1. Make sure to change your clocks before heading to bed on Saturday night to avoid the panic of a late rise. Remember that some clocks change automatically (e.g., cell phones, cable box, etc.), so take all of that into consideration to avoid missing something!
2. Get ready several days out and introduce self-imposed time changes.
For spring: "Try to shift your child’s body clock before the Spring Forward comes. You can start now by putting them to bed 15 minutes earlier for the next five days, which should help. It’s a shift in the time of the routine, but make sure to keep the routine. (Note: It may take a week to adjust to the new time… it will pass—really!)"
3. Be gentle with yourselves throughout the first week after the change.
For spring: "Spring Forward last year was like being jet-lagged and beaten with baseball bats, so this year we are going to bed 15 minutes earlier each day and getting up a little earlier too. It's not too late to do the same. In any case, whether you ease into it or tough it out, be gentle with yourselves next week."
Safety Tips:
This is also a good time to put new batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, as well as other battery-operated devices like hazard warning radios and flashlights.
As a crime prevention tip, the 78th precinct also advises that you change PIN numbers when you change the clocks for daylight saving time.
Finally:
Some places don't observe daylight saving time. They include Hawaii, most of Arizona, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam and the Northern Marianas.
Dates to remember:
March 14, 2021: Daylight Saving Time begins
November 7, 2021: Daylight Saving Time ends
For some fun facts and trivia about Daylight Saving, read the PSP page Spring Forward (O The Humanity)!
