Article - Coping with bedtime

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Coping with bedtime

If you struggle to get your kids to bed on time, spring brings yet more

challenges, with its warm bright evenings and all the extra energy kids seem

to have at this time of year. One solution to the bedtime struggle was put

forward in a book that suggests that seven o'clock is the optimum time for

lights-out, to ensure that kids get enough sleep and parents get enough

adult time. Nice idea, but is it realistic? Could you put your kids to bed

at seven o'clock? And would you want to?

The author of the book, Inda Schaenen, is no expert, but she draws upon a

number of sleep experts to come to her conclusion.

She's right to raise the alarm, as the trend indicates that kids are more

sleep-deprived these days. One study turned up a startling find: for each of

the past three decades, children have lost a half-hour of sleep. So today's

kids sleep an average of 90 minutes less each night than their counterparts

did 30 years ago. We all know the likely causes - two working parents, too

many extra-curricular activities, more homework, etc. But what matters is

that less sleep can have adverse cognitive, behavioural and emotional

consequences.

Sleep research shows that children who regularly get nine hours of sleep

perform better in school, experience better moods, suffer fewer accidents

and are less likely to become obese. On the other hand, sleep-deprived

children often act hyperactive, which has been linked to attention

deficit/hyperactivity disorder. And scientists believe that children's

brains are engaged in important developmental work while they are asleep.

Few parents would dispute expert opinions, but how on earth can they bond

with their kids if they're getting them to bed by 7 p.m.? Schaenen's

solution is to shift the all-important family time to early morning, or

making arrangements to pick up the kids earlier than 6 p.m. Not possible for

all parents, but even a 7:30 or 8 p.m. bedtime would be a vast improvement

for most families.

More than a strict timetable, what Schaenen is advocating is a parenting

philosophy based on creating predictability early in a child's daily life.

Kids thrive on routine, and Schaenen contends most families have lost sight

of the importance of daily (and nightly) routines and the boundaries they

(implicitly) impose.

Whether it's a seven o'clock or an eight o'clock bedtime that you establish,

as long as it's consistent, life should get better.