As we poise to “spring forward” and move our clocks forward one hour this weekend, we’ll all be losing an hour of sleep. This can be challenging for anyone but is often especially difficult for children. It can affect sleep schedules, wake times and moods. Here are a few tips to that may ease the transition for your family:
Take your time: Instead of trying to transition in one day, you might want to try adjusting your family’s schedule more slowly. Try moving your bedtime by 10 or 20 minutes each night. Keep doing this each night until you reach the desired new bedtime. You could also try earlier wake times each day.
No sleeping in. If the idea of a gradual transition doesn’t appeal to you, try to resist the urge to sleep in for a day or two. This could make it much harder to get things started in the mornings after the weekend. Biting the bullet will also ensure the kids are tired enough to sleep at the normal time each night.
Keep it calm. Make sure the bedtime routine includes some calming activities like reading, a warm bath, or gentle music. Avoid screen time as long as possible before bed (at least 1-2 hours).
Prep bedrooms for sleep success. When it’s still bright at bedtime, children will struggle to go to sleep. Darkening their rooms around bedtime using blackout blinds or sheets can help ensure a good environment for sleep. A fan in the background can add some white noise that masks new noises that accompany the new time for bed.
Try to be consistent and stay patient… it can take as much as a week to transition to a new bedtime.