Fall back into sleep  

It’s that dreaded time of the year again where time change is almost upon us. This time we will be setting the clocks back an hour which can really wreak havoc on a child’s sleep if you aren’t prepared. Let’s make sure that doesn’t happen, shall we? Or at least let’s make sure it is short lived. Look on the bright side, at least we gain an hour in our day!

When it comes to time change, I believe less prep is more. So, all the adjustments to prepare for daylight savings will be done the weekend of time change.

Daylight savings time preparation

In the fall, when we gain an hour during the day, one of the most common sleep issues we see is children start waking super early in the morning. A 7am riser now becomes a 6am riser. Or worse, a 6am riser now becomes a 5am riser!

To try and minimize this, on the Friday evening preceding DST, put your baby to bed 15 minutes later. Push naps on Saturday 15-30 minutes later. Finally, push bedtime on Saturday evening 30 minutes later than your usual bedtime. On Sunday morning, let your baby sleep until whenever they wake up. Note, it is normal that your baby will wake up earlier then their usual wake time. We are starting our day an hour earlier after all. Don’t get discouraged and continue to follow your normal nap times and bedtime on Sunday. Time change always takes a few days to adjust.

Here is a sample schedule of how to push bedtime and naps:

Preparation leading up to DST is only needed if your baby is on a predictable nap schedule and has a consistent bedtime every night. If your baby is 6 months or younger and does not have a predictable nap schedule and bedtime, continue to follow age-appropriate wake times.

DST can further complicate things, especially if you are having trouble with your baby, toddler or preschoolers sleep. If you would like support and want to work 1-on-1 with me, check out my sleep programs or book a free call.