nutritional intake with consuming more energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods during the day. On the other hand, children with an early bedtime were found to consume more fruit and vegetables on a daily basis, and to have healthier body weights. Other studies have found that kids who go to bed earlier (from ages 3-7) tend to score higher on cognition and standardized tests in early grade school years. Lack of proper sleep greatly affects a child and adolescent's physical, cognitive and emotional health.
So how much sleep does a kid need? And how does the sleep requirements change as a child grows up? Lastly, how does it change from one child to another? While there are some good guidelines discussing how much sleep a child needs at each age, there is some variability within those recommendations. Just because bedtime by 7:30 works for our older kids, that doesn't necessarily mean that your child needs the exact same bedtime. The whole idea behind a consistent bedtime is that kids need routine, and that having a consistent bedtime allows their bodies and minds the chance to rest, grow and develop properly.
In general, I try to go by the recommendations set forth by the National Sleep Foundation who suggest that toddlers (1-2 years old) need 11 to 14 hours/day. Wheres as 3-5 year olds need 10-13 hours/day, and school aged kids (6-13 year olds) need 9 to 11 hours a day. The suggested hours are in a total day, so if your child takes naps then they may not need as early of a bedtime as a kid who doesn't nap during the day.
With our girls, they were terrible sleepers from the time they were born. They never took long naps, and often woke up several times at night so it was a struggle to get a bedtime routine down. However, by being consistent with our chosen bedtime routine we have gradually found what works for our family. On the flip side our son has been an amazing sleeper from the beginning! He is almost 16 months old and still takes 2 long (1- 1 1/2 hr naps) during the day, plus sleeps on average 12 hours a night! I doubt we will be that lucky with baby number 4, but I can hope right??
If your child has been used to staying up late it can be a struggle to implement an earlier bedtime, but stating with gradual changes can help. For example, if he/she is used to going to bed after 9pm try by starting to move bedtime up by 15 minutes every few nights until you have gradually moved to a more reasonable time. Also, developing a consistent routine can help the kids settle down easier and fall asleep quicker. For us that means, once baby brother goes to sleep, the girls need to start settling down (ie stop any dance parties or running around acting crazy). Usually once the baby goes down, we play a few games of Guess Who or read 2 stories, then its upstairs to put pj's on, brush teeth, pick out clothes for the next day, and then one more story in bed before lights go out. Some nights the girls fall asleep within a few minutes of lights out, and other nights I can hear them whispering to each other in bed for awhile but they are at least resting in bedtime and being quiet so we're ok with that.
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