Keeping Sleep on Track for the Holidays (and always!)
Adjusting to the semiannual time change can be a challenge, especially when dealing with kids whose schedules are more rigid due to school or daycare. In such cases, the typical recommendation of gradually shifting bedtime and wakeup time may not be feasible. Here are some tips to help your little one adapt to the time change quickly and effectively:
- Get them outdoors: Sunlight and exercise play crucial roles in promoting good sleep. Exposure to natural light during the day aids in melatonin production, the key to a restful night. The sun, being a significant source of blue light, helps regulate internal clocks. Ensure your child gets a healthy dose of sunlight to aid in the adjustment to the new schedule.
- Change bedtime incrementally: If modifying the morning routine is challenging, consider making gradual changes around bedtime. This gradual approach can ease the impact on their schedule compared to an abrupt one-hour shift overnight.
- Change naps incrementally: If you’re going with a “slow shift” approach, you’ll want to shift the nap times as well as the bedtime leading up to the time change day.
- Go by the clock without incremental change: You can also choose to make the schedule change all at once. It’s likely that they’ll wake earlier than your “desired time” but you will leave them to hang out in the crib until their desired time and then start your day with the new time on the clock.
- Stick to the routine: Your carefully crafted bedtime routine is a powerful tool in ensuring a smooth transition. Follow the routine consistently, as the predictability signals the brain that bedtime is approaching. This triggers the release of melatonin and helps shut off cortisol, preparing your child for a restful night. Avoid altering the routine to accommodate schedule changes, and initiate it precisely the usual duration before bedtime.
- Be consistent: While your little one may take some time to fully adapt to the new schedule, consistency is key. Be patient, stick to the established routine, and resist making unnecessary changes. Maintaining the status quo around bedtime and sleep habits will help them settle into the adjusted schedule more quickly.
What to do
Incremental change: Adjust your child’s sleep times by 30 minutes in the 4 days leading up to the time change (split the difference). When the time changes, you’ll be in line with the new hour. If nap is typically at 9:00, nap is moved to 8:30 for 4 days, and the same for each other nap and bedtime.
If your child is up extra early, allow them a wait time before getting them out of bed. If they’re up at 6am (which feels like 7am to them), wait until 6:15 to pull them out of the bed. Add 15 minutes each day or two until you’re getting them up at 7am.
You can also do this method starting on the day of the time change. So, you’ll spend the first week of Daylight Savings adjusting to the new time.
No incremental change: You ignore the time change altogether and go by the clock on the day of Daylight Savings. This looks like putting your child to bed at their normal bedtime the night before the time changes and then getting them up according to the clock the next morning. For spring forward, 6am will feel like 7am to them. You won’t alter any of the timing, just follow the clock and your normal sleep times (which will technically feel an hour earlier to your child but they’ll adjust!).
Remember, these tips aim to minimize disruptions and facilitate a smoother transition for your child during the time change. Patience and consistency will play pivotal roles in ensuring a successful adjustment to the new schedule. A week of adjustment period is absolutely normal for this change. Your own body will need time to adjust, too!
Save the image below for reference on how to make these timing adjustments.
Wishing you peaceful nights and energized mornings,
Jade Smith, Certified Pediatric Sleep Consultant
slumbertimesleep.com
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