The transition to solar time means an extra hour of sleep for adults, but also a time shift for children. Expert advice to limit night-time disturbances in children.
In the night between Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th Octoberwe will switch to solar time. The adults they will probably sleep an hour more, while to the children it will look the same time. They will then wake up again earlier than usual and they will have difficulty going to bed. How can we make changing the time as easy as possible for them (and for us)?
Change of time and children
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“An hour’s difference is enough for change the rhythms of children For three to five days“, says Dr Patrizia Mariani, MioDottore Psychologist. “They will no longer be hungry at mealtimes, they will be more tired and more irritable. Knowing that we gain an hour of sleep on Saturday evening, they may have difficulty go to bed early the following days“, underlines the psychologist, who adds: “It is normal that the child eventually may experience some discomfortit may need a few days to adapt. The children’s reaction it is subjectivethe possibility of slowing down the pace of everyday life must be normalized and evaluated.”
When to start
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To minimize inconvenience, it is best to start moving younger children’s time three days before the change. The more far-sighted will have to move it by 10 minutes a day starting from Wednesday“to avoid having him undergo a whole hour of change on Sundays”, advises Dr. Patrizia Mariani. Meals, naps, bedtimeall times will be postponed (10 0 15 minutes every day), it is important to maintain the post-dinner evening routine is constant (bath, quiet play, reading…)”. Adapt everything to the tiredness of your child. For older children it could be useful, with watch in hand, to explain in simple words the change of time and that this could lead to a greater tirednessso that they are helped to understand the situation and reassured in the face of the changes they will perceive.
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