Recently, my husband came home and asked, "Why do our kids go to bed so early?" He'd been talking to some co-workers who balked at our kids' early bedtime. "Because they're tired," was my answer. Our kids have always gone to bed early -- even as small babies. We're the envy of our neighbors in the evening, but I see few lights on down the street when my kids get up before dawn. Early to bed...early to rise, that's what they say.

No matter when your kids get to bed, though, it's important to make sure they're getting enough sleep. A lot of the same health problems that can occur in adults who are sleep deprived can also happen in kids. Sleep loss has been linked to obesity and anxiety in children, as well as a lowered immunity to viruses. Not only that, sleepy kids are more accident prone. One only needs to watch a sleepy toddler try to walk to understand why. A tired school-aged child on a bike or a sleep-deprived teenager in a car are at risk for much more than a head bonk on the coffee table.

How much sleep does your child need? Read this simple chart to find out. If you don't think your child's getting enough, try moving bedtime back 15-30 minutes at a time, until you reach the time you'd like them to be in bed. Scroll to the bottom of this article for a few tips on easing your child into bedtime. What kinds of things do you do to get your kids to fall and stay asleep at night?