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Health & Fitness

Sleepy Time

Q: With school back in session, we imposed a much earlier bedtime of 8 p.m. for our 10-year-old daughter. However, she doesn’t fall asleep right away—usually about 45 minutes later. Is her bedtime too early? Should we allow her to stay up later so that she falls asleep faster? I also have to wake her at quarter to seven every morning for school, so I wonder if she’s getting enough sleep.

A: The amount of sleep a child your daughter’s age needs is between 10 and 11 hours per night, with the average amount of sleep about 9 hours—mostly because of later bedtimes. It sounds as if your daughter is averaging close to 10 hours of sleep per night if she falls asleep close to 9 p.m. and wakes up a bit before 7 a.m. Having to wake a child up is not necessarily an indication of sleep deprivation. Signs that perhaps a child isn’t getting enough sleep is constant crankiness, especially in the afternoons; trouble concentrating at school; or abnormally hyperactive. If you see symptoms such as those listed on a regular basis, then a checkup at the doctor’s would be in order to see if not enough sleep might be the culprit.

Now, as to whether 8 p.m. is too early for your daughter: perhaps it is. But you can bridge the gap between when she falls asleep to when she’s in her room winding down for the night by imposing an 8 p.m. in her room, ready for bed rule. Don’t allow her to have access to electronics or TV, because studies of screen time has been shown to wind up a body instead of calming down for sleep (See “The Shallows” by Nicholas Carr for more information.)

Let her read, draw, play quietly with toys, whatever she enjoys doing that doesn’t involve a screen would help her to establish a good night-time routine. Then have her come out to say goodnight at 8:45 p.m., before turning out her light for the night. That should help her have a bit more unwinding time before bed and give you and your husband more child-free time in the evenings—a win-win situation for everyone.

In October, Sarah will be giving a series of talks on The Well-Behaved Child: Discipline that Really Works through the City of Fairfax Parks and Recreation Department. Also in October, Sarah and Mary Elizabeth Peritti will speak on Parenting With Love & Leadership in a four-part webinar series. Contact Sarah through her website for more information.

Do you have a parenting question you would like to see answered on this blog? Email Sarah with Parenting Question in the subject line. Sign up for Practical Parenting, Sarah’s a free, monthly e-newsletter with commonsense advice on child rearing, by visiting www.parentcoachnova.com and clicking on the newsletter tab.

Sarah Hamaker is a certified Leadership Parenting Coach™ through the Rosemond Leadership Parenting Coach Institute. She’s also a freelance writer and editor. Sarah lives in Fairfax, Va., with her husband and four children. Visit her online at www.parentcoachnova.com and follow her on Twitter @novaparentcoach.

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