And Once Again…Daylight Savings Time Is Here! Are You Ready For It?!
It’s that time of year again, mama.
The leaves are changing. The air is crisp. PSL’s are in full swing at your local Starbucks.
And on the not-so-pleasant side of Fall, we have the dreaded end of daylight savings time.
I know, I know…I hate it, too. Even though sleep is like…my thing…I still hate going through this time change business twice a year just as much as you do, trust me.
But listen…
All is not lost, mmkay?
We’re going to make this transition easier than ever by setting you up with some easy-to-do options that you can start noodling on now so you’re super prepared for next weekend.
Sound good?! K, GREAT!
Before we dive into the actual how of making this transition, we have to level set on which way the clocks are moving and what that means for your kiddo’s bedtime and morning wake-up.
On Sunday, November 5th at 2am (so convenient, I know), the clocks will “fall back” one hour – meaning 2am will now become 1am.
That means, on Sunday night, if your kiddo’s bedtime is usually 7pm, that’s actually going to feel like 8pm to her little body.
The same is true in the morning…
If your child’s typical morning wake-up is 7am, that will actually feel like 8am to her.
I know what you’re thinking – didn’t we just fall back, though?!
Yup, we did! The time changed by moving an hour behind where it’s at today, but your child’s internal clock (aka. biological clock) is still on the same time. So, to her, her usual bedtime and wake-up time will feel like an hour later because you have to push her another hour to meet her new normal.
Here’s a great visual if you’re still confused (like I am every single year 🤦🏻♀️):
Ok, so now that we’ve gotten the “what is it” out of the way, let’s get to the “how to fix it” piece of things, shall we?
Over the years, I’ve tried a number of different methods to get this whole time change business to work quickly and easily for babies and kids of all ages (including my own).
But the reality is, there are really only three key ways that I’ve personally found to work well for almost every family. Now, that doesn’t mean any of these will be a piece of cake. BUT…it does mean that using any one of these methods will actually give you results fairly quickly (think 4-5 days).
Again, just like evvvverything else in the kiddo sleep world, consistency is everything. So, stick with the method you choose for at least 4-5 days before you throw in the towel and try something else…or ya know, give me a call and let’s figure it out together 😉.
Alright, so here we go…
Option #1: Cold turkey
This one usually scares the crap out of most people, but to be honest, it’s the quickest way to see real change. I wouldn’t recommend this one for anyone whose child doesn’t already have a great foundation for independent sleep (ex. falls asleep on their own and doesn’t wake up multiple times a night). So, keep that in mind if you’re considering this option.
With the cold turkey approach, you’ll probably have a few nights where your child’s struggling to make it to their new bedtime because it’s now an hour later (remember this is how your child’s body will feel, not what time the clock says).
All that being said, cold turkey is exactly like it sounds – we’re jumping to the new time and sticking to it without any gradual adjustment. So, if your child’s bedtime was previously 7pm, it will still be 7pm by the clock’s standards, but it will feel like 8pm to your kiddo. There are some good ways to help make this transition work without having your kiddo get too overtired in the process:
Start following your new schedule in the morning. It’s best to make this adjustment earlier in the day and allow your child’s body to get used to this new normal before heading into prime tired hours later in the day and evening.
Movement, light, and social interaction are the best ways to stimulate your serotonin and cortisol levels (wakeful hormones) and keep your child awake longer than normal. Add an extra book or two, some songs and dancing, puzzles, playing Simon Says, coloring or doing a puzzle together…anything that will help stretch your little one to the next nap or bedtime without them getting fussy and bored.
Get outside in the late afternoon as much as you can. Natural light helps reset our body’s natural biological rhythms (aka. circadian rhythm), which is what controls our hormones that support being awake vs. being asleep. Getting natural light exposure in the late afternoon (3-6pm) is ideal to help with this.
Option #2: Slow and steady
This method takes a more gradual approach to slowly adjust your child’s internal clock to reflect the new time. I like to do this is in 20-minute intervals, but you can absolutely do it by any interval of your choosing. Just know, the shorter the interval = the longer it will take your child to adjust.
Instead of jumping right to the new time, I like to start a few days earlier than the actual time change (so, in this case, Friday 11/3) and move my child’s routine ahead by 20 minutes. That means shifting everything in their daily routine 20 minutes later – morning wake-up, breakfast, naps, lunch, dinner, and bedtime routine.
On day #2, you’ll again shift everything later by 20 minutes. Rinse and repeat on day #3.
By the time you get to bedtime on night #3, you should be back to your normal routine that follows the clock. Here’s an example of what this looks like by day-by-day using our usual 7pm-7am schedule:
Day 1: Friday 11/3
7:20am – morning wake-up
8:20am – breakfast
10:20am – snack
12:20pm – lunch
1:20pm – nap
2:50/3pm – awake + snack
5:40pm – dinner
6:40pm – bath & bedtime routine
7:20pm – bed
Day 2: Saturday 11/4
7:40am – morning wake-up
8:40am – breakfast
10:40am – snack
12:40pm – lunch
1:40pm – nap
3:10/3:20pm – awake + snack
6pm – dinner
7pm – bath & bedtime routine
7:40pm – bed
Day 3: Sunday 11/5 (*time falls back one hour at 2am*)
8am – morning wake-up (new clock time: 7am)
9am – breakfast (new clock time: 8am)
11am – snack (new clock time: 10am)
1pm – lunch (new clock time: 12pm)
2pm – nap (new clock time: 1pm)
3:30/3:40pm – awake + snack (new clock time: 2:30/2:40pm)
6:20pm – dinner (new clock time: 5:20pm)
7:20pm – bath & bedtime routine (new clock time: 6:20pm)
8pm – bed (new clock time: 7pm)
With this method, you’ll notice that kids will be on the new time by day 3 and therefore set you up for an easier Monday morning when school, work, daycare, etc. are all operating on the new time.
Remember, you can also do this with smaller time increments, as I mentioned earlier, but this will take longer, so make sure to account for this extra time when you’re looking at the scope of your week.
Option #3: Do nothing
This is a great option for lots of families who don’t mind waking up an hour earlier and getting their kiddo down for bed an hour earlier. The time change is really irrelevant with this one because you legitimately don’t have to do anything differently in your daily routine.
The biggest change comes with the parents – you will have to adjust your own routine and expectations if you choose to do nothing with your child’s routine. The process for this adjustment is simply shifting your mindset around what time things will happen in your daily routine.
So, for example, if you’re currently on the 7pm-7am schedule, your new schedule will be 6pm-6am, which is completely fine as long as you are okay with that.
There you have it! Between these three options, my favorite (as you know) is the Slow and Steady approach, but you can and should do what feels right for you and your family. And by the way, there’s no right way to do this – you know what will work best for your child and your family dynamic, so go with your gut and don’t be afraid to try another option if the first choice doesn’t work out well.
And remember – this stuff takes time! Don’t worry if things get messy for a week or so, that’s part of the process and it happens to more people than you realize. Go with it and understand that if you can stay consistent, change will happen.
Stay the course, mama. You got this!
Xo,
A
P.s. I’m always happy to help you with this transition and any other sleep issues that are coming up for you. If you’re still feeling stuck, let’s chat for 20 minutes on a free discovery call to see how we can help your kiddo (and YOU) get the sleep you need and deserve right now.
Or, check out my free masterclass to give you the three key secrets to successful baby and toddler sleep. I’ve packed an incredible amount of info and guidance into a 30-ish minute masterclass completely free of charge to you, so take advantage of it!
