The 7 O'Clock Bedtime: Early to bed, early to rise, makes a child healthy, playful, and wise

by Inda Schaenen

DISCOVER THE AMAZING BENEFITS OF AN EARLY BEDTIME-FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY!

GET YOUR KIDS TO BED EARLY... FOR THEIR OWN GOOD-AND YOURS!

Are children hardwired to stay up late, scarfing down cookies and soda and surfing the Internet? No, says Inda Schaenen, who advocates a no-nonsense, nurturing approach that will help you get your kids into bed by 7 o'clock--and help you make a saner life for yourself.

Most kids today are overscheduled, and consequently they're often wound up and active until late in the evening. But when kids are exhausted, bedtime becomes a struggle and everyone loses.

The solution? Put your kids to bed at 7 o'clock and reap the benefits:


--Your kids get the rest they need to grow and learn.

--You set a daily pace that allows kids to be kids.

--You get a much-needed break in the evenings.

--The whole family thrives under less stress.

In this revolutionary book, Inda Schaenen helps you restructure your children's daily schedules from dawn till dusk, suggesting dozens of lifestyle changes that will reduce crankiness, improve school performance, and give you back control of your life. You'll learn why your kids need a 7 o'clock bedtime and, most important, how to make it happen. The book includes a detailed timetable; advice for dealing with vacations, school breaks, travel, and illness; and quick and healthful recipes. And Schaenen's wise, reassuring tone will inspire you to make this important and beneficial change.

Genres: Parenting, Nonfiction

185 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Inda Schaenen is a writer, a journalist, and a teacher. Born in Dallas, she grew up in New York City. Her first book, THE 7 O’CLOCK BEDTIME, landed her on the Today Show and her first adult novel, THINGS ARE REALLY CRAZY RIGHT NOW, was published in 2005. When she was a kid she loved seeing mummies in museums and thought hieroglyphics were cool; ALL THE CATS OF CAIRO, her first book for young adults, grew out of that interest. She lives in St. Louis with her husband and three kids, and for fun, she likes to hang out with her family and read — and write.

Reviews

[Gail · Rating 2 out of 5]

If i actually knew this women, I probably wouldn't like her because she makes everything sound so easy, when it actually isn't. This book is about how she does things with her family, in detail, which is actually a kind of book I wouldn't mind reading more of. I do think sleep is very important and am going to see how long I can keep my daughter to her 7:00 bedtime. However, reading this book is overwhelming because this women cooks everything, even afternoon snacks, from scratch! And makes it sound simple.

Her point is that if you care about your children, which you should seeing as you brought them into the world, you should reoorganize your whole life.

I don't actually disagree with that statement, because it's what happens. I just don't know if I'll ever be as organized and clear headed as she.

[Brenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, I didn't really need any convincing about why an early bedtime is good. I'm already a proponent of it and have been practicing that since the day my kids were born and I feel seen the positive results of our efforts.

BUT, if you feel like your children are not getting enough sleep or that their sleep is disturbed this book might be a good guide. She mostly addresses parents whose children are past the infant stage so the initial learning to sleep issues have been experienced. She does use a lot of personal examples and makes several allowances for exceptions which I thought was good because that is realistic--not like some other sleep books that seem to say "it is this way or no way".

The one thing I will mention is that her method really won't work for most working parents because most simply don't get home early enough. But if you are willing to adjust her plan, even by just pushing it back one hour, it can work! She touches briefly on the case to make for parents leaving the office earlier (i.e. not staying late to work extra on a project, etc.--not cutting a shift short, etc. or perhaps talking with an employer to adjust work hours to spend more time with family). I would probably give this book a 3.5 if I could.

[Jeanette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Common sense to many, possibly a crazy idea to many others. I agree with, probably, 90% of this book. I totally believe in an early to bed early to rise lifestyle and I also agree with what she has to say about over scheduling kids. I also loved her comment about how she is raising a child not a Harvard Freshman.
However, the author went off numerous times into tangents and started talking about things that really had no connection to the point she was trying to make.
Overall, some good ideas that are probably worth trying to implement in my family.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has a great concept, but I didn't get a whole lot out of it. I put my children to bed early already. It might be more helpful for someone who lets their kids stay up late and feels a loss of control. I felt she was a little too stringent on mealtimes and scheduling out EVERYTHING.

[Nicole Lemke · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tangents abound! Screentime and food are big tangents- not that I even disagreed with her. Really just a book about how her family operates. Yawn. Made me want to go to bed at 7 because it was so boring.

[Tony Bottrell · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was looking for information, not a lecture.

[Rachelpeart · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always love reading the experience of other parents to broaden my horizons and give me new ideas. I'm not sure I will be able to do the 7 o'clock bedtime(one major obstacle being I want them to play sports), though I am much more committed to the idea of earlier bedtime than I was before. My major problem now is getting my husband home early enough so as to not eat dinner just before my son's bedtime, but that's another story....

[Maria (Ri) · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great resource! If I were Jewish and 15 years older, I swear this author could be me! She and I relate so similarly to our spouses and have such a parallel parenting philosophies. I've tried out her rhythm of the day for a couple days now and have found much more agreeable children in my house, not to mention a happier momma with some time to actuallyu check my email and read a book in the evening! Thanks so much, Inda!

[Heidi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was expecting a book based on research and the sleep science. This was one's mother opinions on how to raise children, based primarily on the importance she put on an early bedtime. She included some good ideas, but I would have enjoyed it much more had she written it as a memoir instead of this-is-what-I-did-so-everyone-else-should-do-the-same-as-me.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were a lot of great points in this book. I felt like the author was a bit ridged and OCD about things, which is a trap that is all too easy for me to fall into. So, I tried to read this book with a "casual" attitude. When I feel like being ridged, I follow her rules.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this in one sitting. Well, most of it, anyways. I like it and I'm going to implement it a little at a time. I'll give more of a review later, to see if it actually works! To be continued...

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Ms. Schaenen's prose plus the chance to voyeuristically peek into how she raises her kids. It's only parially about putting kids to bed early.

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was a little much. It seemed like scheduling was overdone, however, I do believe children need a bedtime schedule for comfort and communication.