Happy Fall

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Are you ready for the time change next week? It is time to "FALL BACK" with time on November 5th. You can begin to prepare children by putting them down to sleep at night a bit later every few days this week. If your child is in bed normally at 7pm, aim for a 7:15pm bedtime tonight. In a few days, make it 7:30 pm and then 7:45pm, until it is an hour later. On the "wake up" end of the day delay getting your child up by the same amount of time (even if awake). For crib sleepers, this is easy. For older children, you may be in a big bed, you may have to sit with them quietly in their room by their bed to keep them on the quiet side a bit longer.

Since we have darker evenings and mornings at this time of year, sleep is usually easier to structure. We welcome the longer darkness stretches in the Fall and Winter months.

It is always good to ask yourself if you and your children are getting enough sleep? For infants until age 2 years of age, a child needs about 14 hours of sleep in a 24 hour day. For toddlers, 12-13 hours is usually appropriate. School age children need about 10 hours of sleep.

Adults need 7-8 hours (don't forget to take care of yourself as well!)

We will all get an extra hour of sleep on November 5th when we push our clocks back. ENJOY THE GIFT OF SLEEP....but continue to keep good sleep patterns for good health throughout the entire Winter!