It’s almost Daylight Savings Time, and that means dealing with something that kids don’t love… getting out of bed early. To make sure that your kids get enough sleep and to help them get out of bed in the morning with the least amount of struggle possible, we chatted with a family physician, Dr. Mia Finkelston. She shared some simple tips to keep everyone in your family on track during Daylight Savings Time.
Get a head start on bedtime tonight. Make sure that you get your kids in bed 15 minutes earlier tonight so that they can begin to adjust to the time change. Tomorrow, make bedtime half an hour early. It is imperative to ensure that your kids are well-rested. Getting a good amount of sleep before the clocks are adjusted can give them a much-needed head start and help avoid them being overtired, which will make bedtime impossible.
Bedtime routines are always an important thing for children to have, especially during daylight savings time. This can really help keep your kids keep to a schedule. It is important for them to realize that they are preparing for bedtime and a ritual really helps maintain this schedule. Having a bath, brushing their teeth and reading stories are all great ways to get your kids into a nighttime routine.
Explain what is happening to your children, get them as involved as possible. You can have them help change the time on all of the clocks, you can make it a game. Kids usually love to mimic, so this could be a good time to practice that.
Kids are always watching you. It is key to set the tone for your children. Take this time to go to bed early, and wake up early with them. Eat breakfast together, be positive about the change. It will be much harder for kids to stay positive if they hear you complaining about losing an hour of sleep or how tired you are going to be.
Most likely, your children are not going to be happy to go to bed earlier or wake up earlier. If you feel like your kids are extra cranky and not happy, try to get them involved. Give them a relaxing bath, even read extra stories in bed. You can even listen to relaxing noises or white noise to help soothe them when they get riled up and grumpy. If your kids are older, try to have a conversation with them about what they are feeling and explain the adjustment to them.
