Bedtime bad behaviour

Good heavens, we currently have Gdcs of 5 and 6 staying, and even after a physically very active day I don’t think of getting them to bed until about 8 - at least not in the school,holidays.

Yours just don’t sound tired enough IMO.
Ours share a double bed and drop off very quickly after bath and story, they will usually eat considerably later, too.

Fed too early and bed too early I am wondering if this actually happens in their own home.
It’s your home and it’s a few days let it be your rules that way the GC might relax and settle better.

That is incredibly early for them to go to bed. I’m sure it’s been said already. I know myself, if I go up too early, I get restless and then can’t sleep. My oldest granddaughter is nearly 9, and is usually asleep by 8 ish, sometimes later. The younger grandchildren, so down to a year old, are 6.30 onwards. Who wants their dinner at 4pm? Sounds like the parents have been trying to get more ‘ them’ time in the evenings, and it’s backfired on them!

I would say you can’t carry on while they have this routine.

Far too early bedtime. My grandchildren 4,3 and just over two have tea around 5 to 5.30. then play out if nice and bath time around 7 and then a story. Usually in bed and asleep around 8. all sleep through till 7.30 in the morning. What time are these children up in the morning? I'm guessing they are up before the crack of dawn. Actually feel sorry for these children.

I too find this quite ridiculous. What is the point when they are obviously not tired and then wind each other up ? Surely far better to extend their day than stand on guard in the hallway !
GD is 2 and bedtime is 7pm. the normal rituals begin at around 6.30 pm , bath, milk, story and goodnight.
I think you need to have a talk with their parents - surely they must see this is not working !

Echoing what pretty much everyone has said, far too early to start bedtime !
I’d suggest much later start to bedtime routine and make it a less drawn out affair thereby giving everyone a break. Nearly two hours ?? Crazy. These children know they can drag it out now. Bath(or not) pyjamas teeth stories kisses, quiet.

You have had children OP would you have tried to put school age children to bed at 5 in the afternoon
Your title is perhaps incorrect the children are not badly behaved but forced into a ridiculous regime by the parents

A 5 o’clock bedtime routine is bonkers quite frankly. No wonder they won’t settle .
Starting to wind down 7ish would probably help , especially in the summer with light nights and no school in the morning.

Dinner at 4.00pm, and getting ready for bed at 5.00pm ... really?! Most kids are barely home from school by 4.00pm, and enjoying a snack, before having some activity, playing with friends/in the garden/watching TV. They have dinner later, and maybe get ready for bed around 7.00-8.00 ... on a school night!
My 3yo GC has dinner around 6.00pm, bath at 7.00, and goes to bed around 7.30pm. I'm not surprised that your GC are so lively and don't want to go to bed so early. Do either of their parents work? Surely, if they do, they must hardly ever see their kids awake!

If you're taking care of your GC whilst mummy & daddy go away for a couple of days, make it easy on yourself ... make sure they have fun/activities/stories/cuddle up to watch a movie together with them, and let them go to bed later, when they're actually tired. Your house, your rules. Why put yourself through the stress? If mummy & daddy aren't happy with that, then that's up to them. It didn't do my kids any harm when they went to stay with their GPs, which they loved to do! I was happy to let GPs do their own thing, as they were doing me a favour which I greatly appreciated! The kids were usually so tired when they came home that it wasn't a problem getting them to go to bed at their usual bedtime, it never disrupted them. Although, I can imagine, if they were expected to get ready for bed at 5.00pm, it probably would, and I can't say I'm surprised!

The home bedtime is ridiculously early, it’s probably intended to give the parents their own evening time, but isn’t working.

I would put them to bed later, and make it quite clear no messing about after that.

Be firm!

You have two problems here: one is the extraordinary bedtime routine the parents are attempting, and failing, to impose on their children, for which they may have good reasons. The second one is the children's disobedience and outright defiance. You are not going to be able to impose your discipline on them in two nights, and I can understand that you don't want to ban their visits,so I would suggest a complete reversal of home bedtime routine.

Continue with full-on activities during the daytime and into the evening well past bedtime: a walk in the dark, stargazing, an evening BBQ or picnic, or a film if bad weather, all aimed at tiring them out, then a quick shower and into bed; separate the bedtimes for the older and younger. Patrol the landing even if it means sitting outside their bedrooms, doors closed; neither allowed beyond the bedroom door for any reason whatsoever. Rinse and repeat.
This worked when we took parties of schoolchildren away; tire them out, late bedtime, no time for homesickness or merry japes.
You cannot be expected to maintain their home routine because it isn't working.

Divide and conquer GrandmaKT
Youngest child in bed first with one grandparent for a one to one chat about their day and a story.
Some calming background music?

Oldest downstairs having some quiet down time with other grandparent.
Avoiding tv noise that would distract the upstairs child .
Then story and bed for oldest child.

If the boy's share a bed then maybe put one child in your bed until in a deep sleep before transferring over to other bed .

The boy's may appreciate some one to one attention.

I'd be tempted to do away with the rules whilst they stayed at my house - one of the perks of visiting Granny ! Those bed times are ridiculously early - it's still teatime !

Maybe the parents do this more for their benefit - not the kids ?

GrandmaKT oh - you're in a different time zone if you're 250 miles away!! Bedtimes are different.

Hithere that reminded me!
www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DEE5BfL7ogP8&ved=2ahUKEwjgi5S5wLbyAhXFiVwKHX5zD1cQtwJ6BAgFEAI&usg=AOvVaw3XRCqUK6dvhfK6V678Spu4&cshid=1629150012531

You know what's going to happen when they go back home?

The parents will have to suffer through the same issues you are going through till the kids get used to it again.

Enjoy your time with them, they are there for such a short period of time!

No, they are at our house and the parents are having a short break away. Unfortunately they all live 250 miles away, so the good advice about establishing a routine for when they stay with us isn't really applicable as visits aren't that frequent.

There could a reason why they go to bed at that time: have to get up early next day, it takes them a long time to go to sleep, etc.

Sleep time is notoriously difficult.

In fact, a parent wrote a book "go the f&&k to sleep" and it was a hit with parents.

I think GrandmaKT is staying over at their house but is in charge because the parents are away.

I’m afraid I was an awful aunt when I had my niece and nephew for sleepovers! Bed time was very late, after playing board games we got out blankets, spread them on the floor and watched a film that the children chose, eating popcorn or other treats. Bedtime was very late and they were allowed to stay in bed as long as they wanted in the morning playing on iPads so that I did not have to get up!

I have to say they loved coming to stay with me in the school holidays!

It does seem early for those ages

Their routine has also changed so it could be extra hard to execute their normal going to sleep steps.

GrandmaKT
Agree does seem early .
Children unlikely to settle if not tired .

Our grandson's 6 and 8 yrs are staying over tonight until tomorrow evening.

We have our own bed time routine that is completely different from the boy's home bedtime routine.

Tea about 5pm .
Tablet for half an hour although 6yr old usually plays lego or sits with grandad on laptop looking at the photos from previous outings.

This evening they went outside for a mad half hour in the garden.

Blinds closed upstairs and downstairs.
Shower at about 7ish

Downstairs for popcorn and milk.
We always watch a starwars film (usually only manage first hour )

Wee, teeth brushed and bed.
Both in same bed, whilst we do same made up story with a few tweaks here and there .

Then 6 year old goes into bed in other room.

11.30am take boys for another wee (they are still asleep)

Boy's asleep by 9pm.
8pm on school night.

Sorry bit long winded, but just to say maybe you need a routine that is not the same as home.
It may take a sleepovers, but eventually your routine will be come the norm.

Good luck

It's extremely early for a 5 and 7 year old to go to bed - are they awake at the crack of dawn?
Dinner at 4pm seems extremely early too. What happens if you want to go out somewhere?

They're running around, playing up because they're not tired.

I'm not surprised their parents have a problem getting them to sleep but if you're only looking after them for a couple of nights then I suppose you'll have to stick to the same routine.
Can they tell the time yet? Or you could hide the clocks! Put them to bed at 7.30 or 8pm, it's school holidays!

I'm a believer in the older child having an extra half hour or so as well - the younger one should have gone to sleep and the older one will know to go to bed quietly.

However, everyone has their own rules but it seems that having to patrol the landing and bedtime taking up to 2 hours sounds more like a trial than a pleasant experience.

I gave up sweating the small stuff ( bed times while at mine) after the first few overnight stays.
At that age it would probably be about 9 / 9.30.
Now they go to bed ( when with us) when we do. They are 15 &12.

My grandsons couldn't possibly start getting ready for bed at 5pm. Their parents wouldn't even have been home from work by then

It's very early 3yo and 4yo DGC go to bed between 7 and 7.30. Sometimes bath/shower, game, story. 7yo goes at 8.30 same routine though he sometimes reads his own book after story. Lights out 9 though back to school this week so will be earlier. They are all up between 6 and 7 (4yo sometimes 5!) The brother and sister also run around for us but not parents until DH puts on stern voice. It's still exhausting! When they go home we breathe a sigh of relief - though we do love having them.