Want a few sleep help tips as daylight saving time approaches? Well, you’ve come to the right place. Yep:) We’ve got you covered:) First, let’s start by noting when the shift happens. According to alamanac.com, time springs forward in 2021 on Sunday, March 14 at 2:00 A.M. So, be sure to set your clocks forward 1 hour ahead on Saturday night, March 13, before going to bed. Of course, our phones and computers automatically update, so that’s good news:) I only have a few clocks in the bedrooms and kitchen I need to update manually, especially my coffeemaker. I want to make sure my fresh cup of joe awaits me when I awake with a lost hour of sleep:)
Fortunately, most experts agree, “springing forward” into the light is a bit easier on kiddos than falling back into autumn’s early darkness. Still, Dr. Daniel Lewin, PH.D., associate director of sleep medicine at Children’s National Health System in Washington D.C., reminds us shifting time one hour “can affect a child’s attention span, appetite, and overall mood.” As parents, it’s our job to know how much sleep our children get every night. Dr. Lewin tells us, it’s common for parents to confuse learning or emotional difficulties linked to lack of sleep with more complex disorders. Often, it’s simple sleep disruptions, like kicked off sheets, interfering with their daytime focus, learning, and emotional health. So, uninterrupted sound sleep plays a vital role in healthy development for our kids.
To ensure your family gets the best sleep help for the time change upon us, we’re coupling with our friends at today.com. Take a look at a few quick tips their experts and contributors recommend:
Plan Ahead
Planning for the time change makes for a smoother transition. So, knowing this year, we awake on March 14 to our Daylight Savings Time, go ahead and implement sleep help with a gradual change today. How? Well, when springing forward to begin longer days, gradually subtract time in 10 or 15-minute increments for morning and bedtime routines. For example, if your child’s bedtime is 8:00, shift back to 7:50 or 7:45 until you reach 7:00. Scheduling the transition days for yourself as well as your child will create a much smoother time change for the whole family:)
Nap Time
Similar to bedtime, begin adjusting baby and toddler naptimes before the time change hits. For example, if naptime typically begins at 9:30 a.m., shift it forward in 5 to 10-minute increments until you reach 10:00 a.m. Then, when the real deal is here, the mind and body transition will already be in place, making it easier for both of you.
Play All Day
With the more extended, lighter transition day, March 14, it’s easier to keep them up later than usual. After all, the sun plays a crucial role in our body’s production of the sleepy-time hormone melatonin. When it’s lighter and brighter, we naturally produce less melatonin. So, plan a Family Sunday Funday. Go to your favorite beach, park, or friend’s house and let the games begin early and end when the sun goes down. Staying up with the extra hour of light will naturally start to reset their body clocks to the new daylight saving time.
Heads UP!
For the 2021 autumn time shift, November 7, go ahead and set a phone reminder two weeks prior. It feels good to prepare ahead of the game:)
Light Management
Did you know Blackout curtains fool your brain into producing more melatonin even at naptime? It’s true. Yep. Darkness is our BFF when it comes to making sound sleep. So, for a little extra sleep help, purchase a set of these sleep-inducing window coverings, add a soothing sound machine, and your child will rest much easier:)
Empathetic Awareness
Let’s face it. The time change can be challenging for everyone. If your child’s mood is fussy during the shift and they are struggling to engage in school, be patient. Chances are you’re also feeling foggy and groggy. Simply being aware ahead that it’s normal to expect mood swings as a result of the time change is half the battle:) Remind yourself to not only be empathetic with your child but also with yourself and your husband. Caring and understanding attitudes make a madhouse into a glad house:)
At Tucked+Covered, our mission is better sleep for the whole family.
In addition to the black-out curtains, give T+C a try for 30 nights or naps. Research shows when kids stay covered; they sleep better. And when they sleep, then YOU sleep. It’s that simple:)
Go Ahead, Sleep Happy:)