Daylight Saving Time in Manitoba: Tips to help your kids during the time change

As Daylight Saving Time comes to an end this year, Manitobans will set the clock back one hour on Sunday morning.

This means dawn will come earlier in the morning and darkness will come earlier in the evening, which can disrupt the sleep patterns of both children and adults.

Pediatric sleep consultant Jolene Dilk Sahlin said babies are likely to wake up at the time their bodies are used to anyway, so if they usually wake up at 7am, they will wake up at 6am with the time change.

“It’s unfortunate for parents,” she told CTV Morning Live Winnipoeg on Thursday.

“It’s a little harder for us to adjust, and it’s harder for the kids to adapt to new times.”

To prepare for the change, Dilk Sahlin suggests moving your child’s schedule forward 15 minutes each day.

She noted that the disruption this year is Halloween.

“Your kids will probably get up a little later today,” she said.

“You might not want to put it off tomorrow because they will be tired. It’s probably best to just keep them informed.”

Dilk Salin said that when the time changes, the sun helps adjust our internal clock, which takes about a week or two.

However, there are things you can do to help your little ones adjust during the two-week period, including allowing them to stay in the dark and not starting their day right after they wake up.

“So I hug them. If you’re breastfeeding or breastfeeding, you might want to try this,” she said. “You just want the lights to be dark and subdued.”

For toddlers and preschoolers, Dilk Salin suggested purchasing a special watch that gives visual cues to young children. She also recommended easing their transition to sleep.

“We still want to maintain some kind of regular routine,” she said.

“Watch them for sleep cues. Babies tend to zone out and stare into space when they are ready to sleep. Toddlers become hyperactive, brash and grumpy.”

Daylight saving time ends on Sunday at 2 a.m. local time.

— With files from CTV’s Rachel Lagasse.