Fall Back With Ease- Tips for Daylight Savings

Welcome to the Last Month of Autumn!

I hope October has treated you well. Before the holiday season arrives, we have one more event to prepare for: the end of daylight saving time! Before kids, the extra hour was a treat, but with little ones, the shift can be a bit disruptive to their sleep patterns. To help make this transition as smooth as possible, here are my top five tips:

1. Ignore the Change on Night On the first night, pretend daylight saving time isn’t happening! Don’t adjust any clocks, and put your child to bed as you normally would. This keeps the routine consistent and helps in the long run.

2. Set Clocks Back in the Morning Don’t stress if your child wakes up a bit early that first morning. Get up with them as usual, and then set the clocks back after you’re both up and ready for the day.

3. Split the Difference After setting the clocks back, move naps and bedtime forward by just half an hour for the next few days. So if your child’s bedtime was 7:00 PM, aim for 6:30 PM instead. This gradual shift over 3-4 days can make the time change easier to handle.

4. Resume Regular Schedule by Day 5 By night five, return to your child’s regular sleep schedule. By this time, they should be adjusting to the new time, making it easier to get back to their usual routine.

5. Be Patient Early wake-ups and cranky moments might happen in the first few days, as their body clocks adjust. Consistency and patience are key! Within a week, your family will likely be back on track.

I hope these tips make “falling back” a little easier for you and your little ones! If you’d like more support with family sleep routines, I’d love to help you keep sleep on track.

P.S. Check out my website for my latest blog and sleep education webinars that dive deeper into the science of sleep. Learn more here: Sleep Education Webinars.