3 ways to catch your children’s sleep in time for summer time

Americans may get an extra hour in bed this weekend when the clocks “fall back” for daylight saving time, but parents of young children may not be so lucky.

Fortunately, pediatric sleep consultant Amanda (@dreamologybyamanda_) promises there are strategies for make your kids wake up later on Sunday.

And bonus points if it means catching a few more ZZZs — or getting some extra quiet time in the morning — for mom and dad.

While you may not notice the individual hour difference as an adult, children may be more affected by a shift in their snooze schedule.

“Young children need more sleep and do not tolerate sleep deprivation as well as adults,” said Daniel Lewin, PhD, former associate director of sleep medicine at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, DC. Parents last year. “The loss of just one hour can really affect a child’s attention, appetite and overall mood.”

While it’s too late to implement Amanda’s first tip of pushing a child’s wake time forward 10 minutes every day for a week, her second option is coming right down the line.

“On the weekends leading up to Daylight Savings Time, you’ll want to extend your waking window by five to 15 minutes,” she told her TikTok followers. “The tricky thing about this option is that you don’t want your child to be overtired, so if your child is easily overtired, this may not be the best option for you.”

So tonight kids can go to bed about 15 minutes later, with the goal of getting them out of bed 15 minutes later on Saturday. That night, bedtime is pushed back another 15 minutes with a later wake up on Sunday – and on Monday morning they will hopefully be up just in time for school or daycare.

Dr. Lewin agrees that a gradual adjustment like this “isn’t that much of a shock to the system.”

Finally, Amanda’s third option is to do nothing at all. She noted that some kids may be fine with the change — 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 for everyone, according to Dr. Mario Bialostozky, MD, associate chief quality officer at Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego.

“Routine is really key,” she shared Blue Shield of California. “Children thrive on routines and coherence. They feel best when they go to bed at the same time every single day, even on weekends.”