6 year olds and sleep? - Children's Health Message Board

Fireball76 · 02-06-2007, 04:15 PM

My oldest son is 6 years old. He has always been an early waker. We have a good routine at our house as far as the evening goes:
5 is dinner. From 530 until 630 it's play time. 630 bath time. Then clean up toys. Watch a 1/2 hour long cartoon. Bed at 730. He usually falls right to sleep. Occasionally he's up until 8 or so.
Every morning he is up before anyone else. When I have to work I get up a little after six and he's already awake, waiting for me to get up. I just have no idea what time it is when he wakes up, he waits in his bed until he hears someone else get up. For the most part I think it's about 6 or so. Is this enough sleep for a 6 year old? Is there anything I can do to help him get more sleep each night?
He's pretty much phasing naps out on his own, which is fine. Usually he does okay without a nap, but there are days that he's so tired by the end of the night. I just wonder if he's waking up at 4 and just not going back to sleep.

Any thoughts or advice would be great.
Oh! I've tried keeping him up later than 730, he still gets up early and is a bear the whole next day because he's so tired.

PinkPiglet · 02-06-2007, 04:32 PM

That sounds just like one of my kids. Kids that age will sleep as much as they need to. Not every child is the same.

My dd crashes by 8pm. Out like a light!! However, she's up by 6 or 6:30. She's just always been like that. You are so lucky that he sits in his bed waiting for you to get up!! Mine has always gotten up and gotten into everything. LOL

As long as he's not crabby and miserable with that amount of sleep I wouldn't worry about it.

Fireball76 · 02-06-2007, 05:25 PM

That's very true! That'll be what my 2 year old does when he's older and out of a crib! He'll be into everything I bet.
My older boy has good days most of the time. Only time it seems to catch up on him is when he has school all day, even then it's only sometimes.
Thanks!

LisaFaith · 02-06-2007, 06:07 PM

My 7 year old goes to bed at 8:00pm, but he doesn't fall asleep until about 9:00 or 9:30, and then he's up before 7:00am everyday. On movie night, he's up until 10:30 or so, and is still up before 7:00am. It's true that not all kids need a lot of sleep. My almost 5 year old gets up at 7:00am (I usually have to wake him,) takes a nap from about 3:00-4:30, and then is in bed at 8:00pm. He's usually asleep by 8:15.

Sannah · 02-07-2007, 08:03 AM

Fireball, I would skip the nap and then he might sleep longer at night? It might take him a few nights to adjust and not be tired.