Solar time, weekend change: its effect on children

See you in summer time, solar time will return from this weekend: what effects does it have on children? Here it is explained

From Sunday October 30 to Sunday March 26, summer time will start, the hands of our watches will move back one hour. If it doesn’t make too much of a difference for adults, what kind of effects does it have on children instead?

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From Sunday, October 30, solar time will indeed return to our homes with the hands jumping back, gaining an hour of sleep. However, as we know, newborns need special attention for each external factor, also in this case there is the comfort of Alberto Villani, director of the emergency and pediatric acceptance service general of the Bambino Gesù pediatric hospital in Rome and former president of the Italian Society of Pediatrics: “The return of solar time does not interfere in any particular way with the rest of the little ones. Therefore, there is no need to worry”.

The pediatrician also added: “The coming into force of summer time in the spring, when the child ‘loses’ an hour of sleep, creates some additional problems. In this case, it happens more often that the little one is disturbed and has a little more difficulty getting used to the new schedules”.

Solar time, little tips for the little ones: the expert has the floor

Alberto Villani answered Giorgia Cozza’s questions for the Corriere della Sera section dedicated to mothers and their babies. In particular, he was asked about the children’s routine if it should be changed or not: “No, it is better to keep the usual hours, otherwise we risk extending the time necessary to get used to the new one. You don’t even need to change your evening habits: bedtime rituals that announce the date with the bed, such as wearing pajamas, brushing your teeth, listening to a story, promote sleep.

All in all, the little ones won’t take long to get used to this type of rhythm. The expert is certain: “The situation normalizes in 4 or 5 days, at most a week”. No fear for mums worried about the time change, there is no need to worry for newborns who will soon get used to the new rhythms by following the same routine.