If you live in the U.S. you probably know most of us will be changing our clocks ahead 1 hour in March. Yep, Daylight Savings Time is just a little over 3 weeks away! This means it will be brighter at 7 AM and at 7 PM right around bed time!
When it comes to sleep and time changes, many parents are rather shocked at how much that seemingly insignificant hour difference can disrupt their child’s sleep. Let’s talk about the different approaches we can take when adjusting our child’s schedule for daylight savings time.
Approach #1: The Gradual Approach
When to Begin Adjustment: 1 week before DST
What to Do: On the Sunday before the time change, start to push your child’s daytime schedule 10 minutes later each day, this includes naps, meals, and their bedtime. So, if your child is usually awake by 7 AM, on Sunday you will aim to wake them up around 7:10 AM. Each day that week you will then push their schedule by an extra 10 minutes. So, they are now waking up at 7:20 AM. By the following Sunday (the day of the time change), your child will be waking up around their typical pre- daylight saving time wakeup time!
Approach #2: The Quick Adjustment
When to Begin Adjustment: The Day of the Time Change
What to Do: On Sunday morning after the time change, wake your baby up 30 minutes earlier, this will look like 30 minutes later on the clock. Adjust naps, meals, and their bedtime 30 minutes earlier as well, again this will look 30 minutes later on the clock. The following day you can resume your child’s normal schedule according to the clock.
Approach #3: Go With The Flow – Do Nothing
What to Do: The day of the time change allow your baby to wake up at their normal time, which will look to be an hour later on the clock. They are now waking at 8 AM and going to bed at 8 PM. No need to change anything!
Need help with your baby or toddler’s sleep and adjusting to the time change? Schedule a 15-minute consultation to learn more about how we can help!
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