Daylight Savings 2009: helping kids adjust

For 2009, Daylight Saving Time ends at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, November 1st. So don't forget to set your clocks back one hour before you go to bed on Saturday night. Daylight Saving Time gives us the opportunity to enjoy sunny summer evenings by moving our clocks an hour forward in the spring.

The implementation of Daylight Saving Time has been a controversy since Benjamin Franklin conceived of the idea. Even today, regions and countries routinely change their approaches to Daylight Saving Time and several states have stopped adjusting at all.

Daylight Saving Time has had a remarkable history and it has impacted a variety of unexpected areas, from Middle East terrorism to feuding twin cities, voter turnout to time-change riots, radio stations to trick-or-treaters, and opera performances to manslaughter charges.  To learn more about Daylight Savings Time's history click on the link above.

Although Daylight Savings Time happens in the middle of the night, it can affect you and your children for several days.  However, there are steps you can take to minimize the sleep loss and enjoy the benefits of healthy sleep and productive days.

1. Maintain your child's regular sleep, wake and nap times. Try not to compensate for the lost hour by delaying bedtime or allowing your child to sleep in.  Quiet time (as opposed to napping), helps the body understand new times without creating problems of too much sleep.
2. Spend time outside because daylight can help body rhythms.  Exercise and physical movement helps people respond to changes in their worlds.
3. Read more: http://parentingresources.suite101.com/article.cfm/helping_kids_adjust_to_daylight_savings_time#ixzz0V342CVVC
4. Learn what you can do to improve your sleep and how to recognize signs of potentially serious sleep disorders by visiting NSF's Web site, www.sleepfoundation.org.