Today is Daylight Savings. Which means that for 96% of the United States (here's to you, Hawaii and Arizona), we turn our clocks forward one hour, lose an hour of sleep, and for those of us in the northeastern reaches of the country, begin to see a pinprick of light at the end of the winter tunnel.

But if you're like me and have a little one at home, it can mean something entirely different.

Sadie is 21 months old and by now has established a nice sleep pattern. She goes to bed around 8pm and wakes up somewhere between 5:30am and 6:30am. We just returned from California, where we spent only a weekend, but that trip threw everything off. While we were there, Sadie barely napped, she woke up at 4:30 each morning, and upon return, couldn't fall asleep until 9pm and didn't wake up until 7:30am. In the grand scheme of life, I think all of that's OK, but regardless, the routine that we had gotten used to was tossed to the wind, and Sadie's displeasure in our attempts to reintroduce her to East Coast sleeping patterns was all too apparent.

So we've been doing a lot of thinking and talking about how to handle Daylight Savings. This was even a topic of conversation with several friends, each with kids under 5 years, over dinner the other night. The codified tips:

  1. Go gradual.
    We ease into it. We're concious not to force the timeshift upon her and expect her to get it right away. So for the week leading up to DST, we move dinner time, bath time, and bedtime just a little bit later, each day. By Saturday night she should be all ready.

  2. Remember the light shift.
    It's not just about time... when the clocks move forward, it'll be darker when you wake up, but lighter later. Make sure you've got the right kind of shades (if that's your thing) on the windows in her room for bedtime.

  3. Think beyond sleep.
    It's also about eating, bathtime, and other morning and evening routines. Keep those in mind and shift as need be in terms of timing... remember, each piece of the puzzle!

  4. And for yourself...
    We realize that you may not get enough time for yourself, but your rest is important, too. Take tonight, take it easy, and maybe hit the hay a tad earlier than normal - you'll appreciate it tomorrow :).

Bring on the light!

Mike
COO & Mimo Dad