Autumn is upon us, which means clocks are about to fall back which means it gets dark by 5 o’clock, the days feel shorter, and the kids tend to get tired earlier. We have a few helpful suggestions to make transitioning to the new time change much easier!
Change Bedtime a Week in Advance
If your child goes to bed at 7pm, start shifting their bedtime back by 15 min each night until they reach 6pm. That way, they will be back to 7pm once the clocks go back. Your child will begin getting tired as it gets darker earlier, so this shouldn’t be a hard adjustment!
Keep the Lights On!
Our bodies naturally want to fall asleep when it gets dark which can make it tough for some kids to stay awake until bedtime once Daylight Savings ends. In order to help them stay awake until their bedtime, keep the lights on and start dimming them 30 minutes before bed. Eliminate screens and electronics one hours before bed as well to help ensure optimal sleep.
Get a Lot of Sleep
In order to make sure your child is prepared for the time change, make sure they are getting plenty of sleep! Sticking to a routine will help support them sleeping more. Combining the earlier bedtime with the dim lighting and a daily routine will help them sleep longer and feel more rested. It’s completely normal to feel a little groggy and tired during the first few days of the time change and allowing them to sleep more will significantly help prepare them for this!
Be Patient
The time change throws all of us off a little bit. As parents, we love the earlier bedtime and having more of the evenings to ourselves, and the occasional long sleep-in. For kids, it can be a startling adjustment when things get dark so quickly and their normal evening routine changes. They may be used to you coming home from work or picking them up from school when it’s light outside, but now it’s dark. Staying patient and understanding will help them through this change and back to their normal routine!
We hope these tips are helpful and serve as a reminder that “you’ve got this!”
Savor these holiday evenings and time indoors creating memories with your family. This is such a wonderful time to find activities to do together like playing board games, making homemade hot cocoa, or watching classic movies with the whole family while enjoying a big bucket of homemade popcorn.