3 Strategies to Tackle the Time Change
Prior to becoming a parent, time changes weren’t a big issue. Fall back? We got an extra hour of sleep! Spring forward? We lose an hour of sleep, but we can just sleep in. After you become a parent, you realize that things don’t quite work that way anymore. Have you put your baby or toddler to bed an hour later, thinking that they will sleep an hour later? It usually doesn’t happen. Parenting over a time change can be a little bit tricky, but I have three potential ways for you to tackle daylight savings time.
Option 1:
Are you a planner? Spoiler alert: Daylight Savings time is coming and you can start prepping TONIGHT.
We spring our clocks forward one hour on Sunday, March 13th. As a parent, you know that kids don’t always do well adjusting to time changes. You can start ahead of time by shifting your kiddo’s bedtime about 15 minutes each night for 5-7 days before the time change. For this change, you will want to put them to bed 15 minutes earlier each night until BOOM - on Sunday night their bedtime is back to normal.
Here’s a sample schedule for 7PM bedtime starting 7 days before the time change:
Saturday, March 5 – 6:45 pm
Sunday, March 6 – 6:45 pm
Monday, March 8 - 6:45 pm
Tuesday, March 9 - 6:30 pm
Wednesday, March 10 - 6:30 pm
Thursday, March 11 - 6:30 pm
Friday, March 12 - 6:15 pm
Saturday, March 13 - 6:15pm
Sunday, March 14 - 7:00 pm
Want to start later this week? Try this schedule:
Tuesday, March 9 - 6:45 pm
Wednesday, March 10 - 6:45 pm
Thursday, March 11 - 6:30 pm
Friday, March 12 - 6:30 pm
Saturday, March 13 - 6:15pm
Sunday, March 14 - 7:00 pm
Don’t forget - you will also want to wake them up 15 minutes earlier each day AND shift their nap times by the same amount of time.
Option 2:
Want to gently shift their bedtime but making an earlier bedtime just doesn’t work with your schedule? I’ve got you covered! You can adjust after the time change by waking them up 15 minutes earlier each day until they are back on their normal schedule. It looks like this for a 7PM-7AM sleep schedule.
Sunday, March 13th - wake them up at 7:45 am
Monday, March 14th - wake them up at 7:30 am
Tuesday, March 15th - wake them up at 7:15 am
Wednesday, March 16th - wake them at 7 am
Adjust those nap times and bedtimes as well!
Option 3:
Do nothing.
Is planning or shifting bedtimes not your thing? It’s also totally OK to do nothing at all. Have an early riser? This is the perfect opportunity for you to do nothing. Want to have a later bedtime for the summer months? Again - whatever works best for your family is exactly what you need to do. Some families use this time change to switch from a 7pm-7am bedtime to an 8pm-8am bedtime. Whatever you decide, kids will adjust.
Want some help working through this (or another sleep issue)? I would be honored to help. Visit my website for plan details or shoot me an email at nikki@nikkinelsonsleepconsulting.com.