Whether we are ‘Springing Forward’ or ‘Falling Back,’ daylight savings time is never an enjoyable experience if you have kids. They are either staying up too late or waking up too early.

So, what can you do tonight to begin to prep for Daylight Savings Time this Sunday?

There are 4 easy things that you can implement to help with the time change.

1. Outdoor Time: Get your kiddos outside for some play and exercise and exposure to sunlight. Studies have shown that outdoor playtime in combination with sunlight will significantly improve the quality of sleep that your kids will have. Not only does play help burn off energy but sunlight helps with the production of melatonin. Sunlight also helps to regulate our internal clocks during the day with the increased production of cortisol for energy and alertness. (This works for adults too!)

2. Routine, routine, routine: A solid bedtime routine is the precursor to a restful night’s sleep. So, don’t disregard your routine to get them to bed earlier. The routine helps to trigger the brain that bedtime is imminent, which starts the release of melatonin and shuts off the cortisol. Hopefully, by the time that your child is in bed, they are already primed for a great night’s sleep.

3. Small changes daily: Moving their bedtime later by 15 minute increments every 1-2 days can help offset the full hour time change on Saturday night. If they are acting extra tired, always error on the side of more sleep. If they wake up a little early in the morning, that’s ok, and preferable to them staying awake too long at night.

4. Be consistent: In an ideal world, your kiddo will move right into the adapted schedule but it’s likely they will need about a week for everything to adjust. Be consistent in your routine and everything will fall into place.

Whether you have been preparing for over a week or you will start tonight, you will still end up ahead of the game if you make a few of these suggested changes to your day!

Cheers to turning over a New Leaf in Sleep!

XO

Evie