Teacher shares exact time kids should go to bed each night - depending on age

03 March 2024 , 12:00

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The table reveals how much sleep a child needs depending on their age (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

It's important that children get enough sleep at night - no matter how much of a battle they put up at bedtime. But do you know how much shut eye they should actually be getting, depending on their age?

A teacher has shared an informative guide with bedtimes for kids organised by ages - and it's proved to be a real talking point amongst parents. The post was originally shared by an educator from Wilson Elementary School, but later resurfaced on social media

The guide states, for example, that a seven-year-old who needs to be up at 7am in the morning should go to bed at 8:15pm, while a 10-year-old getting up at 6:30am should be in bed by 8:30pm.

The table has been praised by many parents - but not everyone agrees

The chart was first shared by Stacy Karlsen, who told Fox6Now she couldn't believe the post went viral. She said: "To me, it was a shock [that the post was shared so much]. I didn't make it up. I found it coming across my personal page and I thought, 'Wow, this is super helpful'."

Some parents agreed with Stacy that the chart was a useful guide. One mum claimed it "justified" the bedtimes she had already put in place for her little ones.

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"I have four kids — and I catch a lot of flack for their bedtimes," she explained. "I started out setting their bedtime years ago based on how much sleep they need... Glad to see this chart justify the exact times we have already set."

However, not everyone was quite so impressed with it. A different parent compared the rigid guidelines to being in the military. He argued: "This isn't the military and if I was to send my kids to bed at 7 at night they would be up at 4 a.m. No thank you. Plus I would never get to spend time with them after school." Another commented: "I'm sorry, but this chart is absurd. Who puts their kid to bed at 6:45?"

Others thought that the bedtime rules should differ during certain months and depending on whether the child has had naps during the day.

Great Ormond Street has a guide on their website, advising parents of how much sleep their child needs. It states that infants between four and 12 months require 12 to 16 hours of sleep, including naps, while one to two year olds should be getting 11 - 14 hours, also including their naps.

Children between the ages of three and five need 10 - 13 hours, including naps, and six to 12 year olds require 9 - 12 hours. Teens, meanwhile, should be getting eight to 10 hours of shut eye.

Gemma Strong