Are You Ready to Spring Ahead?

The sun is shining. The weather is a little warmer and soon it will be time to spring ahead. That's right folks, daylight savings time begins on March 14th. While moving our clocks forward by one hour may not seem like a big deal, parents know this change can lead to bedtime battles and crabby kids. Springing ahead may happen automatically in many ways. We no longer have to reset every clock. Our phones, cars and even some appliances automatically spring forward for us. Unfortunately, this change is not automatic for our bodies and is especially not automatic for children's bodies. 

Imagine how confusing it can feel when bedtime (8 pm on the clock) feels like 7 pm to our child's body. The opposite is true in the morning. If you wake your child up at 7 am, their body feels like they should still be sleeping for another hour. No wonder parents see a spike in bedtime delay tactics and cranky mornings. Did you know that if you take small steps now you may be able to avoid this? 

Or this?

Take Small Steps Ahead of Time

In this approach, you adjust your child's bedtime by moving it 15 minutes earlier every couple of days. 2021 bedtime example: If your child's normal bedtime is 8pm, start moving it to 7:45 on March 7th and 8th, then 7:30 on March 9th and 10th, then 7:15 on March 11th and 12th, then 7 pm on March 13th. Then on March 14th when the time change occurs your child's bedtime will be back to 8pm. 

Start Changing Before and Finish After

This approach also adjusts your child's bedtime by moving it 15 minutes earlier every few days. However, in this approach you start a few days before the time change and finish after the change has happened. 2021 bedtime example: If your child's normal bedtime is 8 pm, start by moving it to 7:45 on March 9th and 10th, then 7:30 on March 11th and 12th. On March 13th and 14th when the time change has happened your child's bedtime will be at 7:45. Bedtime will be back to its usual 8 pm on March 15th.

The goal of both of these approaches is to make the change to your child's bedtime a gradual shift. Thus, having less of an impact on young children. It is important to remember that young children are less capable of handling sleep deprivation than adults and need more sleep. Toddlers and Preschoolers need between 12-14 hours of sleep per day including naps. 

Remember all children are different. Some children won't even notice the time change. Other children will need more time to adjust. Hopefully using one of these approaches can help ease any disruption to your child's sleep schedule. 

You Will Feel Better

11 months! It is hard to believe that we have been living in a pandemic for 11 months. I'll be honest when all of this started last March, I never imagined that we would still be experiencing the pandemic almost a year later. Maybe it was my naive optimistic heart that was blinding me to what our reality would be. The past 11 months have brought a myriad of challenges that have made it feel like we are on a rollercoaster with lots of crazy twists and turns and highs and lows. Month to month, week to week, day to day, even hour by hour, my emotional state has ridden this rollercoaster with all of its twists and turns and highs and lows. And I know I am not the only one who is experiencing this ride. 

We need to remember that our kids are on this rollercoaster with us. Their worlds have been drastically changed. For some of our older kids they have transitioned from in-person learning to distance learning to hybrid learning to distance learning to in-person learning. Kids of all ages might be missing their grandparents or friends as we all try to do all we can to keep everyone safe. These are just a couple of ways our kids have been impacted. 

All of this has got me thinking about self-care and care of others. How are we taking care of ourselves during this crazy time and how are taking care of our kids, families and friends? If you are like me maybe just thinking about that is overwhelming but I have a really simple idea to share with you: A Feel Better Jar. What's a Feel Better Jar? A Feel Better Jar is a jar filled with ideas of things to do that will help your child and you feel better when the twists and turns and highs and lows get to you. Follow these easy directions to make your own Feel Better Jar:

• Collect a jar or can, paper or popsicle sticks, markers, crayons or pens, scissors, and glue or tape. 
  
  
  
• Cut a strip of paper wide enough to wrap around your jar or can. Write Feel Better Jar on the strip and add some fun decorations. Wrap the label around your jar or can and tape or glue it in place. 
  
  
  
• Write on strips of paper or popsicle sticks ideas of things you and your child can do to help you both feel better. Be sure to ask your child for their ideas. 
  
  
  
• Put your ideas in your feel better jar. The next time you or your child need a little pick me up, choose a slip of paper or popsicle stick and try out the idea. 

Another way to take care of yourself and your child is to join one of our ECFE class. ECFE still has a few openings for winter/spring semester! Register today at https://sowashco.ce.eleyo.com/ or call Brenda Griffin at 651-425-2701 for more information. 

Sometimes, self-care activities aren't enough to improve your or your child's emotional state. Be sure to connect with your doctor is you or your child is struggling with stress or anxiety. Your doctor can help assess possible underlying issues causing anxiety and also connect you with other health care professionals such as a psychologist, psychiatrist or social worker.