I was thinking about what a typical day entails for our family, especially on our usually busy Saturdays, and realized that we'll lose an entire hour this Saturday, March 9 (if you set your clock forward and adjust for it on Saturday). While one hour might not be a big deal to some, it can mean a lot when it comes to children (wake up times, naptimes, bedtimes, etc.) and even parents. I found some great tips, in Family Fun magazine, on how to help your family adjust to Daylight Savings Time.1. A few days (probably 3-4) ahead of time, start "resetting your internal" clock by adjusting wake up times and bedtimes by 15 minutes. Each day, get up 15 minutes earlier and go to bed 15 minutes earlier.
2. I've read many times about how light, including bright computer and/or TV screens, can tell the internal clock that it's time to wake up. So, in the morning, you can help by exposing your family to the bright lights as soon as everyone wakes up. Accomplish this through opening the window curtains, turning on bright overhead lights in the house, taking a walk outside in the sunlight, etc.
3. And, keeping the same thing in mind concerning bright lights, do the exact opposite when bedtime is approaching. Accomplish this through dimming the lights inside the house, closing window curtain if necessary, turn off the television and/or computer, etc.
Just one more thing that my family does that could be beneficial for you. We wake up on Saturday morning and go ahead and adjust our clocks. That way, we don't feel rushed to account for one less hour at the end of the day...no hurrying to get the kids in bed earlier, etc. Just beware that if you plan to go out to any establishments, they will still be operating an hour earlier ;)
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