Proven Strategies to Help Your Children Deal with the Upcoming Time Change

By Missy Morrison Charko

Daylight savings, whether it is coming to an end or just beginning, can really get under people’s, and especially parent’s, skin. I don’t blame you and I am right there with you! It is logical that the shift of your child’s sleep, eating and activity patterns by an entire hour will be felt. It affects not only children’s sleep patterns, but those of adults as well. In fact, statistically, there is an 8% increase in traffic accidents the Monday after daylight savings time kicks in. It can increase our sleep debt, especially in children, who tend to be much more structured in their morning routine and their bedtime routine. So, you can see why, in my profession, I don’t like either time change, and there is a great debate going on about getting rid of it all together! They have my vote!

But that is not the point of this article! Today, I am going to give you some tips on how to get through this dreaded time! Many parents just try to ignore that it is even happening, therefore not assisting their child through the transition. That’s not your fault! But read on to learn a few strategies to make the transition easier!

Strategy A: “Start Early” Step 1: Since we will be moving backwards with our clocks, you will want to move back in increments before the transition happens. So first, jot down the times that your child wakes up, eats, and goes to bed. Step 2: Do gradual shifts over 2 to 4 days, either: • shifting in 30-minute increments in the 2 days leading up to the time change; or • shifting in 15-minute increments in the 4 days leading up to the time change. Example for 4 days: If your child currently goes to bed at 7:00 pm, then you will want to start shifting them back 4 days in advance, so: 6:45, 6:30, 6:15, and 6:00 pm. Step 3: Make sure that you shift everything else as well! So, morning wake-up, lunch and dinner times.

Strategy B: “Split the Difference” Step 1: My recommendation to all parents is just to leave the clocks alone so it’s not a psychologically upsetting event to see your little one up an hour earlier. Just get up at your usual time and start the day. After your cup of coffee and a bit of breakfast, then you can go around changing the clocks. It will feel much better this way, trust me! Step 2: That day, you are going to adjust the child’s naps and bedtime by a half hour. If your child does not nap, that is fine, just shift the bedtime and the wakeup time. Step 3: On the fourth night, just get in line with the new time so your child is back to going to bed when the clock says 7:00 pm. Adjust naps to the correct time on day 4 as well. Example (Baby): If your little one usually takes a morning nap around 9:30, you will adjust this to 9:00 for the three days after the time change. It will be a bit of a push for your child, but not so much that it will cause much damage to her schedule. Do the same for the afternoon nap. If your little one goes to sleep at 7:00 pm, then put that child to bed at 6:30 pm for the first three days following the time change. (This will FEEL like 7:30 to your child.) Example (Toddler): If you have children over the age of two, you can put a digital clock in