Read almost any article on this site, and it will quickly become apparent that sleep is extremely important for everything your kids do in life! And nothing frustrates me more than the twice annual forced time change (especially when our kids were infants!).
Medical professionals (such as those in the American Academy of Sleep Medicine) tend to agree that staying on a national fixed time is necessary for health. In the few days following time changes, adults are more likely to have heart attacks, stroke, car accidents, and emotional disturbances! Thus it is my hope that this article will be obsolete in the near future and we will all stay on the same time year round!
However, since most places in the United States (except Hawaii and Arizona!) still change times…
Plan Ahead!
There’s no need to wait for daylight saving time changes to occur – prepare NOW!
Did the previous change just happen? Perfect! You have it easy. Simply put a reminder on your calendar to start prepping your kids about two weeks before the next time change. Throw in a link to this article so that you can review what to do when the time comes!
Is the next time change quickly approaching, causing much undue stress? No need to fret. Let’s get those kids ready!
Steps to Prepare for a Time Change
First, remember that everyone benefits from consistency in their sleep schedule. We want to keep the number of hours slept the same and gradually move the schedule earlier or later, depending on the time of year.
Adjust Bedtime and/or Wake Time Gradually
How much time do you have until the change comes? A few days? A week? Two weeks? Aim to adjust your child’s bedtime and wake time by 10-15 minutes each night. If you have just a few days until the time change you may want to go with 15 minutes per night. If you have few weeks, you can do 10 minute changes every few days for a more gradual adjustment.
I can never quite wrap my head around which direction to adjust, so on this point, I defer to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. For the fall time change, gradually move bedtime later than usual. In the spring, gradually move bedtime earlier. The spring sounds more difficult, doesn’t it? It may be easier to gradually wake your kids earlier in addition to putting them to bed earlier to encourage them to be tired at night.
Keep a Consistent Daily Schedule
It may help to adjust your child’s entire schedule – meal times, nap times, screen time, outside time, etc. by the same amount every time you adjust bedtime. This will keep their day consistent while gradually altering their schedule to match societal time. When meal time rolls around (or what used to be meal time) on that first day of the time change, you will be glad you did!
What If You Didn’t Make a Plan?
Did the time change sneak up on you? That’s ok! You can gradually adjust your child’s sleep habits after the time change as well! This may not go perfectly for the spring time change if you already have a tight schedule. There may be several grumpy days after your child is rudely awakened an hour early.
Having difficulty getting your child to go to sleep (particularly for the spring/earlier time change)? See my article Always Start With Sleep for tips on making sure your child is bored and tired at bedtime!