When my daughter was a toddler, we put her to bed around 6:30 p.m. Most of my friends and family think I’m crazy for doing this, but she’s a very early riser (no matter what time she goes to bed!), so we always think the earlier the better to give her the most rest. “While this bedtime routine is long gone now, it’s clear I was doing something right,” one pediatrician said.
In Dr. Rossom’s viral TikTok, he admitted to putting kids to bed “very, very early” and noted that he realizes early suppression is “controversial” but necessary.
“As a pediatrician, I put children to bed very, very early, which many people consider a bit controversial. As a general rule of thumb, we try to get all children ages 7 to 15 to start laying down or sleeping around 7:30 p.m. Get ready for bed,” he began. “This usually allows us to get the younger ones to bed around 7:30 and have the older kids ready for bed around 8:30.”
Dr. Rossom says that as a pediatrician, he recognizes and prioritizes sleep because he knows how important rest is for children.
“Now, we do this because we recognize the importance of sleep. The vast majority of children in the United States do not get enough sleep. See the latest sleep guidelines endorsed by sleep experts and the American Academy of Pediatrics. We find, especially in our elementary and middle school students, that they If they start going to bed at eight or nine o’clock, it is impossible for them to get the 9, 10, 11 or even 12 hours of sleep like many people do.
So, you might be thinking, how is it possible for today’s kids to get this kind of sleep when sports and activities continue into the evening? Dr. Rossom realizes this, and he and his family make sure sleep comes first whenever possible.
“A lot of parents say, ‘Well, my sport doesn’t end until 7 o’clock or 7.30. Then we have to eat dinner and do homework. Now I fully realize that’s a reality and my kids participate in a lot of sports and extracurricular activities. . That’s why on nights when we don’t have exercise, it’s more important for us to stick to a strict bedtime, so that on nights when there is exercise or activity it does need to be more flexible and they can go to bed a little later without severely compromising their sleep ,” he said.
“Also, when we sign up for sports, it’s important to take our children’s sleep into account so that we don’t sign up for activities that are overall detrimental to our children’s health. Remember, when looking at these sleep numbers, most Most children will fall somewhere in the middle, which means that most teenagers actually need 9 to 10 hours of sleep, not less than 8 hours. Likewise, most of us school-age children or elementary and middle school students need at least 11 to 12 hours of sleep per night. , in order to meet adequate sleep needs.
After his video gained attention, parents definitely had ideas for his video and let them know.
“Thanks to corporate America, if a lot of people put them down at 7:30, then I could spend an hour with them every day…” one user wrote.
Another shared, “My 14 year old is at baseball practice at 7:30 😂”
“Yeah, if my kid goes to bed at 730, he’ll be up at 530, no thanks, we’ll keep the 9pm bedtime,” one person pointed out.
One mom agreed, saying, “That’s me, I’m the bedtime czar. Bedtime is 7:30/8:00. Mom gets off work at 8:00, and that’s my personal time. I try not to deviate , their sleep is important.
Another wondered, “I don’t understand why people think sleep isn’t important for kids 🤷🏽♀️”
One mom said: “Thank you!! I always feel like a weird parent because we prioritize sleep. The kids go to bed at 7/730 and wake up at 545.
