It's been a tough winter in northeastern Ontario---extreme weather alerts and huge snowfall, but signs that spring is on the way are coming. (we hope)
This Sunday the clocks will be adjusted forward one hour for Daylight Saving Time.
This means that if you normally wake up at 6 or 7 a.m, you are likely to sleep in an hour or so until your body adjusts to the time change.
Children can be even more affected.
Luanne Bruneau, founder of Baby Sleep Right in Nova Scotia shares her tips for making the daylight saving time transition as easy as possible:
Tomorrow, start all meals and sleep times 15 min earlier.
Friday, start all meals and sleep times 30 min earlier.
Saturday start all meals and sleep times 45 min earlier.
Then on Sunday, (beginning of DST), have all meals and sleep times start according to your normal schedule.
Other Tips:
As you're offering earlier bedtimes in preparation for the time change, your child may not be ready for sleep right away. However you are encouraging them to relax, and so long as you keep your routine consistent, there should be no reason for you to deal with major bedtime battles.
- If you use a tot clock or keep a lamp on a timer in order for your child to know when it is "ok to wake," remember to adjust the timing on these tools during the transition period.
- If you find your child is having difficulty adjusting to the time change, use daylight and outdoor activity to your advantage when you can. Exposure to fresh air and sunlight will help reset your child's biological clock and prime them for sleep when you get them in before nap times.
- Of course, your best weapon against daylight savings time is having a consistent and predictable routine for your child. Starting with a warm bath is the best cue for your child, as it is unlike anything else they do during the day.
- Then limiting the bedtime routine to about 30 min, so it doesn't drag out, you can incorporate your choice of a lullaby, story time, family prayer, or daily reflection following pajamas and brushing teeth.
U.S. inventor and politician Benjamin Franklin first proposed the concept of Daylight Saving Time in 1784, but modern Daylight Saving Time first saw the light of day in 1895 when an entomologist from New Zealand, George Vernon Hudson, presented a proposal for a two-hour daylight saving shift.
However, Germany was the first country to implement DST on April 30, 1916, when the clocks were set forward at 11 p.m., said timeanddate.com.
Many countries in the Northern Hemisphere (north of the equator) observe DST, but not all.
In Canada, all but Saskatchewan observes DST.
Most of Ontario uses DST. Pickle Lake, New Osnaburgh, and Atikokan, three communities located within the Central Time Zone in Northwestern Ontario, all observe Eastern Standard Time all year long, according to Wikipedia.
Daylight Saving Time is in use between March and April and ends between September and November as the countries return to Standard Time
Daylight Saving ends Sunday, November 3, 2 a.m.
