sleepunder

plural sleepunders

1. neologismA kind of playdate, similar to a sleepover, in which a child stays at their friend's house until relatively late and then returns home.

   The Texas-based company describes a sleepunder as a 'faux sleepover - where you do all the same 'really fun' activities that you would do at a typical sleepover, except when it's time to go to sleep everyone goes home.

   2024 January 12, Martha Williams, “Death of the slumber party: Anxious parents are collecting children from 'sleepunders' at 2am or even staying with them to ensure they're safe”, in Daily Mail, London: DMG Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 12 Jan 2024

   2 more examples

   In many households, it's lights out for the traditional sleepover. Instead, more families are opting for sleepunders - a surprisingly controversial phenomenon that has raised the eyebrows of some parenting experts even as sleep specialists rejoice.

   2013 December 17, Lini S. Kadaba, “Is the sleepunder taking the party out of slumber party?”, in The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia, P.A.: The Philadelphia Inquirer, LLC, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 28 Dec 2023

   And perhaps no scenario tests a parent's vigilance more than the prospect of allowing their child to sleep at another family's home. For some parents, one solution to this is the "sleepunder" — also called a "lateover" — where children come to play, but they don't stay to sleep.

   2024 January 11, Erin Sagen, “Sleepunders Are a Solution for Parents Who Are Anxious About Sleepovers”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 17 Jan 2024

   Synonyms: lateover