'Worst thing you can do': Expert reveals what time children should go to sleep - and bedtime dos and don'ts for parents

"What time should children go to sleep?" is one of the most asked questions by parents.

Establishing a good sleep routine is an important part of parenting, with new research showing a consistent bedtime matters more than the quality or quantity of a child's sleep.

Now, a Melbourne-based paediatrician and baby sleep expert has answered some of the most-asked questions surrounding sleep, and revealed the biggest bedtime mistake parents make.

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Dr Daniel Golshevsky, who is known as Dr Golly, is an author and father-of-three who created his own Sleep Program.

He told 9honey that babies and children thrive on routine, and a consistent bedtime encourages and fosters better physical, emotional and cognitive well-being.

What time should children go to sleep?

Dr Golly recommends the same bedtime for babies and young children.

"Generally younger babies, under two years old, in my experience do well with a 6.30-7pm bedtime," he said.

"Once children have dropped their day nap, bedtime might need to be brought forward again as they all of sudden have a huge awake period of 10 to 11 hours. 

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"Gradually, you can start pushing bedtime back again, and by school age a bedtime of around 7-7.30pm is ideal."

What if I get home from work or after-school activities late?

"[Bedtime] can differ, depending on each individual family, their lifestyle factors and cultural factors," Dr Golly said.

"For example, if both parents work late, an 8am-8pm routine might work better than a 7am-7pm routine. 

"However, you need to respect your child's need for sleep just as you'd respect their other needs. 

"Thinking ahead and planning is helpful – make enough dinner for two nights so you don't have to cook when you get home [or] ask childcare to give your toddler dinner you've provided so it's not as rushed when you get home. 

"If things are running late, it's OK to skip a bath and have a warm head-to-toe sponge. 

"Skip the book and just have a cuddle in the chair or chat in bed together instead." 

Bedtime dos and don'ts for kids

Dr Golly said one of the worst things you can do for a baby or child is "stretch bedtime too far and make them overtired."

"Overtired babies and children will often wake more during the night and then early the next morning – the opposite of what we'd expect them to do," he said.

He suggested parents "plan ahead if a night has been disrupted for whatever reason."

"Being prepared that a sleep-in the following morning probably isn't going to fix it."

He also suggested "being mindful with how much you plan for the next day, as a stressful situation may lead to behavioural deterioration." 

Do older children need a set bedtime?

According to Dr Golly, the answer is a resounding 'Yes!'

"A consistent bedtime is part of healthy sleep hygiene at whatever age," he explained.

"Healthy sleep hygiene refers to a set of habits that encourage more consistent, better-quality sleep. 

"As well as a consistent bedtime, another healthy sleep hygiene practice is having a relaxing wind-down routine.

"This means turning the screens off one to two hours before bedtime, keeping the lights dim, making sure the temperature in the bedroom is comfortable and creating a sleep-friendly environment such as using white noise and blackout blinds."

How long should kids sleep by age?

This is one of the most-asked questions by parents, but one Dr Golly says is far less important than the quality of sleep (such as no snoring or overnight obstruction) and a consistent bedtime.

However, he recommended the following as a guide.

• Newborns (0-3 months): 14-17 hours
• Infants (4-11 months): 12-15 hours
• Toddlers (1-2 years): 11-14 hours
• Preschoolers (3-5 years): 10-13 hours
• School-aged children (6-13 years): 9-11 hours
• Teenagers (14-17 years): 8-10 hours.

Can I relax strict bedtime during the holidays?

The short answer is 'Yes'.

"I never encourage a strict time for bedtime every single night, as day-to-day events can make things change, so you do need some flexibility," Dr Golly said.

"It's great to have a rough bedtime each night, but, for example, if your baby or toddler has been in childcare and is very tired, bring bedtime earlier.

"This goes for when they're sick as well. Their body will usually need more sleep to get better, so putting them to bed earlier is a good idea. 

"On the flip side, if they've napped later in the day because they had an unplanned car nap then it's OK to push bedtime out a bit."

"For babies and children who generally sleep well, they can tolerate the occasional late bedtime much better than children who are chronically overtired. 

"Children can definitely tolerate longer awake windows as they get older, so going out for dinner and having a later bedtime does get easier." 

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