Daylight savings time is upon us which means if you haven’t yet, don’t forget to move your clocks back. I know, I am sad we “fell back” too. As a parent with young children, daylight savings time can be a nightmare. Children do not care about time change which often leads to very early mornings and bedtime arguments. I am here to share some tips that I have learned over the years since becoming a parent. What is great is that these tips can be applied to anyone, not just kids!
Gradually make a change to bedtime.
Gradually moving your child’s bedtime by 15 minutes each day the week before till the wanted time can help your child transition to the time change. Although it may be too late to do this now, definitely don’t forget for the spring.
Start new routine times.
Change when you begin your bedtime routine. Personally, this means changing our nighttime routine by 30 minutes and starting earlier.
Get your child an alarm clock or timer to help them stay in bed.
We got our son an alarm clock and it has worked great. When children have a visual to see when it is time to get out of bed, it helps them stay in bed later and helps them get into their new schedule easier.
Stick to your schedule.
Even though time is falling back, don’t fall out of your typical routine either. Keeping your usual schedule helps children adjust since it is a normality to them. Continue with bath, brush, book, and bed if you follow the 4 B’s like we do. You can still change bedtime gradually but remember to keep the familiar schedule your child has grown used too.
Don’t forget that parents need sleep too!
Yes, even us parents still need sleep. Make sure you are going to bed at a decent time to help your transition to falling back easier. If you are well rested, it helps the rest of the house.
I hope these tips were helpful! It is truly crazy to believe that we are already in November and rolling our clocks back.
Xoxo
Christian
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