Daylight Savings is notoriously rough on kids and animals, since it doesn't make any sense to them that you would just decide that the time is no longer the time it is. (they're not wrong.)
I suppose in a more optimal world, you could work them up to the drastic change by moving the clocks 5 minutes every day for the twelve days before Daylight Savings. But who has the luxury/obsessive tendencies to be able to do that?
So other than moving to Arizona, what can you do to ease this transition? I did find one blog that offers a more reasonable "work up to it" method. You begin the transition Friday night rather than Saturday. The goal is to make the Monday morning experience a bit less of a jolt. I would bump it all back to Thursday, but that's just me. He based his schedule on his daughters' sleep schedule, which is bedtime 7pm, wake up 7am.
| Friday | Saturday | Sunday (DAYLIGHT SAVINGS!) | Monday |
| Bedtime | 7:15 pm
| 7:30 pm | 6:45 pm | 7:00 pm |
| Waking time | 7:00 am
| 7:15 am | 6:30 am | 6:45 am |
One simple suggestion is for parents to go to bed early on DS night. As adults we get used to the "free hour of sleep" idea, but anyone with kids knows that is a lie. Going to bed earlier will help you feel more rested and less resentful of the unchanged body clock of your two year old.
Also as it gets dark earlier, make sure you and your kids are soaking up as much sunshine as you can. Sunshine is good for you physically, emotionally, and mentally, but it may take more of an effort to fit in "sun-time" when the hours of daylight shrink (and temperatures drop).
Most of all, as with any transition, budget in extra time, trim down your to-do list, and have a back up plan. Trying to rush while you're sleep deprived and your child is confused pretty much guarantees a meltdown.
And if, best intentions notwithstanding, you find yourself wide awake at midnight after a long and exhausting day? I feel your pain...
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