For those of us on this side of the pond, Daylight Saving Time will end on Sunday, November 5th. How are you preparing to manage this transition and ensure you and little one fall back and sleep well? Unsure? Read on!

In general, you have two options for dealing with it, and they depend on how your little one is currently sleeping – Do Nothing. Or, Do Something.

DO NOTHING – Fix a Late Bedtime Issue

Most little ones have no idea what time it is. They rely on their (often very strong) internal clocks to tell them when it’s time to sleep or wake up. So, if your little one’s been going to bed too late (e.g., 9 p.m.), after the time change they will naturally start to go to bed earlier (8 p.m.). Sound heavenly? Remember that this also means that if they were previously waking up at 7:30 a.m., after Fall Back their morning wake-up time will become 6:30 a.m. If this scenario sounds perfect to you, then you need to do precisely nothing to prepare to fall back and sleep well. Enjoy the earlier bedtime!

DO SOMETHING to fall back and sleep well

On the other hand, if you’re happy about your morning wake-up and bed times, doing nothing might mean that your child will now be going to bed too early and waking up too early in the morning for your liking. For example, baby gets up at 7 a.m., which works well for your family because that’s when you need to get them ready so you can get to work. Their bedtime is 7:30 p.m., which gives you just enough time for dinner and quality time while also allowing you time in the evenings to do whatever it is you like to do in those precious twilight hours. The time change will mess with this balance. So, if you want to avoid mornings and evenings becoming too early after Fall Back, you’ve got a couple of options:

The Minimalist’s Approach (a.k.a. The Rip the Bandage Off Approach)

This approach is perfect if you are a go-with-the-flow parent, and don’t mind dealing with some crankiness and unpredictability for a few days.

You simply get your little one adjusted to the new time as soon as it begins. For example, on the day of the time change, allow them to wake up naturally at whatever time they like. Their “new” 6:30 a.m. is now likely to be 5:30 a.m. Regardless, you will carry on with your day, putting them down for naps and bedtime as you normally would – basing the first nap off the new/desired morning wake-up time (meaning that they’ll be stretched a little on that first morning). They’ll obviously be a little tired, especially if you didn’t adjust bedtime the night before. 

Now, keep in mind that some little ones have pretty strong internal clocks. So even though you’re attempting to follow a schedule that is shifted by one hour, they may actually be really sleepy by 6:30 p.m. for bedtime – since their body may still feel like it’s 7:30 p.m. (for example). If you keep at it, though, things should eventually even out within a week or two.

The Overachiever’s Approach (a.k.a. The Gradual Approach)

This approach is for you if you want to ease your little one into the fall back and sleep well time change, and are okay with having a few later bedtimes leading up to Fall Back (since you can’t guarantee later mornings, even while you’re working on this!).

About a week before the time change, start to put them to bed about 5 minutes later each night, and try to set your desired morning wake-up time later by about 5 minutes too. Since you can’t guarantee that your little one will wake up 5 minutes later each day, you will simply keep them in their beds for an extra 5 minutes each morning. Over time, their bodies will adjust to this and eventually “sleep in” a little later. 

Remember that you must shift all naps later at the same time as well. It can help if you simply pretend that everything in your day is shifted later, even meal/feeding times. By the night before the time change, that 6:30 p.m. bedtime is now magically 7 p.m. Shift their entire schedule later by 15 minutes on the first day of the time change, and then by another 15 minutes on the second day. And there you go. You’ve successfully fallen back!

Pro tip: 

Remember to change the time on your toddler clock, if you’re using one.

Keep in mind that little ones will continue to wake up too early in the morning, if there were issues that were causing the early morning wakings in the first place (like stretching a little one beyond their optimal wake windows). And that? Is a whole other story for an entirely different day!

Happy sleeping, parents!