Parents in the UK spend nine days a year trying to get their kids to bed, research finds

3 September 2020, 15:33 | Updated: 9 September 2020, 13:10

Parents spend nine days a year putting their kids to bed. Picture: Getty Images

Parents spend more than a week a year putting their kids to bed.

If you’ve ever spent hours trying to get your little one off to sleep, you’re not alone.

In fact, it’s now been revealed that British parents spend nearly nine days a year putting their children to bed.

According to a new survey by Compare the Market, it took those asked on average 34 minutes to get their children ready to sleep.

This works out at almost four hours every week, and nine whole days over the course of a year.

The survey - which included 1,000 parents of children aged between three and 10 years old -also found the most common excuses used by kids when it comes to avoiding bedtime, with an average of three used every single night.

Parents send their kids to bed at 7:50pm on average. Picture: Getty Images

The poll found kids often claim they're not tired, are scared of the dark, feel ill, need the toilet and are hungry.

More than a quarter will also complain it’s too light outside to sleep.

More than 50% mums and dads asked also said they had found their child playing with toys when they should be asleep, while 28% had been caught playing on a tablet and 20% watching TV instead of sleeping.

And more than 30% won’t settle down unless their favourite soft toy is next to them.

According to the research conducted by OnePoll, the typical bedtime routine consists of brushing teeth, a bath and reading stories, with the average bedtime around 7:50pm.

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A whopping 83% of parents also admitted to going back to check their child has actually gone to sleep after they’ve left the room.

Julie Daniels, head of rewards for Compare the Market said: “Bedtime never seems to get easier.

“Our study has shown that even with a thorough routine, you can’t stop children still wanting that extra five minutes of awake time.

“But you can usually tell – as parents – when your youngster is being genuine, such as wanting a drink or being afraid of the dark, and when they are prolonging you leaving the room and just getting on with your evening.

“And regardless of the excuse, it can still be hard to say no to your little one no matter how hard you try.”

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