Daylight Savings Time

Multiples, and children in general, already have a difficult enough time with the clock before you add in the extra surprise of Daylight Savings Time. Here are some tips and tricks to get them, and you, through this period of (literal) unrest.

1. Prepare yourselves!
Start early: reset one of your clocks on Friday night. This gives you and your children time to adjust without the hassle of school and work to deal with as well. It’ll give your little ones a chance to eat by the new schedule, and they’ll feel less sleep-deprived come Monday morning. Just be sure that you don’t go by that clock when you schedule playdates or meetings!

2. Exercise!
This should be something we do already, but too many of us neglect it. Take your kiddies out on a walk in the park, or go bike riding around the neighborhood. It will help tire them out so they get to sleep on the new schedule, and working out releases seratonin in the body, which will make you and your little ones that much happier. 🙂

3. Nap time!
For parents: Don’t nap too late in the day, otherwise your sleep patterns will be just as off as your children’s. For children:  If they have a set nap time, move it fifteen or thirty minutes so it feels correct to them when their bodies are fully transitioned.

4. Don’t eat a large dinner!
Large meals in your stomachs help neither you nor your children sleep well.  As you are getting settled into your new routine, have a lighter meal for dinner and let your children have a healthy snack if they feel peckish throughout the day. Give them plenty of time to digest before sending them off to sleep.

Other important things to consider…

• Check the batteries in your smoke and CO2 detectors! Daylight Saving’s Time is ideal for this. Make sure everything is in working order!
• Check the supplies in your emergency kits! Be on the lookout for items that need replenishing and for product expiration dates.
• Be on the lookout for sleepy drivers. You never know who’s going to be too tired because they didn’t prepare properly, or panicked on the road because they forgot to reset their clocks.

Keeping it Real: working within the multiples equation

Written by Ann Blizzard

“When your newborn twins are going to an event, is it probable that your departure and arrival times will equal or be anywhere near your original estimates? Will you most likely be late for anywhere you go? Bonus points for figuring this out and looking presentable yourself. I have to admit, I was fairly confident this was one math equation I could execute with some accuracy. My husband must have had this same confidence as he actually announced we would be joining him at his work for the “Welcome Twins Party” at 11 am.

Perhaps this confidence was because I could now open the double stroller at will and maneuver it at normal speeds without taking out any small children. I hadn’t even told him I was able to get that monstrosity through two single doors injury free. This was the same stroller that had made us decide that one of us, perhaps even both, would need to return to school to learn the basics of engineering. I am sure many of you can appreciate these (major to us) accomplishments; perhaps you have even shed a tear or done a victory dance possible with many curious observers when you too reached this point. If you are not there yet, please know it will be possible to accomplish without any additional formal schooling. As I began my estimation, I reflected on other recent successes with my twins and household. My personal victory of finally figuring out the correct pressure to release the “easy” drop down rail on the crib without sounding like I was moving the entire house and its contents thrilled me. I had also gone two weeks, even in a sleep deprived state, to remember to put water in the wipe warmer so no wipes turned to a brown color.