Managing bedtimes?

@cbc8171 He sounds like my 4 year old. She can just go, go, go. I think meal prepping will help a ton.. I’m also going to have to work more efficiently to try to get more done during my lunch and breaks.
 
@kaiti Just try it out and see how you like it. Today, for example, I cleaned the kitchen and did two loads of laundry during my lunch break 😅
 
@kaiti We wouldn’t be able to do extracurriculars during the week if I didn’t have a flexible job. Most of the stuff we do is 4-5ish. One night we don’t get home til 630 and I reheat leftovers and then straight to bed for the kids. Another day we have a 20min drive to/from swim so I pack “dinner” for the older kids to eat in the car on the way home (cheese, crackers, pepperoni, fruit).

I have a 5, 3 and 1. They all go to bed at 7pm. Sleep is very important to me for my kids.
 
@kaiti I have a 3YO in full time daycare, so a little different but here’s what we do.

I typically work until 4-4:30 (WFH) then pickup from daycare. We usually do something after that (library, grocery shop, swim lesson, gym, errands) and try to be home by 6-6:30 for dinner. I typically cook a from-scratch meal once a week and the rest of the week is leftovers, a quick meal (crockpot or microwave) or something simple like sandwiches & salad.

We start bedtime routine at 8 with very few exceptions. Bath, pjs, brush teeth, books, & lights out. 3YO is typically in bed & settled by 9. Wake up is around 6:30am.

We’ve considered adding gymnastics to the mix, but I’m not sure how I would stay on top of other things like housework & home admin with another evening gone during the week. I wish I had a full 8 hours after work to get everything in before bedtime, but it’s just not possible.

It sounds like something’s gotta give: drop an activity, look into simpler or pre-made/pre-prepped meals, recruit more help from your spouse or hired help…
 
@kaiti meal prep on weekends so you can just heat up left overs before the 6pm activity. Then 7pm come home, quick snack and get ready for bed. She really needs closer to 10-12 hours of sleep honestly.
 
@trust_in_the_name She was asleep by 9:30 last night but then woke up on her own at 8 am. It seems 8 am is her normal wake time…. So I think I’ll have to shoot for an early bed time, especially once she starts waking up earlier for school.
 
@trust_in_the_name Yeah I have done the backward countdown and it seems like it will have to be 7/7:30 to be asleep by 8 because she will be getting up at 6:30 to get to school in time. I have a lot of work ahead but planning to get to bed 15 minutes earlier each night until I get her to bed and ASLEEP by 8.
 
@kaiti Our kids are in baseball/softball, most games 6-715, occasionally 730-845. On the 6 pm game nights we eat dinner as soon as we get home, I either have leftovers to heat up or the kids get quicker dinners like quesadillas or a sandwich or tortellini. Now that they are older I can start bath time and they finish in their own so I usually cook myself an actual meal during that time but usually make extra portions to eat as leftovers. Game nights are usually just a few nights a week.

Meal prep and quick meals are your answer. My husband works night shift so he only eats with us about 1/2 the time so when it’s just me and the kids I make extra and eat leftovers. On late game nights they watch before hand and get in the tub the second we get home.
 
@kaiti My 7yo step son is in soccer from 5-6pm two nights a week, and my husband or I stays home and makes dinner while the other takes him to practice so that we can eat right when he gets home around 6:30. Then shower at 7, reading from 7:30-8:30 (my husband is reading Harry Potter to him right now) and bedtime by 8:30-9. On nights he doesn’t have soccer, we allow him to play video games or watch tv while we cook dinner or do other chores for about an hour. The bonus for us is that he doesn’t really have homework this year other than a reading log, but last year when he was in 1st grade he had 30 minutes every night and it was tough getting everything done.
 
@judie I hadn’t even considered homework yet…….. 😳she will have homework in kinder so I guess that remains to be seen. I’m expecting 30 minutes a night.
 
@kaiti We’re also on a later schedule due to husband’s work and prioritizing evening family time/dinner. I think you could manage a 9:30p bedtime without compromising activities if this is something you desire. We do home cooked dinners (always fresh veggies and often starch, leftover proteins often or charcuterie as main). We have veg prepped by 6:45. This can happen whenever. I WFH and when we have an activity during my usual 5:45 veg prep time I find time either the day before or during the day to prep. We plan our weekly menu on Sat and post it on a fridge whiteboard. We start cooking around 6:45 and eat around 7:45/8. Baths are every other day and dad does this while dinner is cooking. After family dinner the kids play independently while mom and dad divide and conquer dinner cleanup (dishes, start dishwasher, clean counters) and this is non negotiable. We are not available except for urgent needs. At 9p we brush teeth, do a quick story if time allows, bathroom, bed.
 
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