Ah, sunshine. Well, a little more of it, at least. Daylight savings time is coming- this Sunday at 2 AM clocks spring forward! A few quick tips-

1. Black out shades may not have seemed so important when the sun was only shining for 8 hours a day. Now the sun is setting closer to six and we’re about to move that to close to seven. Yikes. Now is the time to invest in room darkening or black-out shades, if you don’t already have some. There are nice, permanent black-out shades that can be pricey. There are also cheaper temporary shades. And there is always cardboard. Classy!

2. Ease into the transition by adjusting your schedule by 15 or 30 minute increments. This involves planning so you’d need to get started on this soon. Remember to adjust the entire day’s schedule, not just bedtime and nap time. Meals, snacks and other daily events (that are within your control, obviously) should be adjusted along with sleep times.

3. Or go cold turkey. You lose an hour but if you have time to spare on Sunday morning let everyone get up a bit later. If you don’t have any time to spare and a 7 to 8 AM wake up is not feasible, see #2 above.

4. Get out and get some sun. Exposure to sunlight is important for adjusting circadian rhythms.