One less hour of sleep?! Nobody likes to hear that and when you have a baby or toddler it can be even more stressful because we look forward to the later start of the day.
BUT NEVER FEAR!! I got you covered with steps and options on how to prepare.
First, the time change happens March 12th so mark that in your calendar! Side note.....whoever came up with Daylight Savings is no friend of mine. Lol.
To help you prepare, here are a few options.
Do Nothing
This is honestly my approach to both fall and spring time changes. Here you just let your baby or toddler adjust naturally and sometimes they might even surprise you and not be affected with early wake ups! With this option, if your baby normally wakes up at 7 am and goes to bed at 7 pm, it would now look like an 8 am wake up and 8 pm bedtime. After about a week or so their body will adjust and they can go back to their normal bedtime.
The Gradual Approach
With this option you will adjust your child's schedule by 10 minutes each day. YOU WILL BE WAKING THEM UP EARLIER EACH DAY. This includes their wake up time, feeding time, bath time, and bedtime. Once Sunday comes, your child will be back on their normal schedule.
Adjusted schedule for a child on one nap
(Monday is their normal time)
| | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thur | Fri | Sat | Sun |
| Wake | 7:00 am | 6:50 am | 6:40 am | 6:30 am | 6:20 am | 6:10 am | 7 am |
| Nap | 12:30 pm | 12:20 pm | 12:10 pm | 12:00 pm | 11:50 am | 11:40 am | 12:30 pm |
| Bedtime | 7:00 pm | 6:50 pm | 6:40 pm | 6:30 pm | 6:20 pm | 6:10 pm | 7:00 pm |
Another option is to adjust over 2 days
Here, you will adjust their schedule by 30 minutes the day of the time change. Sunday you shift their daily schedule 30 minutes later and Monday you're back at their normal time
Adjusted schedule for a child on one nap
| | Normal Time | Sunday | Monday |
| Wake Up | 7 am | 7:30 am | 7 am |
| Nap | 12:30 pm | 12:00 pm | 12:30 pm |
| Bedtime | 7 pm | 7:30 pm | 7 pm |
No matter which route you take try and remember:
- Be patient. Time changes can be hard on babies and toddlers
- Continue to provide their room with total darkness, white noise, sleep sack if they use one
- Have a sleep training method in mind just in case they don't adjust after 1-2 weeks
- Offer an earlier bedtime if naps don't go as planned
If you're needing more support specific to your child, you can always schedule your call with me at https://ihelpmoms.com/consultants/consultant/458/jamie-ortiz
