So today my husband came home for lunch and said, Guess what time it is? And because I am a Mom, the first thing that came into my head was the Bubble Guppies song!
Excuse me, what time is it?
Manager : IT’S TIME FOR LUNCH!
Mr. Grouper: What time is it?
Students: It’s time for lunch!
Mr. Grouper: What time is it?
Students: It’s time for lunch!
Mr. Grouper: What time is it?
Students: It’s time for lunch!
Mr. Grouper & Students: It’s lunchtime! Hey, what’s for lunch?
But my hubby said, that he was referring to the time change! (Slaps hand to forehead!)
What??!! NO!!!
And I should be on top of this kinda thing, right? I guess I am in denial.
So anyway, here we are, talking about the time change….AGAIN!
But we can do this! If we get lemons we make lemonade, right?
In general I find that kiddos tend to have an easier time with “Spring Forward, rather than “Fall back.” The only tricky part, is keeping a decent bedtime when it is still light at 9pm.
So here we go, my top tips for getting through!
– Make sure that your child isn’t overtired before the change happens. Kids who have built up a sleep debt have a much harder time adjusting to any sort of schedule change, especially daylight savings. The week before the time change, make sure your child (three and under) is napping and bedtimes are at a decent hour.
-Believe it or not, our bodies will do most of the adjusting on their own. Our body’s internal clock is controlled by the amount of light that our bodies perceive during the day. So most people will find that their body slowly adjusts on its own.
–For Kiddos on One Nap- If your child normally goes to bed at 7pm, the time change would now make that an 8pm bedtime. So on Sunday night put them to sleep 7:30 (new time) for three days, then on the fourth night switch them to their regular bedtime of 7:00pm (new time). Keep in mind they will be going to bed ½ hour earlier.
-For Babies on 2-3 Naps: I do recommend waking them by 7:30am (new time) so that we can preserve that morning nap time. I know I know, I am brutal. I never recommend waking a sleeping baby unless we are protecting another sleep time. And we do want to protect that morning nap! We are still aiming for them to go down about 9am!
Don’t forget that the time change means more light at night and in the morning!
So think like a bear! Make sure your child’s room is just like a cave, dark and cool! It is very important that we keep our sleep environment nice and dark! This goes for every one of all ages! We want our bodies to release all of the sleep hormone Melatonin. Melatonin is nick named the “vampire hormone” because it only comes out in the dark. So let’s give our children’s body a helping hand by keeping their room nice and dark, for naps, nights and early morning!
When you do get up for the day, open those windows and try to get some outside time if you can. Remember what I said above! Our body clock is set by the sun, so exposing your child to lots of light in the morning hour will help set their body clock!
And above all, don’t worry too much! We will make it through!
I hope to Meet you all in Dreamland!
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