How you can help kids adjust when the clocks turn back

With daylight saving time coming to an end for the year, Manitobans will be turning back their clocks by one hour on Sunday morning.

This means dawn will come earlier in the morning and darkness will arrive sooner in the evening, which can disrupt the sleep routines of both kids and adults.

Pediatric sleep consultant Joleen Dilk Salyn said kids will likely still wake up at the time their bodies are used to, so if they typically get up at 7 a.m., they will rise at 6 a.m. with the time change.

“That is unfortunate for the parents,” she said in an interview with CTV Morning Live Winnipoeg on Thursday.

“It’s a little bit harder for us to readjust ourselves, and it’s harder for the little ones to get adjusted to that new time.”

To prepare for the change, Dilk Salyn suggests moving your child’s schedule forward 15 minutes each day.

She noted the disruption this year is Halloween.

“Your kids are probably going to be up a little later tonight,” she said.

“You may not want to try to push everything later tomorrow, because they’re going to be tired. It’s probably best just to keep them on track.”

Dilk Salyn said once the time change comes, the sun helps to adjust our internal clocks, which takes about a week or two.

However, there are things you can do to help your little ones adjust over the two-week period, including allowing them to stay in the dark and not start their day right when they wake up.

“So cuddling with them. If you’re nursing or feeding, you might want to try and do that,” she said. “You just want to keep the lights dark and low.”

For toddlers and preschoolers, Dilk Salyn suggested investing in special clocks that provide visual cues for young kids. She also recommended easing them into their new bedtime.

“We still want to keep some sort of regular routine,” she said.

“Watch them for sleep cues. The babies will tend to zone out and stare into space when they’re ready for bed. Toddlers get hyper and active and defiant and grumpy.”

Daylight saving time ends on Sunday at 2 a.m. local time.

- With files from CTV’s Rachel Lagacé