Ah, daylight saving. We only “fall back” an hour and yet the turmoil it often leads to (5 a.m. early morning wakeups! Fighting bedtime! Cranky kiddos!) makes parents feel a lot like we—and our little ones—are falling apart. And it’s especially tough on children between 4 and 24 months.
So, how should a well-meaning parent deal with daylight savings and baby sleep? Is there any way to weather the time shift gracefully? To preserve some semblance of a regular routine…and regular sleep for all involved?
Happily, Nanit’s VP of Clinical Research Dr. Natalie Barnett says yes. And families can get there with a few simple steps. Four to be exact. Read on…
1. Review your child’s sleep needs.
Take advantage of this schedule shift to evaluate your child’s usual nap and bedtime routines and make sure they’re getting enough sleep in general. If you’re working on establishing a baby sleep schedule or considering sleep training, Nanit’s Sleep Schedule Generator is an excellent tool to help. “The Generator helps ensure your child is getting the right amount of nap and nighttime sleep for their age,” says Dr. Natalie, “as well as the right amount of milk and solids.” Plug in information like your child’s age, what and how much they eat, current bedtimes and naps (the questions only take a few minutes to answer) and the Generator will map out a personalized daily routine for your family based on your child’s developmental needs.
2. Choose your Daylight Saving transition strategy.
There are a couple of ways to approach the time change to ease the impact on your family. The first is a sort of cold turkey approach. In it, you switch your child to the new time schedule the day before the clock changes, so naps and bedtimes happen at the hour you want them to be once the time officially changes. (So if ideal naptime is 1 p.m., you’ll put your child down at 2 p.m. the day before the time change. Once time falls back, they’ll be on a 1 p.m. schedule again.) “I generally recommend this approach,” says Dr. Natalie, “because it can be simpler for parents—letting you adapt to the new time right away on the weekend when you are more likely to be at home and able to control your baby’s schedule.”
The second method helps your child adjust their sleep times gradually by shifting nap time and bedtimes 15 minutes later (or earlier) over a period of three days. “For instance, if your 9-month-old usually goes to bed at 7:00 p.m.,” explains Dr. Natalie, “start by putting them to bed at 7:15 p.m., then 7:30 p.m., and so on, until they’re going to bed at 8:00 p.m. the night before daylight saving ends. This gradual adjustment can help minimize early waking and support better sleep, allowing their body clock to adapt more smoothly and might be a good choice if your child’s circadian rhythm is particularly sensitive.”
3. It’s okay if your child gets sleepy before the new bedtime.
Whichever method you choose, know that it will take a little time for your child to adjust to the new schedule, especially if it involves a later bedtime. “It’s perfectly okay if they can only stay up an extra 5 minutes instead of 15,” says Dr. Natalie. “Being overly strict about timing can lead to overtiredness and make it harder for them to settle down. Plus, focusing too much on the clock can put unnecessary pressure on you as a parent.”
So do your best to keep your child’s bedtime routine the same (for example, bottle, books, brushing teeth), but if you notice your child’s eyes drooping during the first story, skip the second and put them to bed a little early. This adjustment will help them maintain a consistent wake time. You’ll build back up to the usual order of events eventually.
4. Create a sleep-friendly environment.
When the time changes, so does the natural light. In the fall, it starts to get light earlier in the morning so in order to keep your little one from rising with the sun, (and losing that precious extra hour) put up blackout shades curtains or curtains shades (or black garbage bags, in a pinch!) on windows to keep your child’s sleep space dark. A white noise machine like Sound + Light is also an excellent addition. “Our research shows that babies who use white noise get an average of an hour more sleep per night,” says Dr. Natalie. “And the white noise helps signal to your baby that it’s time to rest, especially as they adjust to the new schedule.”
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It may take a little time, but Dr. Natalie advises that with these strategies, your baby or toddler should be back on the regular sleep track within a week or two.
Above all, know that there is sleep at the end of the daylight saving tunnel. And now you’re equipped with the tools to get there.
For a limited time, join the Nanit Community and ask Nanit Lab's Dr. Maristella Lucchini anything about how to navigate the upcoming time change.
