PREPARING YOUR CHILDREN FOR SPRING AHEAD
What does spring ahead mean? It means staying lighter longer and not eating dinner in the dark. However, it also means your 8’oclock bedtime is now 9 and not to mention the loss of an hour’s sleep. Sounds terrifying, doesn’t it?
There are plenty of little trick to do between now and March 13th (2022) to lessen the stress of a later night schedule. Some people do nothing which is always an option as they will eventually adjust to the time change. Someone like myself who likes routine loves having a plan.
If your child needs it to be dark outside to let them know its bed tie you can invest in temporary paper shades to darken your child’s bedroom. These paper shades can be found at most home goods stores. This will help eliminate its not dark out excuse of not wanting to go to bed.
To get use to the hour difference you can slowly over the next two weeks pushing back your bedtime routine by 5-10 minutes a week, so they adjust their daily schedule. This will help with an easier transition to the time change. Keep your routine the same just push it ahead little by little. Another way to tweak the schedule is to wear them out and skip the nap if they still nap.
White noise machines also may help relax their busy little brains. Avoiding screen time too close to bedtime is also another recommendation. The recommendation is actually at least an hour before bedtime to allow their brains to relax and not be over stimulated.
I personally love day light savings. It makes the day feel longer and who does not love more sunlight. Spring is a beautiful time of year, lets start it with no sleep battles.
