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Researchers have new recommendations for safe sleeping environments for infants, including moving baby to a separate sleeping space after breastfeeding and using pacifiers (© LPETTET / Istockcom)
OTTAWA –
The real nightmare for some parents on Halloween this year will not be ghosts and goblins, but the end of daylight saving time
The clocks will move back one hour to 2 am in November 1 While this could mean an extra hour of sleep for some people, it can affect your child’s sleep next weekend
“As parents and kids they don’t really get an hour of sleep unfortunately. As adults we used to put the kids to sleep that day and we feel like we get an extra hour of sleep” said Erin Junker, professional infant and toddler sleep consultant
« For parents with young children who keep getting up at the same time and don’t care what the hour says, then you really feel like you have to get up very early if your child is already getting up at 6 hm and then you have to go around and change the clocks, now it looks like you get up at 5 am in November 1 «
Junker says the time change can be difficult for children and adults alike and will affect everyone for a few days
« It takes all of us from a few days to a week for our body clocks to adjust We all get back on track, some sooner than others Even for adults we are all a little out of the way, a little more cranky as our body clocks adjust, but usually within a few days to a week we’re all back on track »
Junker owns The Happy Sleep Company in Ottawa She spoke with CTVNewsOttawaca about three options parents should consider before daylight saving time ends if you’re worried about waking up early with the kids in November 1
The owner of the Happy Sleep Company says it’s a good option if your child is already waking up around 6.30am or 7am each day and going to bed at 7pm
“It generally works well for parents who have kids who aren’t really concerned with schedule changes. Especially if your child isn’t already awake early then this is usually the way to go,” said Junker
« If your child doesn’t wake up before 7 a.m. or later then it won’t be the end of the world to go around and change your clocks at 6, 6:30 a.m., your day may still look like it was. done normally So you might just want to do nothing and let the day go by, and put your child down at the normal time according to the clock time »
If your child goes to bed normally at 7 a.m. then he will feel an hour later for your child from November 1
Junker says babies and toddlers who aren’t particularly sensitive to being tired will settle back into a normal schedule within a day or two after the time change
« If your child doesn’t already have issues with early morning awakenings, then it probably won’t be a big deal for the time change, » Junker said
Junker says the second option is to slowly change your child’s schedule over the course of a few days before DST ends this weekend.
« This is if you have a child who is already waking up very early or is really prone to being very sensitive to fatigue, you might want to try getting them to follow the new schedule before the new schedule occurs. » , Junker said
« Do it gradually so that it’s not an hour-long shock to their system on November 1, so you’re doing it gradually in increments »
Junker recommends on Wednesdays, putting your child to bed 15 minutes later than normal, in the hope that they will wake up 15 minutes later in the morning Continue to put your child to bed 15 minutes later each night until what the night of the time change Junker then notes in October 31, your child will have shifted his sleep schedule by one hour
« This is especially if you have a child who already wakes up quite early in the morning and you are worried that the clock looks like 4.30am when it’s normally 5.30am on November 1, » Junker said. / p>
« It only works for some children Not all children’s schedules will allow for the shift, and they will always wake up at the same time the next morning, even if you try to change their bedtime a little later the night before. »
Junker notes that this option can have a negative effect on children who become easily tired, which can lead to crankiness, waking up early in the morning, nightly awakenings, and short naps.
Junker says the third option is to stick to the regular schedule leading up to the time change and only change the schedule as far as your child can handle
« So if you get to the end of the day and your kid is looking great, then you can just keep the status quo and put it back to normal time, » Junker told CTVNewsOttawaCalifornia
« But again, because it’s going to feel an hour later for your kid, what you might do is come up to the end of the day and say ‘you go to bed normally at 7 o’clock, but the clock shows 6 o’clockm right now and it’s 7 in your body, you have to go to bed “You have tons of tired signs, you are cranky, you look exhausted; we can’t get you to your standard time for your bedtime today, ”Junker said
“So we could do it as early as 6pm tonight and then stagger it a bit over the next few days at 6:15 am, 6:30 am, 6:45 am and 7:00 am until we got to what was the your child’s normal bedtime «
Junker admits that changing the schedule after the daylight saving time can be « quite difficult » for those with children who are already waking up early in the morning
The owner of The Happy Sleep Company says if your child takes two or more naps a day; do not change anything around the time change
« For kids who take two or more naps, which is normally naps, there are too many variables to expect a shift to work for them. So really at that point I would say to treat it like a normal day and go back to their normal nap times, ”Junker said
“When a child is no longer napping, or maybe they only take one nap a day, a change in schedule in advance can really work. It can even work with adults; we do this for ourselves If you have a pretty fixed bedtime when you go to bed every night, changing things up ahead can really work for someone with a pretty consistent schedule »
When is daylight saving time
World News – CA – Daylight saving time ends November 1: Three options to adjust your child’s sleep during time change
