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I stick to the routine. I don't care what others think or say. I'm the one that has to deal with the crankiness the next day!

Early bedtime and routines here!! I'm thinking of getting the nap nanny doorbell cover thing.

@gingerbebe: love this and would like to point out that nearly all of the above is true for adults as well. I'm not sure why people don't place the importance on sleep that they should. It's just as necessary to life as food and water!

To answer the question, we don't live in an area where neighborhood kids are out and playing but yes, I am that mom. I am the only person I know that really does a ton to make sure my kids take naps/go to bed in a timely manner. People do think I'm weird but I'm already the "different" mom in my circle so it's fine lol

Right now, the neighborhood park starts to empty around 5/5:30. In the summer it's more like 6:00. No idea what time bedtime is for other kids but we generally stick to a routine.

There's a home behind us where the kids are out much later than my son, but they're also older. I am working on time with my son so he understands because he's questioning why he has to go to bed when it's so light out.

Problem is for us in the summer, we still have to get up early and go to work and my son just can't sleep in.

We have some neighbor kids that play outside until 10 or 11pm some weekends! One of them is E's age!

During the week I try to keep them on a schedule best I can, but I'm a little more lenient on the weekends. This past Saturday evening, for example, D and E were out riding bikes until after 8. But they hardly see each other, and when I was little I used to be able to play with my cousins after dark (flashlight tag?) so while I don't necessarily approve, I don't argue it.

I honestly don't know. Our immediate neighbors are elderly and high school students. Two doors down is a 2 year old and she goes to bed at 630.

My kids are more worn out in the summer and except for vacations or special occasions go to bed on time or earlier. Toddler goes to bed by 7:30 and 4 year old by 8.

@gingerbebe: When I saw this topic I was about to link to the same article. Love it!

My DD's bedtime was 6:00 until she was over a year old. We moved her to 6:30 and then 7:00. Even now sometimes at age 2.5 if she's super irritable, I'll put her to bed at 6:30.

Luckily DD's best neighbor friends who are almost 4 have 7:00 bedtime too so everyone heads in at the same time. Hooray for neighbor solidarity!

@honeybear: You're right but I don't think she's glossing over it - I just think the overwhelming majority of children have to get up early for school or daycare. If you are at home and being homeschooled and getting the needed hours of sleep in, I don't see why a later bedtime couldn't work for those families. I myself grew up in a house with no set nap times and bedtimes as it was culturally not the norm. We napped whenever and wherever we fell asleep and bedtime was usually when the family all went to bed and cosleeping until school age is very common. But unless school or something else intervened we also slept in until we naturally woke up as well.

I'm totally on the make school later camp too, although I know a lot of parents balk at that because our school systems are built around adult work schedules.

My kids go to bed at 9-9:30. I think my daughters bf goes to bed around 8 and all their cousins are in bed by 7:30.

My kid is up at 6:30 every day (usually wakes up herself, but we'll wake her during the week on the rare occasion she's not up to make it to daycare), and she doesn't fall asleep until 9:30-10. I put her down at 9, and would love to be the mean mommy with the early bedtime but it doesn't work on my kid no matter what I do. We do spend a little more time outside in the evenings and our community seems to be oriented towards later bedtimes too, but I totally respect (and slightly envy) parents whose kids go to bed early.