Bedtime by age
What time should a 6 year old go to bed?
Between 7:30 and 8:30 pm for most 6-year-olds who wake up around 6:30. At six they need 9 to 12 hours a night, and most do best with 10 or 11 once a full school day is behind them.
Their lights out
Lights out between 7:30 and 8:30 pm.
Tonight, counted back
An hour and a half out leaves room for a bath without rushing.
Or screens off, on a night without a bath.
What's different at six
- Sleep
- 9 to 12 hours
- Naps
- None
- Routine
- 30 to 45 minutes
- Evenings fill up at six: practice, homework, a later sunset. Put dinner first and let the activity move, not lights out.
- They can own PJs, teeth and laying out tomorrow's clothes. Keep books, or a few minutes of talking in the dark, as your part.
- Screens off an hour before lights out. It's the rule that makes the biggest difference and gets fought the most, so make it part of the routine rather than a punishment.
- Blackout curtains for the summer. Asking a six-year-old to fall asleep while it's still light out is asking a lot.
By wake-up time
The same sleep, counted back from four common wake-ups. Lean early on a day they woke up tired.
| Up at | Lights out |
|---|---|
| 6:00 | 7:00–8:00 pm |
| 6:30 | 7:30–8:30 pm |
| 7:00 | 8:00–9:00 pm |
| 7:30 | 8:30–9:30 pm |
Sleep hours are the American Academy of Sleep Medicine's recommended ranges, which the American Academy of Pediatrics endorses. Every kid is a little different. If you're worried about how your child sleeps, ask their pediatrician. For any age and wake-up time, use the bedtime calculator.
Knowing lights out is the easy part. Nightlight plans the two hours before it: a dinner that fits the energy you have left, then every step, timed back from 8:00.
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