Americans can snag an extra hour in bed this weekend as clocks “fall back” for daylight savings time, but parents of little ones might not be so lucky.
Fortunately, pediatric sleep consultant Amanda (@dreamologybyamanda_) promises there are strategies to get your kids to wake up later this Sunday.
And bonus points if that means catching a few more ZZZs — or getting some extra quiet time in the morning — for mom and dad.
While you might not feel that single hour difference much as an adult, children can be more greatly affected by a shift in their snooze schedule.
“Young children need more sleep and don’t tolerate sleep deprivation as well as adults,” Daniel Lewin, PhD, former associate director of sleep medicine at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C., told Parents last year. “The loss of just one hour can really affect a child’s attention span, appetite, and overall mood.”
Though it’s too late to implement Amanda’s first tip to push a kid’s wakeup time forward 10 minutes every day for a week, her second option comes in just under the wire.
“The weekend leading up to daylight savings time, you will want to lengthen your wake window five to 15 minutes,” she told her TikTok followers. “The tricky thing about this option is, you do not want your child to become overtired, so if your child becomes overtired easily, this might not be the best option for you.”
So tonight, kiddos can go to bed about 15 minutes later, with an aim of having them get out of bed 15 minutes later on Saturday. That night, bedtime gets pushed back another 15 minutes, with a later wakeup on Sunday — and by Monday morning, they’ll hopefully be up just in time for school or daycare.
Dr. Lewin agrees that a gradual adjustment like this “is not as much a shock to the system.”
Finally, Amanda’s third option is to do nothing at all. She noted that some kids might be fine with the shift — and if not, they’ll catch up within a few days.
Implementing a good bedtime routine this weekend — and every night — will also make the adjustment easier on everyone, according to Dr. Mario Bialostozky, M.D., associate chief quality officer at Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego.
“Routine is really key,” she told Blue Shield of California. “Children thrive on routines and consistency. They do best when they go to bed at the same time every single day, including the weekends.”
Dimming lights and turning of screens at least a half hour before bedtime are all expert-approved ways to get snooze-ready.
“Both kids and adults need a calming bedtime routine to quiet their brains to promote better sleep,” added Dr. Teri J. Brown, M.D., medical director at Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan.
