Why parents should be thinking about daylight saving time now
Doctors say now is the time for parents to begin building routines with their kids to help them adjust to the time change.
Transcript
00:00 Falling back can be tough on everyone,
00:02 especially young children.
00:03 So I know that parents tend to get a
00:06 little stressed when they're thinking
00:07 about daylight savings. What it's going
00:09 to do to their children's sleep patterns.
00:12 Are they going to be sleeping less?
00:14 How is that going to affect their lives?
00:17 Doctors say there are ways parents can
00:19 help make the time change easier for kids
00:22 in the days leading up to daylight.
00:24 Saving time gradually adjusts their bedtime.
00:26 So if your child is normally going to bed
00:29 at 7 PM in the fall.
00:31 Maybe for the week before or
00:33 make at least four nights before,
00:35 I would say move that bedtime.
00:37 Delay it by 15 minutes.
00:39 So instead of seven,
00:40 we're talking 715, 730, 745,
00:42 8 PM and then when the clock changes
00:44 that 8 PM becomes 7 PM again.
00:47 If your child may be having a
00:49 hard time falling asleep,
00:50 help them relax before they get into bed.
00:53 I always recommend no screen time
00:55 for at least 30 minutes.
00:57 Probably a little bit more than
00:59 that closer to an hour before bed
01:01 so that kids brains have a chance
01:03 to calm down. I think it also helps
01:06 to be in a room without bright
01:08 lighting. You should also avoid
01:10 changing any other aspects of
01:11 their bedtime routines.
01:12 So if you're switching bedrooms or
01:14 you're taking a child from a crib to
01:17 a bed or you're doing other major
01:19 changes, I might delay that until
01:21 you've re established the regular
01:23 bedtime schedule when the time
01:24 switches. Be patient.
01:25 Your child may be extra worried
01:27 your child may be extra cranky
01:29 from sleep deprivation,
01:30 which can make you cranky as well.
01:32 Just remember that these effects
01:34 are short lived and should pass
01:35 within a week or two for Accuweather.
01:38 I'm Emmy Victor.
01:39 [no audio]