Toddlers are notorious for bedtime battles, so the twice yearly time change for Daylight Savings Time can be a sore spot for parents. It can be difficult to predict whether the change will have any effect on your particular child or children. It can also be difficult to decide whether you should try to orchestrate any changes to your evening routine and bed time in the days leading up to the switch.
Since we are due to spring forward in a few hours, I decided to start our evening routine an hour earlier than normal. I made sure to include plenty of activity during the day so that the boys would be good and tired. That was easy, because it was a warm and sunny day so we were outside for much of the time, playing in the snow and getting really muddy. Usually, dinner is on the table around six, followed by quiet time (books or a movie) from seven until eight. At eight, I put away the books or turn off the movie, and we chat until Dylan falls asleep if he has not fallen asleep already.
Everything went smoothly, with the end result being that both boys were asleep by seven-thirty, which is a half hour earlier than usual. After I tidied up the house, I sat down to enjoy the peace and quiet and get some work done. As soon as I sat down, I realized that I may have done this whole time change bed time thing completely wrong. The boys have been getting up around seven every morning, which as of tomorrow morning would mean that they got up at eight. However, that is what happens when they go to bed at eight in the evening, not seven-thirty. Are they going to wake up at tomorrow’s seven thirty, which is more like six thirty because of losing an hour? I have been going around and around in my head about it, and I have come to the conclusion that it really does not matter. What matters more is that I get myself to bed “early”, like around eleven instead of twelve or one. I have no idea what will happen in the morning, but at least I will be well rested and ready to take on the day regardless of what time it is.