There’s good news and bad news this Sunday – on the plus side it’s Mother’s Day! However, we’re also going to be minus an hour’s sleep as the clocks are going forward.
If, like me, you set your alarm on a Sunday because your kids have clubs to get to, be warned, you’ll be waking up even more bleary-eyed than normal.
When it comes to the kids, here are some ways to ensure that the disruption to their sleep routine is kept to a minimum:
The clock change can be a bit of a head wreck for all of us, so let’s spell it out clearly. From Sunday 27, 6am will be 7am (ouch) and 6pm will be 7pm (eek). Doesn’t sound like much fun, does it? You’d think after all this time we’d be used to it, but no, it still takes us by surprise every year. This information is on a need-to-know basis and frankly, I think it’s better if the kids are kept in the dark.
Be aware that there will be less light in the morning and more in the evening, so the kids may be less likely to jump out of bed first thing (because it’s darker), and also refuse to jump into bed at night (because it’s lighter). Blackout blinds are a great way to prevent any daylight from coming into their bedrooms, so theoretically they’ll get a great night’s sleep regardless of what the sun is doing.
Keep everything crossed that the weather stays warm for the weekend. This is because you’ll be on a mission to tire them out so much that they’ll be ready for bed with no questions asked an hour earlier than normal. Bring them to the beach, go for a family run or get them to help wash the car - whatever it takes to burn off all that energy!
If you don’t already have a relaxing bedtime routine in place, get on it pronto. Consider a nice, warm bubble bath, a story or two with the lights dimmed or singing nursery rhymes together if they’re little. The more cues that you can give them that it’s time to drift off, the better. That way, no matter what’s going on outside, they’ll know that inside it's bedtime.
Just be warned, the more relaxed you make it for them, the more likely you’ll fall asleep too!