Plan Ahead for Back-to-School Bedtimes

April 2017

Preschoolers and children in elementary school have particular sleep needs:

  • Preschoolers (ages three to five): 10 to 13 hours
  • School-age (ages six to 13): 9 to 11 hours

When determining a good time for your child to go to bed, it’s important to work backwards from the time he or she needs to wake up for school. For example, a five-year-old who needs to be at school at 8:00 a.m. and who requires about an hour to get ready and eat breakfast might function best when going to bed at 8:00 or 9:00 p.m. and waking up at 7:00 a.m.

Remember, though, that most young children wake up early. So extending their bedtime until 10:00 p.m. isn’t necessarily going to result in their sleeping later in the morning. It will likely just result in a cranky child, particularly if this isn’t part of their regular routine.

Source: National Sleep Foundation

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