Daylight Savings Time is Coming. Here’s How Parents Can Prepare.

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I’m not a huge fan of the time changes. It throws everything off. Thankfully, we all own smartphones now that automatically change the times because I cannot imagine having to reset everything. It’s hard enough to change the time on the microwave and in my car!

Daylight Savings Time is coming up on March 8, 2020. Since it’s spring, we “spring forward,” which is a little easier than “falling backward.” We get that extra hour of sleep that first Sunday morning, but the struggle is real. I’m telling you how to deal with it now so you can have the best Daylight Savings Time transition yet.

Daylight Savings Time Can Be Difficult for Mom and Dad, Too

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First, if you feel like the time change makes you feel and act sluggish, you are not alone. TC Palm reports, “And while daylight saving time brings an extra hour of sunlight later in the day during the warm, summer months, experts say it also brings about adverse health effects — throwing off sleep patterns and disrupting the body's internal clock […] Disturbing a sleep pattern can make it harder to fall asleep and wake up, causing you to feel tired all the time.”

How to Reset Your Biological Clock

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Before we talk about how to handle our kids, let’s talk about how we can rest our biological clocks. We need just as much help coping with the time change as our little ones, but we often neglect taking care of our own biological clock. Here are some tips to help you:

  • Set the alarm to wake up the same time each day.

  • Open the curtains and let the light in first thing in the morning.

  • Have a clear time each day when you stop drinking caffeinated beverages.

  • Avoid blue light (smartphones, tv) before bed.

  • Create and follow your own bedtime routine.

But It Is So Much Worse When You Have Kids! Here’s How to Deal.

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When you have kids, not only are you trying to reset your own biological clock, but you are also trying to reset your kid’s biological clock. And it is not always an easy thing to do. Here are some tips to help your kids adjust to Daylight Savings Time:

  • Push back bedtime ahead of time. Pushing your child’s bedtime back by about fifteen minutes starting a few days before is a great way to make it easier for them to go to bed when their body is telling them it isn’t bedtime yet.

  • Invest in blackout curtains. With the springtime change, it means we get more sunlight. But this also means many parents are trying to put their kids to bed while the sun is still shining – especially before school is out for summer. This is where blackout curtains become so helpful!

  • Use a kid-friendly alarm clock. They make kid-friendly alarm clocks that simply show a moon or sun (or certain colors) that help kids know when it is morning and evening. Depending on your kids’ ages, you may find this a useful tool.

  • Stick to your routine. If your kid has a bedtime routine, then it is more important than ever before to stick to it! Even though their body will be telling them it is an hour earlier, by following the same evening routine (bath, pj’s, teeth brushing, storytime), it will help then adjust to their “new” bedtime.

  • Practice Patience. When your kid acts ill or cranky in the days following March 8, 2020, just remember that the time change is no fun for anyone.