Tips to help your child adjust to the time change
Full disclosure, this will be my first “fall back” as a mother. From what everyone says, this upcoming time change won’t be fun. As I’ve begun to dread what is about to happen, I thought maybe there are some tips out there that could help ease this transition, and guess what guys, there are!
I’ve cited two websites:
https://www.parents.com/kids/sleep/tips/daylight-saving-time/
and
https://www.drstevesilvestro.com/helping-your-child-adjust-to-daylight-saving-time
Each suggest similar ideas/strategies and I’ve summarized them below:) Please enjoy and good luck out there!
Take baby steps! About 4 days out, start changing bedtimes and mealtimes in 15 minute increments at a time. You can make this a longer stretch if you feel like 4 days isn’t enough.
Control the lights. Try turning off electronics and closing blinds 30-60 minutes before bed. This will help activate your child’s natural melatonin. On the reverse, make sure to use light, natural is best, to help wake your child up in the morning.
Stick with your routine, whatever that may be! Children thrive off routine and sticking with yours will help them settle into the new time as best they can.
Get enough sleep now! By making sure your child is well rested, they should be able to tackle a shift in routine better. So make sure they get a good night sleep on Friday and Saturday!
Have patience! Know that for the next week or so they may be grumpy due to their internal clock feeling off.
I hope this helps, and if you’re anything like me, you’ll forget to do all of this and suffer the consequences haha.