Shorter days are here again!
Helping Your Child adjust to Daylight Savings clock change.
Just when you think you have everything and everyone settled into a good routine night and day along comes that dreaded daylight savings to knock it out of sync again. Forward, backwards, forwards, backwards! On October 30th (a Sunday morning) the clocks will go back an hour which will mean that if your little one normally gets up at 7am it will be 6am on Sunday morning. The good news about this time change is that it gets darker earlier so a young child, who may have no sense of time, will not resist at going to sleep when it’s dark. So here are a few tips to help you and your family adjust to the new times – it doesn’t have to turn into a nightmare.
For those with PRE-SCHOOLERS, you may choose to have a conversation with them about the time change, maybe even creating an activity like drawing pictures of what it will look like outside at dinnertime after the clocks change or talking about the fun events that winter brings such as Halloween.
For the younger ones the best thing to do is be prepared. Here are 3 options on how to cope with next weekend’s clock change.
1. One option is to make a gradual change in your child’s bed ’time’ over the next week before the clock changes. If you choose to do this don’t shift the full hour right away. Start with adjusting naps and night sleep 10 or 15 minutes later every night or second night. This will mean that your child will be going to bed a little later for the rest of the week so that by Sunday morning they should be more or less adjusted to the new times. Be sure not to add in new events, TV, or activities that will stimulate your child. They will already be a little tired, so keeping the evening routine consistent with that of the nights leading up to the time shift will help your child respond more effectively. Remain Consistent during this time maintaining your child’s normal routine day and night.
2. Or you can chose to adjust after the clocks change shifting everything on Sunday/Monday by 15/30 minutes every two days until you have reached the new daylight savings time. Some people like to do this as it seems more realistic to change the times once your child is obviously out of kilter after the clocks change.
3. Finally you can go cold turkey and see what will happen – your child’s circadian rhythm will shift eventually but it may take a few weeks of early mornings and late nights. If you chose to do this try to stall breakfast until the new time so that you can begin to move the routine to the new time.
Research has indicated that exposing children to sunlight in the early afternoon actually boosts their melatonin production. Consider some backyard time or a walk before dinner to get in some of that melatonin-inducing sunshine!
By prepare yourselves and your family ahead of time you and your family will continue sleeping like babies even after the time has changed.