Pediatrician Explains The ‘Controversial’ Bedtime Parents Should Enforce For Their Children
For some families, a steady bedtime routine is simply not possible.
DONOT6_STUDIO | Shutterstock In many households, bedtime is a point of contention. Yet one pediatrician says that the ideal bedtime that parents should enforce is even earlier than most would expect.
The pediatrician recommends that parents start getting their teenagers and children ready for bed by 7:30 p.m.
In a TikTok, Dr. Rossome, a pediatrician and father of four, admitted that his bedtime advice is a bit controversial. Still, he said that he and his partner aim to have all of their kids, ages 7 to 15, getting ready to go to bed by 7:30 p.m. each night.
“This most often allows us to get the littles to sleep around 7:30 and get the bigger kids ready to go to sleep between 8 and 8:30 or so,” he explained.
The pediatrician claimed that sleep is crucial for young children and teenagers and that many American families often overlook the importance.
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends that children ages 6-12 regularly sleep between 9 and 12 hours each night, while teenagers ages 13-18 should strive to get 8-10 hours each night.
According to Rossome, an early night is the only way for kids to get the necessary hours of sleep.
Still, many families find it difficult to get their kids to bed at a reasonable hour due to their demanding schedules.
“My 14-year-old is still at baseball practice at 7:30,” one TikTok user commented.
“My 15-year-old has hockey until 9:30 p.m. Then it’s snacks, showers, etc.," another commenter shared. "Expecting a 15-year-old to go to bed at 8 p.m. is a pipe dream." another wrote.
Even if the children’s schedules are tame, many working parents do not have much time with their kids during the week and will not see them at all if they go to bed earlier.
“Thanks to corporate America, if many put them down at 7:30, then I would have one hour with them a day,” one parent noted.
The pediatrician addressed parental concerns.
He acknowledged that many parents and kids have busy schedules that prevent a 7:30 bedtime.
“I fully recognize that's a reality, and my kids participate in a lot of sports [and] extracurricular activities,” he said. “That's why [on] the nights that we don't have sports, it's even more important for us to adhere to those strict bedtimes. So the nights they do need to be more flexible because of sports or events, they can stay up a little later and not have a significant detriment to their sleep.”
He further advised parents to consider their kids' sleep schedules when signing them up for sports and other extracurricular activities.
Many children do not get enough sleep and suffer the consequences.
According to CDC data from 2018, 6 out of 10 middle schoolers and 7 out of 10 high schoolers do not get enough sleep.
Lack of sleep among children and teenagers is due to a number of factors, including school, work, sports and extracurricular activities, stress, and screen time.
Poor sleep quality impacts more than just our overall alertness throughout the day. Children and adolescents who don’t get enough sleep are at a higher risk for obesity, diabetes, poor mental health, and behavioral problems.
An early bedtime is not always possible, but it is something to strive for. Your body will certainly thank you for it.
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.