(Radio Iowa) – Iowans will need to reset all of their clocks this weekend as we fall back an hour, and now is the ideal time for parents to start getting their kids ready for the shift as Daylight Saving Time ends. Pediatrician Dr. Casey Freymiller says even small changes over the next few days can have big impact. “Spending a few days beforehand, adjusting little by little, 15 minutes each night, going down later, getting up a little bit later, can lead to less of a dramatic shift of a whole hour for them on Sunday,” Freymiller says, “and especially going into Monday into school again.” Freymiller says exposure to light plays a big part in a kids’ sleep schedule, and it’s important for them to have light in the morning.

“If it’s a particularly dark day, having a good sunlight exposure with an artificial lamp that’s designed to do that, that can really help wake kids up as well and set their clock,” Freymiller says. “Having less sunlight definitely makes us want to sleep, and so you definitely can notice kids being tired earlier on. Some kids, just like adults, can be affected by a little bit of the seasonal affective disorder.” Many of us have to sacrifice sleep from time to time, but Freymiller says it’s a precious commodity that’s often overlooked, especially for kids.

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (photo)

“Getting good sleep is important for learning. Being able to be present and awake and alert at school to do the learning, but also to keep what we learn during the day,” he says. “It helps kids regulate their emotions, keeping them from being too high of emotions and keeping them from being way too low.” Freymiller says parents can also try small doses of melatonin to help shift a child’s sleep schedules ahead of the time change.