Are you prepared for losing that extra hour of sleep when the clocks are turned forward an hour for Daylight Savings on March 10? It may not be so easy, especially if you have young children, who have trouble adapting to change. But you can get ready with sound advice and tips for a smooth and calm transition to Daylight Savings from Certified Sleep Experts from Sleepy Planet, Jennifer Waldburger and Jill Spivack, and your friends, the PAJANIMALS, from The Jim Henson Company and Sprout, the 24 hour children’s preschool channel.
We all know toddlers and preschoolers need plenty of sleep to get through their busy days, especially as they ease into Daylight Savings. Now, you can learn what it takes to keep your child’s bedtime routine on track with these simple tips from Waldburger and Spivack, who serve as consultants for the critically-acclaimed preschool series, PAJANIMALS, a series designed to help parents establish a bedtime routine for their preschoolers. PAJANIMALS airs nightly on Sprout during The Good Night Show and follows the amazing adventures of four sweet, gentle and cuddly musical puppets that model the skills preschoolers need to move through their days successfully.
The Night Before – On Saturday, March 9th, turn clocks AHEAD 1 hour.
If your child normally sleeps till 6:30 AM, the next morning he/she might be sleepy until 7:30 AM. The entire schedule – naps and bedtime – will then shift one hour later. If you’re happy about this change, great! Just protect your child’s room from too much light in the early morning, and use white noise so they won’t wake with the birds.
If you’d rather help your child get back to the usual schedule, try the following:
- Set your alarm for 6:30 AM (according to the new clock) and wake your child at this time. To them, it will feel like 5:30 AM and yes, they may be cranky and tired, but their body will soon get used to the new schedule.
- Put your child down at the normal nap time (if they are still napping) according to the new clock and resume a normal schedule from there. Don’t allow a nap longer than usual.
- On Sunday night, put your child down at their usual bedtime according to the new time.
Additionally, Sprout.com offers many Pajanimals’ games, activities and content to help your child navigate through their bedtime routine, including:
- An all-new Pajanimals Daylight Savings-themed activity page. To download and print, click here.
- Tips on easing your child into dreamland
- Make your own dream catcher
There is also the fun, Pajanimals’ video “How Do I know If It’s Morning Time,” available on YouTube.
And more springtime fun for the Pajanimals:
Tune-in to Sprout between March 18 – April 14 for their “Spring is Sprouting” event, and catch some of your favorite Pajanimals’ episodes, including Apollo’s Special Day, Puppy Love, Share Day, The Cow’s Meow and Team Fort! Pajanimals also airs every Saturday morning on NBC Kids!
More About Pajanimals:
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Follow The Jim Henson Company:
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Twitter: @hensonparents
Follow Sprout:
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Twitter: @SproutTV