Oh, Daylight Savings *Fall Edition*
Updated: Oct 25, 2022
The nice thing about the fall daylight savings is that, in your pre-kid world, it meant you got to sleep an extra hour...
In your post-kid world, it means your child is up earlier, according to the clock.
I would be lying if I said I love daylight savings...maybe some of you enjoy it?
Okay, but for the rest of us parents, here’s what we have to do!
First things first, Sunday morning: Wake up Sunday morning, have your coffee and breakfast as per usual (Because Sundays should be an enjoyable day, should it not?), and then start your day! Once everyone has been fed, then go around your home, and change your clocks (don't forget your vehicle clock too!).
How to manage your baby's morning wake up time:
Day 1: Let's say your baby normally wakes at 7 am but now is waking at 6 am due to the change. Don't rush in there right at 6 am when they wake up.
Wait 10 minutes after they wake up before going in there and starting your day.
Day 2: Wait 20 minutes.
Day 3: Wait 30 minutes and so on. What you're doing here is helping them adjust to a new wake up time slowly. By the end of the week, their body will have adjusted and hopefully, you will have too!
How to manage your Toddler (2+ years):
Using a toddler clock such as a 'Groclock' or 'Okay to wake' or a simple digital clock will help. By using these types of tools, you communicate with your child expectations, and they are tools that they can understand!
So, if they are usually up at 7 am but now you're anticipating a 6 am wake up, set the clock for 6:30 am. By the end of the week, you can set the clock back to 7 am as they will have had some time to adjust to the new time.
Hello nap, how you are needed!
For naps, we split the difference.
What I mean by that is if your baby normally naps at 9:30 am, adjust their nap to 9 am for three days, and then adjust it back to 9:30 am. Repeat the same process of the afternoon nap.
Now if you have a baby that's younger than 4-6 months, you can keep them awake 15 minutes longer every few days to help adjust to the new time.
(What we're doing here is keeping them awake a bit longer)
Helpful tip: Outdoor playtime for 30-45 minutes in the late morning, helps A LOT with naps! If your child is struggling to adjust, head outdoors to let that fresh air tire them out.
"Why must the people who don't want to go to bed be put to bed, but those who want to go to bed, aren't allowed to"
Similar to naps, we split the time difference in half. If bedtime was normally at 7 pm, adjust to 6:30 pm for three nights, then back to 7 pm on the fourth night.
Helpful bedtime tip: Get in the bath! Struggling to keep the grumpiness/chaos down around bedtime? Pop open the bubble bath and let the kiddos play. It's a great transition for nighttime and it feels so nice to get into PJs after a bath.
Happy Daylight Savings!
Melody Patton
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