Navigating Daylight Savings with Children
Courtney Carter
/ Categories: WELLNESS, 2024

Navigating Daylight Savings with Children

Transitioning to daylight savings can be tricky for babies and children whose sleep schedule thrives on routine. But, with a little advance preparation, you can make “falling back” easier for all.

There’s nothing like sudden darkness at 4:30 p.m. to make your whole world feel off. The transition to daylight savings, both in the spring and fall, is especially hard on young children who live by routines. The impact can be particularly challenging as it relates to bedtime.

The good news is that it is possible to begin managing the transition before it happens so that, when the day comes, you and your child are ready.

For maximum success, you want to begin at least four days before daylight savings kicks in. This year, with Daylight Savings Time starting Sunday, November 3, you want to begin adjusting bedtimes no later than Wednesday, October 30.

Begin by pushing bedtime forward 15 minutes. If the normal tuck-in time is 8 p.m., move it to 8:15 p.m. The next night, move it another 15 minutes later to 8:30 p.m. and repeat so that on the evening of daylight-saving time (Saturday night), bedtime will be at 9:00 pm. Once you adjust the clocks on Sunday, your child will be back to their usual 8 p.m. bedtime.

And, because you don’t want to disrupt bedtime routines (think getting into jammies, brushing teeth, reading books, etc.), you must adjust the timing of ALL your routines for the four nights preceding daylight savings.

Yes, that means you’ll be eating dinner a bit later for a few nights, but the reward of not having a groggy baby or a tyrannical toddler will be worth it.

A few other tips to keep in mind as you ready to fall back as a family:

Avoid screens: Powering down screens of all type at least 30-60 minutes before bedtime to provide the best sleep quality and help you fall asleep faster.

Don’t skip naps: As tempting as it might be to try playing the sleep-swap games with children’s naps, it can lead to sleep deprivation that can affect a child’s mental and physical health.

Keep kids awake for bedtime: While your child may get sleepy as you push back bedtime, it’s important to try to keep them awake so they’re truly ready for the transition.

Also, if possible, put a pause on any big transitions, such as changing bedrooms or beds, or even potty training, until your child is comfortably settled into the new sleep cycle—typically one week. You don’t want to overwhelm them or have a lack of sleep negatively impact their progress toward important milestones.

Again, most children and adults can adjust to daylight savings within a week. Mustering an extra bit of effort, patience and consistency in the days leading up to it will have you all sleeping soundly soon.

Lynn Mann, DO, is a pediatrician at SVMC Northshire Campus.

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How to Become a Mask Wearer

Long before COVID-19, online chat groups for people with pulmonary fibrosis (PF) were filled with posts about how uncomfortable it is to wear a mask in public: not physically uncomfortable, a fact that was barely mentioned, but psychologically uncomfortable. For people with this condition or the lung transplant used to cure it, catching a cold or the flu could be deadly. They need to wear masks in public to help protect themselves from getting ill.

The participants discussed how awkward it is riding the bus in a mask, going to the grocery store in a mask, or boarding a plane while wearing one. They were mostly self-conscious that others would think they were ill or weak. Many would rather suffer the risk of getting fatally sick than put a mask on in a department store.

Now, we've all been directed to wear masks in public. Both Bennington and Wilmington's Select Boards have passed local mandates requiring masks in public places. This—along with distancing and handwashing—are crucial parts of returning to a more normal way of life. Suddenly, we are all feeling the psychological discomfort PF patients have felt for many years.

People usually have an interest in blending in. And, just like doing anything out of the ordinary, wearing a mask for the first time definitely feels like putting yourself out there. If we want to return to a somewhat normal way of life, masks are crucially important, along with frequent, thorough handwashing and keeping a distance from others.

Here are a few tips for making the leap from being someone nervous about wearing a mask to being a person who wears one regularly.

Do it for others. We know that people can spread COVID-19 as many as a few days before they get sick. Even if you feel fine, you could have COVID-19 right now without knowing it. At the same time, masks are far better at keeping sick people from spreading germs than they are at keeping people from getting sick. So wearing a mask isn't a sign of weakness; it's a sign of altruism. It's like saying, "I am not certain that I am not sick, so I want to pay those around me the consideration of limiting the likelihood I will infect them." Think of it as a badge of kindness.

Get a mask that fits. We know that masks are not completely comfortable physically. Getting the right fit makes a big difference in their "wearability." Cloth masks are readily available online and from local groups. The Green Mountain Mask Makers have excellent information and resources. If you can, purchase a few types in a few sizes to see which you like best. Buy enough of that type to allow washing between trips out in public.

Get a mask that you like. Once you have found a mask source and as long as you have a choice, pick one that you like. You can choose colors that match your wardrobe or that represent your interests, like camouflage. There are even masks that look like fashionable scarves when they hang around your neck. The sooner we start thinking of masks as part of our outfits, as essential and unremarkable as shoes or a belt, the healthier we will all be.

Try to quit caring about what others think. This one is hard. But one wise PF patient wrote, "I just don't give a darn!" Essentially, he shared that if people want to judge him for wearing a mask, so be it. Their opinions don't have a single thing to do with him. Many in the chat group applauded his confidence and vowed to adopt his attitude.

If we all do our best, soon the cultural scale will tip. Wearing a mask or not wearing one will cease to be a political statement. It will be normal. And thankfully, if wearing a mask in public, handwashing and sanitizing, and keeping our distance are all normal, going out into public again can be safe and normal too.

Donna Barron, RN, is the infection preventionist at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center.

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