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There are so many things to love about spring. I can’t wait to throw on a light jacket or a warm hoodie, wear sneakers, and – who am I kidding? – get excited for summer! But, with spring comes Daylight Saving Time – Spring Forward. Our clocks jump ahead by 1 hour. But what does this mean for your child’s sleep? Read on to learn more.

tips for springing forward and sleeping well

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 an Early Waking Problem

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 getting up at 5 a.m. and it’s a real problem for you (as it should be!), doing nothing means that once the clocks jump forward, they will naturally start getting up at 6 a.m. Sound heavenly? Remember that this also means that if they previously had a bedtime of 7 p.m., after Spring Forward bedtime will become 8 p.m. If this scenario sounds perfect to you, then you need to do precisely nothing to prepare for Spring Forward. Enjoy the later wake-up time! But keep in mind that if there were issues that were causing early wakings in the first place (like putting a baby down overtired), the time change is only a temporary fix.

DO SOMETHING

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 getting up too late and going to bed too late 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 late after Spring Forward, you’ve got a couple of options:

The Minimalist’s Approach to Daylight Saving Time (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 Daylight Saving Time change, wake them up at the “new” 6:30 a.m. (which was previously 5:30 a.m.). Baby will obviously be a little tired, especially if you didn’t adjust bedtime the night before. You then carry on with your day, putting them down for naps and bedtime as you normally would. However, keep in mind that some little ones have pretty strong internal clocks. So even though you got your little one up earlier in the morning, it doesn’t mean that they’ll automatically be sleepy by 6:30 p.m. for bedtime – their bodies may still feel like it’s only 5:30 p.m. If you keep at it, though, things should eventually even out within a week or two.

The Overachiever’s Approach to Daylight Saving Time (a.k.a. The Gradual Approach)

This approach is for you if you want to ease your little one into the time change and are okay with having a few earlier bedtimes and wake-ups leading up to Spring Forward:

About a week before the Daylight Saving Time change, start to put baby to bed about 5 minutes earlier each night. Get them up 5 minutes earlier each morning and put them down 5 minutes earlier for each nap. Every day this week, you will shift the entire schedule, including feeding/meal times, earlier by 5 minutes per day (while keeping wake windows the same). This change is so subtle on a day-to-day basis that baby should barely notice it.

But by the night before the time change, that 6:30 p.m. bedtime is now magically 6 p.m. You will then make up the remaining 30 minutes over the first 2 days of the time change. Shift the entire schedule earlier by 15 minutes on the first day, and then by another 15 minutes on the second day. And voilà! You’ve successfully sprung forward and have a really good shot at getting to work on time. You’re on your own with diaper blow-outs, dawdling preschoolers and car troubles, though – sorry

Pro Tip:

Remember to change the time on your toddler clock for older little ones, 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!

Craving some step-by-step, personalized help with teaching your little one to fall asleep on their own? We’ve got you covered! Want to get to know us better and find out more? Schedule your 15 minute consultation with us now!

Craving some step-by-step, personalized help with teaching your little one to fall asleep on their own? I’ve got you covered! Take a look at how we can help with our packages here.