Toddlers already prepare for the upcoming time changeover

One week in advance: prepare babies for time change earlier
Late risers can look forward to the coming weekend: in the night from Saturday to Sunday, summer time ends and the clocks are put back one hour. Although the extra hour of sleep is the most enjoyable, it is above all babies and toddlers that are bothered by the changeover. You should be prepared for it slowly.

Time change puts a strain on your health
Every half year it's that time again: the time change is coming up. On the night of October 30, the clocks are reset to winter time. However, the extra hour of sleep does not get everyone, but brings in many people the "internal clock" confused and can thus lead to symptoms such as headaches, lack of concentration, dizziness, fatigue and sleep disorders. Especially babies and toddlers can make the change to create. Experts advise to prepare them a few days before.

The time change next weekend brings us an hour more sleep. Especially babies can make the change but to create. They should be prepared for this a few days before. (Image: Ramona Heim / fotolia.com)

One hour extra sleep
As reported by the Association of Paediatricians (BVKJ) on its website "kinderaerzte-im-netz.de", babies and toddlers sometimes have to struggle with the time change. When the clocks are reset one hour during the night from Saturday to Sunday, their usual sleep-wake rhythm changes abruptly.

According to the chairman of the German Society for Sleep Research and Sleep Medicine (DGSM), Alfred Wiater, the problem is the more pronounced the younger the children are. In particular, infants in the first six months of life therefore have problems when temporal processes change. They may then be less well-rested and whiny than usual. It can take up to a week for babies to get used to the time change.

For babies with the time change start one week earlier
However, as Hans-Günter Weeß, head of the sleep center at the Palatine Clinic in Klingenmünster, explained, parents could ease the change for the kids by anticipating the time change.

So you could start with babies about a week before the change with it and bring the little ones every day ten minutes later to bed. "With the time change, they then go to bed at normal times and get up at normal time," said Weeß.

For small children, it is enough to start a few days before the time change - they can go to bed 15 minutes later each day.

Adjust mealtimes
But not only the times of bedtime and awakening should be adjusted. According to Wiater, it is also about the daily routine, such as the meal times, which should also be moved accordingly from day to day.

If the children are a bit older, the Saturday of the time change can be an appropriate moment for generosity. Then parents can give in to the offspring, who still wants to stay up late, quietly. If the children sleep later, they usually wake up later. This also parents have something of the given hour.

Abolition of summer time
Since many people have considerable difficulties with the time change and also the originally hoped-for benefits - energy savings through better use of daylight - has not met, is now a majority of Germans for the abolition of summer time. For example, surveys showed that nearly two-thirds of participants thought that summertime was unnecessary and that they would like to do away with it. (Ad)