The question of what time a baby or young child should go to bed is more important than it might seem, and the answer consistently surprises parents: earlier is almost always better for most children in the first years of life. The belief that keeping a child up later will cause them to sleep later in the morning is widespread but generally wrong for young children. It is one of the most reliably counterintuitive findings in infant sleep research.
Healthbooq (healthbooq.com/apps/healthbooq-kids) covers sleep schedules and routines across the early years.
Why Bedtime Timing Matters
Sleep timing is regulated by two systems: the sleep-wake homeostatic system (sleep pressure that builds with wakefulness) and the circadian system (the internal clock that signals when sleep and wakefulness are biologically appropriate). In young children, the circadian drive for sleep peaks in the early evening – typically between 6pm and 8pm depending on age and individual variation.
If a child is put to bed at the time the circadian drive for sleep is peaking, they settle relatively easily and sleep well. If they are kept awake past this window, the circadian system's promotion of sleep begins to diminish (the body's "second wind") and cortisol rises to compensate, making it harder to settle and often producing shorter or more fragmented sleep.
Marc Weissbluth at Northwestern University, whose research on sleep and childhood development is among the most cited in this area, has written extensively about the relationship between bedtime timing and sleep quality in infants and toddlers. His observational data consistently show that children with earlier bedtimes have longer total sleep durations, settle more easily, and have fewer night wakings than those with late bedtimes.
Jodi Mindell at Saint Joseph's University and colleagues, in a large cross-national study published in the journal Sleep (2010), found that children with earlier bedtimes slept longer in total even when they woke at a similar time in the morning – because early bedtime was associated with more consolidated, less fragmented sleep rather than simply earlier sleep onset.
Bedtime by Age
0-6 weeks. In the newborn period, there is no established circadian rhythm and therefore no "optimal" bedtime in the traditional sense. The last long sleep of the night typically follows the last feed of the evening, whenever that falls. Attempting to impose a strict bedtime in the newborn period adds stress without benefit.
6-12 weeks. As the circadian rhythm begins to develop, the first signs of an evening settling pattern emerge. Many parents find that there is a window in the early evening (typically 7-9pm) when the baby settles more easily than at other times. Following this natural window – rather than keeping the baby up to "tire them out" – is the foundation of early bedtime management.
3-6 months. As circadian organisation strengthens, a more consistent bedtime becomes both achievable and beneficial. Most babies in this age group have an optimal window between 6:30pm and 8pm. The precise time should follow the last nap of the day: the goal is that the baby goes to bed after an age-appropriate wake window (roughly 2-2.5 hours) following the final nap.
6-12 months. The circadian drive for sleep is now well established. Research consistently supports a bedtime of 6:30-8pm for most babies in this age range. Earlier in this range (6-7pm) is often better for babies who are transitioning through nap changes or are more easily overtired.
1-3 years. Toddlers typically do best with a bedtime of 7-8pm. A bedtime later than 9pm in this age group is associated with shorter total sleep, more difficult settling, and more behavioural dysregulation the following day.
3-6 years. Children in the preschool and early school years generally do well with a bedtime of 7-8:30pm. Total sleep needs are 11-13 hours per night (National Sleep Foundation recommendations) at age 3-5.
The "Late Bedtime to Sleep Later" Myth
Perhaps the most persistently repeated piece of incorrect sleep advice is that keeping a child up later will cause them to sleep later in the morning. For adults, this sometimes holds: staying up later can shift the circadian clock somewhat. For young children, it generally does not work this way. Many young children have an early morning waking time that is relatively fixed, driven by circadian wake signals that are not easily shifted. What a late bedtime more often produces is a shorter night, an overtired child, and a morning waking that remains unchanged.
The evidence-based summary: if a child is waking early, moving bedtime earlier (not later) is the more effective strategy in the majority of cases, because it reduces overtiredness and cortisol elevation overnight.
Key Takeaways
The optimal bedtime for babies and young children is generally earlier than most families realise. For infants aged 6-12 months, a bedtime between 6pm and 8pm typically aligns best with their circadian rhythm. For toddlers aged 1-3 years, a bedtime between 7pm and 8pm is generally recommended. Late bedtimes do not cause children to sleep later in the morning; they more often cause overtiredness, fragmented night sleep, and earlier waking. Early bedtimes – which can seem counterintuitive – are associated with better sleep quality and longer total sleep duration in research on infant and toddler sleep.
