Spring Ahead!

This coming weekend we spring ahead one hour for Daylight Savings in the U.S.  For young children (and who am I kidding, adults too) this can be a difficult transition.  Here are some tips to start working towards the new time so the transition this weekend will hopefully be smooth.

A Cup Of Jo via Alexis Rodriguez via Pinterest

1.  Start to wake your child up 10 - 15 minutes early a few days ahead so by Sunday you are back on your normal sleep schedule.

2.  Try to make sure your child's room stays dark, especially in the morning.  I have blackout shades in our little one's room.  If  your doesn't, you can always buy blackout material and have your curtains lined with it.

3.  Don't try to wear your child out, overtired children take longer to fall asleep.

4.  If you haven't established a bedtime routine yet - DO IT!  Bath, book, and bed works well for a lot of children.  Although our child doesn't take a bath everyday yet (she has really dry skin, and doesn't get too dirty most days!) for a long time we only read one book before bed every night...that way she knew it was bedtime.

5.  Others feel like keeping them on the normal routine and letting them sleep a little longer at nap time to compensate for that one hour drop also works.  Within a couple days they should be back to normal - one word of caution is that you might have a cranky child on your hands for a few days!