How do you survive a time change with kids?! Daylight Saving Time is especially brutal. Twice a year we have to change our clocks and while the adjustment may throw us adults off… it can be torture for families with children.
Take 2015, for example. We turned the clocks back at 2 a.m. on November 1, the day after Halloween. We gained an hour—one more hour of children bouncing off the walls from their sugar highs. Oh, the torment!
Whether we’re moving the clocks forward or back, time changes rarely go well with the little people in our lives.
Here are some tips for surviving Daylight Saving Time...with kids! #parenttips Share on X
How to Survive Daylight Saving Time (With Kids)
Adjusting to a time change with young children is challenging. Whether you’re moving the clocks ahead an hour, back an hour, or even adjusting to a time change because of travel, these tips will surely help!
Have a bedtime routine
Bedtime routines are essential year-round. When your children know all the steps leading up to bedtime, their bodies start to relax and unwind naturally. Decide what elements are most important to help your children relax before bed and stick to them.
We have a very basic bedtime routine, which includes:
- snack
- brush teeth
- change into PJ’s
- read a Bible story
- two lullabies/songs
By the time we’re singing songs, the kids are yawning and ready to go to sleep.
Make the time change gradual
Consider adjusting their schedule by 10-15 minute increments over the span of 4-6 days before the time change. Gradually shift their bedtime or consider shifting their wake-up time.
Use a good children’s clock
I LOVE using this clock with my children! The I.CODE Sun & Moon Rise Kids Alarm Clock Clock and Night Light is AMAZING! The clock is red and displays a moon when they need to stay in bed, but when the clock is green and there is a sun on the display, they can get out of bed.
While they may still rise early because of daylight saving time, they know (because of the clock) not to wake up Mom and Dad until the clock glows green.
There are many other things I like about this clock, too. It has an interactive, talking, time-teaching game, and your child can learn to read time in digital and analog formats.
Wear them out
Whether daylight saving time is starting or ending, you’ll want to ensure your children get loads of exercise. Wear your kids out so they get a good night’s sleep! Plenty of fresh air is also a good idea.
Feed them well
Your children may still feel the effects of daylight saving time. A tired child is challenging, but a tired and hungry child is torture! Prepare plenty of healthy snacks for your children to eat. If you need some ideas, check out my post on healthy snack hacks for busy moms.
Take care of yourself
Oh no! You took all these measures, and the kids are still crabby? Make sure you have whatever it takes to get you through the days. Check your stock of coffee, tea, chocolate, and/or candy… *wink*. Drink plenty of water, and make sure you have what you need to pull through the long days that tend to follow a time change.
Be gentle
Remember that your child’s adjustment to the time change is temporary. Very soon, they’ll be back to normal. Be calm, understanding, and gentle through this period. If you do lose your cool, you can always reference my list of five things to do after you blow up at your kids.
Now it’s your turn
How do you make a time change less painful for you and your children? I invite you to post your thoughts below and then share this article with other parents who may need it.
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Great tips Jennifer! I think the best thing to be reminded of is to “take care of yourself” in the process. The fact we get an extra hour of sleep this weekend, instead of the other way around, makes me so happy! :)
I’m glad for the extra hour of sleep too – it’s just making sure the kids tap into that “extra hour” too ;)
Taking care of ourselves is so important. Often we forget!
Great advice and seriously so not a fan of when we change the clocks, especially in the Fall time, as I hate it getting dark here at like 4:30 in the afternoon. But you are also so right about the effects on the kids. So, I couldn’t thank you more for all your help here and just hoping the after effects are short lived here this time out once again though. Have a wonderful Tuesday and week ahead now!! xoxo :)
I hate the dark afternoons too – it makes me glum.
Hopefully these tips make the time change easier for everyone in your household.
Those are all really great tips and will even work with me since I even need help with surviving daylight saving times. I don’t know why they change the time because it really messes with my sleep. I just wish they’d leave it alone, but I may have to check out that clock for Madison.
The clock is AMAZING Amanda! I highly recommend it!
I’m delighted these tips resonated with you – hopefully it helps make the time change easier for everyone.
Great tips, as always Jennifer! It really does throw us all off over here- BUT I’ll take the extra hour over losing it any day!
Cass has a three day swim meet, so this should be interesting how the time change plays out with it all.
Yes – extra hour is awesome… I just wish the kids would sleep for that extra hour *wink*
Best wishes on the swim meet!
So we live in the only place that does not do daylight savings, but seriously your list can apply to anyone. My kids are running me down, hard core. We need a reset, maybe I will just pretend that it is daylight savings and get us all on track again!
P.S. Congrats my friend on all of the good coming your way. Couldn’t happen to a better person. Hugs!
I wish we didn’t have daylight savings (we would have to move to Saskatchewan for that and there’s nooooo way that’s happening) *wink*
I hope these tips help you get on track again.
Thank you so much for the kind words and well wishes Jen – I truly appreciate you <3
The Halloween one was nuts last year! That was tough. I love the routine one because it’s what I told my sister – during this first “fall back” with her as a mom. The problem was that we were all staying at my parent’s house. So it remains to be seen how we survive it.
Being gentle… the best.
I hope we never encounter the Halloween time change again. Man that was brutal! lol
Gentle is important.