6:27
But the lack of a bedtime routine certainly seems to be out of the norm. A search on Amazon for books on sleep training yielded 674 results.
So what do the experts say?
Natalie Nevares, founder of Mommywise and a sleep-training expert, told \"GMA\" the lack of bedtime may work for this particular family because of their specific circumstance -- Bescoby's children practice \"unschooling\" which means they are not tied to a regular school schedule. But it's not recommended for families who are living within the confines of schedules in other aspects of their lives.
\"All humans, and especially children, need regular sleep,\" she said. \"Children are always going to fight boundaries and transitions. It's up to adults to be the leaders.\"
Younger children physically grow in their sleep, while tweens and teens' brains grow socially and emotionally.
Nevares said it's acceptable for older children and teens to go to bed late, as long as they are able to sleep late too. But for younger kids, an early bedtime is critical.
\"They're up by 7 a.m. no matter what,\" she said, \"and they need 11-12 hours a night.\"
One thing Nevares and Bescoby agree on: No screens at night. Both remove media from their kids as the sun goes down. \"It's scientifically proven the the blue light that comes from screens disrupts sleep,\" Nevares said.
As for Bescoby, she said \"no screens\" is the \"only limit\" she sets when it comes to bed.
\"We found they couldn't focus on their body's messages when they were busy on the screens,\" she said. \"Now they turn off screens when they're getting tired and then play or read until they're ready to go to sleep.\"
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