Daylight Saving- Fall Back

Daylight savings is quickly approaching, the time of year parents dread! Prior to being a parent I loved this time change because it meant you got an extra hour of sleep. That does not apply when you have children… It means they are going to get up one hour earlier. Even if you have a really good sleeper, this may still affect their sleep, and cause them to start their day earlier than normal. For those of you who already have an early riser, this is not something that you will look forward to. 

I do not like getting up early, it's just not my jam. So if you are like me and don’t want to get up too early, try one of these options to help your child through this transition period. 

Do what works best for your child and family. Every situation is different and some children are more easy-going with this change, depending on their age and personality. 

I have 5 options that you can use when dealing with this time change, based on how many naps your child takes or how sensitive they are to change. Let me know what works best for you!

 Option One: Preparing ahead of time. 

This is a great option for those parents who have the ability to change their schedule in the week leading up and who have kids that just don’t adjust well to changes. This works great with babies on 2 or more naps. This will help to ease them into it slower so that they are waking up at their normal time on Sunday morning.

Starting the Tuesday before the time change, you will begin your morning 10 minutes later than you normally would. Next you will adjust the rest of your day by 10 minutes, keeping your child’s wake windows the same, but moved 10 minutes later.  

By only pushing the schedule by 10 minutes and doing it gradually over 5 days, it should help to keep the nap lengths the same and make the transition happen more smoothly. This does make their nap times different everyday for the 5 days leading up to the time change, but can be easier on those children that don’t do well with big changes.

Example: Two-nap schedule

Option 2: Preparing the weekend of the time change. 

This option is for those who want a quicker change or are unable to make those changes in the week due to daycare or work schedules. In order to do this, on Saturday you are going to try and push wake up time 10-15 minutes later as well as put your child down 5-10 minutes later for each nap and bedtime. The idea is to not push it so long that they get over-tired which can cause them to have a short nap or a rough night. You can also let them nap 5-10 minutes longer each nap to push things later. On Sunday you will do the same, pushing the wake window (time awake between sleeping) by 5-10 minutes longer. Then on Monday their wake windows will go back to normal, aligning with the new time.

This works great for babies and toddlers on 1-2 naps. If your child isn’t taking a nap, then try and keep them in the dark room for an extra 15-30 minutes in the morning so you can push bedtime later without getting overtired. You can also offer a quiet time to help them to stay up later.

Example: Two-nap Schedule

• This shows the normal schedule as Monday. You are only changing things Saturday and Sunday.

• Be sure to keep your child in the dark until at 6:45am, even if they wake up early to ensure they don’t get too overtired or start the day too early.

Option 3: Add an extra nap

Depending how many naps your child takes, you can also do an additional “cat nap” on Saturday to push bedtime 30 mins - 1 hour later to help them wake up more on time the next morning, then adjust naps a bit, trying to get back to their schedule on Sunday. 

If your child has good naps, you can allow them to sleep longer in the day so you can push the wake window before bedtime a bit later and put them down a bit later.

Ex: If your little one is taking two naps or more, then I would add an extra, shorter nap. This nap can be in a carrier, in your arms, car or stroller. Just a short 15-30 minute nap to help push bedtime about an hour later. This will help them to wake up at their normal time the following day.

If your baby takes one nap then it will be harder to add in an extra nap, you may want to use another option. 

Option 4: The “go with the flow” method.

This can be for those parents who forgot or who have children that adjust well to change. 

You can see if they will sleep-in the morning of the time change. If they wake up an hour earlier (their regular wake up time,) then you can slowly change them back to their regular schedule by letting them stay in their bed a bit longer in the morning, ideally 15-30 minutes, then they can go down a bit later for their nap or sleep longer for their naps and putting them to bed a bit early. This is a more “go with the flow” method and “see what happens,” not following any schedule.

Example of this go with the flow:

Depending how many naps your child takes, then you can add an extra “cat nap” to push bedtime to their normal time and get back on track the next day. 

Option 5: Keep the schedule the same

Some people have a winter schedule and a summer schedule. They keep the new schedule the same, not ever having to worry about changing the schedule at all. You can also meet it in the middle and only change the schedule by 30 minutes versus the full hour.

Example: Two nap schedule 

Whichever method you choose, just give your child grace, and patience! This change can be very hard on children, and it can take up to 2 weeks to fully adjust. This time change is affecting your child’s circadian rhythm, which can be difficult to deal with. Be prepared for some early mornings, or nap/bedtime struggles. Be patient and keep consistent, things will get better!

Be sure to check out my blog on Early Morning Wake-ups to help get your child’s sleep back on track.

Reach out if you are having any issues or having a hard time getting back to your schedule.