How late should I let my children stay up on New Year’s Eve?

As we all begin to make our New Year's Eve celebration plans, parents are wondering how much they should deviate from their children's nighttime routine. So here we are, with expert commentary, to answer the question of 'How late should I let my children stay up on New Year’s Eve?'

New Year's Eve may only be one night of late-night partying, but when you've worked so hard to establish a bedtime routine with your little ones, it can be a scary prospect to deviate from that. But, on the other hand, it can wrack you with guilt to send kids up to bed while you and your family ring in the New Year with fun traditions and New Year’s Day superstitions. So do you let them stay up and celebrate? 

There's pros and cons for both sides of the argument but the main element to consider is your child's age.

For babies and toddlers, staying up until midnight is out of the question, says baby sleep consultant Chrissy Lawler. She told Parents, "When a baby or toddler is overtired, it can make it much more difficult for them to fall asleep and stay asleep." This can throw off their sleep schedule for days, she adds, as it begins 'a cycle of over-tiredness that can last a few days, until you are able to get their sleep schedule back on track.'

For slightly older kids, one late night won't have as disastrous effects as with a baby or toddler, but you should still be prepared for some cranky behaviour over the resulting days. If you let them stay up and count down the minutes till midnight, prepare for your child to show off emotional behaviour, have a lack of focus, and struggle to re-regulate their sleep pattern for a couple of days after the big celebration.

"Children in elementary school may have lower sleep needs than toddlers, but it's still important for them to go to sleep within their natural sleep window, which is generally between 7 and 8.30pm," Rachel Mitchell, a certified sleep specialist, told Parent. "Staying up until midnight would most certainly impact the child's ability to function well the next day, and they would likely not get the restorative sleep they need."

If, however, you are planning to let the kids stay up and party, there are plenty of handy tips and tricks for not only keeping them on their best behaviour throughout the celebrations, but also for making sure they have tonnes of fun! 

While you're preparing your New Year's Eve party food recipes, why not put the children down for a nap so they can cultivate some energy before the big late night? Even if they don't sleep, some calming time before the festivities begin can help them to better regulate their excited emotions. 

After all the kid-friendly party games of the night, when the clock has struck 12 and the excitement is at its highest point, there's no point rushing the kids to bed so they can get more sleep. They will simply not sleep when they're so excited. Once everything has calmed down a bit, take them to bed and make sure to go through the ritual of their normal bedtime routine so they can begin to properly wind down for sleep.

But while you may be planning to let your kid stay up to celebrate, they may not make it. Mitchell says, "While [parents] may be OK with their child staying up late, children often are physically incapable of staying awake hours past their bedtime, so they may end up falling asleep anyway!"