Experts offer tips on how to help children deal with issues caused by Daylight Saving Time
GARDEN CITY, N.Y. -- We turn the clocks ahead this Sunday morning and will lose an hour of sleep but gain daylight.
Springing forward can be tough on our little ones. CBS2's Carolyn Gusoff spoke recently with experts on the helpful ways to ease the transition.
They can't tell time yet, but they can tell when time has been tinkered with. Our smallest sleepers have a hard time springing ahead.
"All the kids, they don't sleep well. It's not my favorite," said Cassie Brock, a Massapequa mother of three.
"It could be a little stressful. Only an hour can make a difference," Massapequa mother Marina Boldt added.
Most children don't learn to tell time until the end of first grade, but teachers at the Long Island Children's Museum can tell when they're sleep deprived.
"They're bodies are thrown off," one said.
When kids' routines are shifted, even for an hour, their mood, attention span, school performance, and appetites suffer.
"He could be hungry, at particular times. Their snack times, their meal times, their naptimes are super important," said Michele Lipson, director of the Plainedge Library.
"Great, they get to play outside longer but it throws off naptime. So then that witching hour, as I like to call it, it's pretty bad, and then just when it settles down, it starts all over again," Massapequa grandmother Gerry De'Angelo said.
Our bodies have an internal clock. It's circadian rhythm that is influenced by exposure to sunlight and darkness. Suddenly, changing the clock, for all ages, can impact alertness, blood pressure, and hormones.
Several states are considering making Daylight Saving Time year round.
"Daylight savings is definitely a contributor to sleepiness in children, an increase in sleepiness," said Kathy Rivera, CEO of North Shore Child and Family Guidance Center.
Rivera says to discuss the time change as a family and prepare children gradually.
"You can start now, even today, by adjusting their sleep time. Bring it back 15 minutes this evening and do that in little increments day by day," Rivera said.
And to ease the transition to brighter mornings.
"Some parents may want to think about having some blackout curtains or blinds just for that little time of transition," Rivera said. "For the really tiny ones, I would also recommend sneak in another nap if you can. If they can do another 20-minute power nap, that might make a significant difference."
And most importantly, Rivera says practice patience. Be prepared for a few more tantrums and meltdowns. Even grownups may be off their game.