Preparing for Daylight Savings
It’s Fall! And that means that Daylight Savings Time ends on Sunday, November 7th. We will change back the clocks an hour or “fall back”. As winter approaches, there will be less daylight overall.
Most people aren’t really bothered too much by the time change, but sometimes it can affect children and their sleep schedules. I am going to share some tips for how to prepare. There are a few different ways to make the transition. You can choose what works for your family!
Here are some things to make note of:
On the “new time”, our children’s bodies (and our bodies too!) will start to feel tired an hour earlier than their usual nap or bedtime. So, if their bedtime is typically at 7 pm, they will begin to feel sleepy around 6 pm.
We are technically gaining an hour of sleep, but our children will still wake up when their bodies are used to waking up. So, if they usually wake up around 7 am, they will most likely wake up around 6 am on the new time.
What can I do to prepare? I always suggest playing outside in the late afternoon to help your baby or toddler’s circadian rhythms. But this will be especially important as they adjust to the time change. Being outside in the setting sun and the last bit of daylight will help adjust your child’s body clock to the new time. Exposing them to natural sunlight will help produce that natural melatonin, or the “sleepy hormone”.
Also, as the time shifts, the sunlight in the morning is going to be a bit brighter than usual (technically we will be getting up an hour later - from the “old time”). Make sure your child’s room is SUPER dark so they can sleep in later and adjust to the time shift. Blackout shades and blackout curtains are wonderful. The bedroom should be so dark that you can’t see your hand in front of your face!
Okay. So, what can you do to get your child/children ready for this upcoming time change? There are 3 different approaches you can take. You can “super prep” if you child is sensitive and really does better when they stick to their daily schedule. There is a “no prep” method - where you just wing it, and you can adjust the next day if necessary. The “some prep” method falls somewhere in between.
Super Prep! In this method, you would start on the Wednesday before the time change. Each morning, allow your child to stay in bed 15 minutes longer each day. At bedtime, you would put your child to bed 15 minutes later each night. Gradually, by the time you reach the weekend, you child should be adjusted to a later bedtime and a later wake time.
For example, if your child typically goes to bed at 7 pm, you would put them to bed at 7:15 pm on Wednesday night, then 7:30 on Thursday night, and so on.
*See the chart for extra guidance!*
Some Prep! This method is similar to “Super Prep”, but you would adjust your child’s bedtime and wake time by 30 minutes instead of 15 minutes. You would start on Friday with a 7:30 pm bedtime and then on Saturday night put your child to bed at 8:00 pm.
No Prep! Don’t worry about the time change at all - put your child to bed when you usually do, and adjust the next day.
Any transition method you choose will work! It shouldn’t take too long for your child to get used to the new time.
If you’re still feeling frustrated with sleep and schedules, click the link below. I’d love to talk about how we can help your child and your family get better sleep!