Time Springs Ahead

Daylight Savings Time? I call it "Insanity Time Changes."

I am the mother of two young boys, now 3.5 and 5.5 years old. The whole goal is to have a system of time during the day...time for breakfast, time for dressing, time for school, lunchtime, supper time, homework time, snack time, bathtime, teeth time, and of course BEDTIME! But twice a year, the government and the other poers to be, have decided to either roll back or roll ahead time by one hour. This may seem insignificant to people with out children - in the fall it's an extra hour to party, in the spring it's an extra hour of sun in the evening.

For those of us that have children, this spring ahead and fall back are a NIGHTMARE! Take tonight for instance, it's now 8 pm normal time, but it is kindof already 9 pm with the time springing ahead at midnight. So they went to bed early. Of course I can hope that they sleep in early, but once 7 am hits, there's no chance of that happening. Tomorrow they will be cranky that they lost an hour of sleep. The tomorrow night when I try to get them to bed an hour earlier so that they can wake up in time for school and daycare, they won't be tired yet.

Did you know it takes kids 3 to 7 days to even adjust to this time difference? "The annual "spring forward" ritual can cause disruptions in normal sleep patterns for children and adults. However, NSF says there are steps you can take to minimize the sleep loss and enjoy the benefits of healthy sleep and productive days." Read through the article located at http://pediatrics.about.com/cs/spring/a/daylight_svg.htm for more information!

As many children are already not getting enough sleep, making an easy adjustment through the start of daylight saving time is important. EASY?! How can that even happen?! Again from the article above they recommend:

1. Maintain your child's regular sleep, wake and nap times. Try not to compensate for the lost hour by delaying bedtime or allowing your child to sleep in. This willincrease the time it takes to transition. There may be some crankiness from being tired, but this should last only a day or two.

2. Make gradual adjustments. Some parents find it is best to try to start makingadjustments on Saturday night rather than wait until Sunday, a school night. You might even want to try making a slow transition starting on Thursday night before the time change, moving your child's bedtime earlier by 15 minutes each night. By Sunday night you will be right back on schedule.

Goodness - the web is filled with info on how to rectify this problem - I've got an idea - let's leave time alone!!!

And of course - let's not forget our smoke and fire alarms... fire departments across the country ask people to put a new battery in each smoke alarm. In fact, you may need a new alarm. The Ontario Home Builders' Association strongly recommends replacing any alarm older than 10 years.