Can you believe it? It is time to “Fall Back”…this Sunday, November 3, 2013, at 2:00 am is the end of Daylight Savings Time as we all move our clocks back 1 hour. Many parents hate Daylight Savings Time for one simple reason…it can wreak havoc on your child’s sleep schedule! While most of us remember the days of falling back giving us an extra hour of sleep, with children, it often feels that we lose an hour of sleep!
So, how does “Falling Back” impact our child’s scheduling? When we set our clocks back one hour, in theory we gain an hour of sleep because 2:00 am suddenly becomes 1:00 am…which means it is an extra hour until our regularly scheduled wake-up time! Unfortunately, most of our children cannot tell time yet. This means that they will continue to wake up when their bodies believe it is wake-up time, not when the clock says it is wake-up time…a full hour earlier than we would like. In fact, our children may be operating a full hour earlier all day long; they may be hungrier for meals earlier, or ready for bed earlier as well.
What can we do? If our children typically stay up “too late,” now is a great time to make a shift. Put them to bed a full hour earlier Sunday night (which will feel like the same time to them), and use the time change to your advantage! For most of us, however, we need to slowly shift our children into the new time by gradually shifting their entire schedule an hour later. Since we are only 5 days out, I recommend the following:
1. On Thursday morning, begin shifting your child’s schedule 15 minutes later all day. Delay the start of their day by 15 minutes, push their meals and naps (and activities if you can) 15 minutes later than usual, and put them to bed 15 minutes later.
2. On Friday morning, begin shifting your child’s schedule ANOTHER 15 minutes later all day (30 minutes later than usual).
3. On Saturday morning, begin shifting your child’s schedule ANOTHER 15 minutes later all day (45 minutes later than usual).
4. On Sunday morning, fresh with the new time change, get back on track with your usual schedule (which will, in fact, be 1 hour later than usual). Stick with it…even if your child is waking a bit earlier, or hungrier or wanting to nap or go to bed earlier, try to keep them on target with your usual schedule and give their clocks time to adjust.
What can you do to delay your children if they are waking earlier in the morning? For children over 2, you can use a clock that turns colors to signify when it is time to wake up. Simply push the clock 15 minutes later each day, then back on track once the time change hits. Tell your children that they cannot begin their day before the clock changes, and enforce it. For children under 2, if they wake early and happy, just let them sit in their crib for the extra time, and delay their first feed of the day. This may be a bit more challenging for children under 6 months, but do your best to shift their first feed of the day a bit later each day, taking more time than the 4 days if you need it. If your child wakes unhappy or calling for you, feel free to go and respond (tell him/her it isn’t time to wake up yet, or even sit in the room if you feel it is necessary)…but keep your child in bed for the extra time, save your “good mornings” and flipping lights on for 15 minutes later than usual, and delay the first feed/breakfast every day until the shift in their internal clocks takes place.
Some children do adjust really well, while others may seem a bit off schedule for 1-2 weeks. Exposing your child to sunlight for at least 20 minutes in the morning (around 10 or 11 am) will help adjust his/her clock, and making sure to pay attention to all aspects of the schedule – food, sleep, and activities – will help get you back on track quickly!