Daylight Savings - Time to Spring Ahead
The dreaded time change - twice a year, no less! It can certainly throw a wrench into the hard work you have done in getting your little one on a sleep schedule but it does not need to cause widespread panic. In fact I like to reframe the entire process to be an opportunity to practice flexibility.
We have to remember that sleep is not a straight line, even with solid sleep foundations there will inevitably be bumps along the way. This is one of those bumps that happens whether we like it or not.
Luckily, the Spring Forward time change is the easier of the two - especially if you have been experiencing early morning wake ups that are proving a challenge to push later.
Here are your options:
Do Nothing! - yup, just maintain your typical sleep and daily rhythm leading up to Sunday. Your kiddo may wake at a “later” time according to the clock and you can adjust your daily schedule from there. Possibly offer a slightly shorter nap if you want to avoid a later bedtime that night - or pushing bedtime a little later to accommodate the shifted schedule. After a day or so your child will adjust to the time change.
Wake them up at their normal wake time: if your infant or toddler wakes up at 6:30 am and you want to keep their schedule on track you can simply wake them at the new 6:30 am according to the clock. They may feel groggy as this is technically now “earlier” than they’re used to but they will adjust after a day or two. Keep the rest of the daily rhythm the same even thought they might be a bit more tired during wake windows, etc.
Prep ahead for a few days: leading up to Daylight Savings you can gradually wake your child earlier each morning over the course of 5-6 days. Each morning waking them by 15 minutes earlier or so and adjusting their daily schedule accordingly. Saturday they might be waking at 6:15 am but come Sunday that will shift back to 7:15 am and they’ll be right on track. This options tends to work best for infants and younger toddlers still on a schedule dictated by wake windows - or when you have the control over their daily schedule. It’s a bit harder to navigate if your chid is in care with set nap times leading up to Daylight Savings.
That’s it! Easier said than done, right? The main thing to remember is that any sort of change takes time to adjust to. In the same way a nap transition from 3-2 naps might take a few weeks to truly fall into place, the time change we experience at Daylight Savings might take a few days or even a week to adjust to. Trust that your child can navigate it, offer more support around naps if needed, and stay positive. While we can’t stop Daylight Savings from happening, we can navigate it with a more positive outlook. You got this!