Guess what? It's that time again! In just under a week we'll be springing our clocks ahead an hour again. Like most parents you're probably really dreading this one because every hour of sleep you get is precious.
Even though we lose an hour of sleep during this time change, I have some good news. Most babies and toddlers aren't affected by this as much as the "fall back" time change.
Here's what to do though if you're wanting to make it go as smooth as possible!
Step One: Starting right away, set back your child's sleep schedule by 15-30 minutes every other day. If you have a child that is extra sensitive to schedule changes, you may want to start with 15 minutes.
I'll go into details a little more to help you understand what I mean.
For example if your child's schedule right now is as follows:
Wake-up @ 7:00am First Nap @ 9:30am
Second Nap @ 1:45pm
Bedtime @ 6:15pm
Then you will want to start off in the morning by waking them up 15 minutes before their usual wakeup time. This would mean getting them up at 6:45am. The only reason why I suggest waking them up at 6:45, is to make sure they are still tired enough to go down for their first nap at 9:15am (which will be 15 minutes earlier as well). You will continue to do this throughout the day for the rest of their schedule. It will take time for them to adjust. Don't expect it to happen overnight. Some babies or toddlers may still take 2 weeks to adjust.
Step Two: Invest in some blackout blinds if you haven't already! With this time change it will be making it lighter at night which makes it harder for babies and toddlers to fall asleep. Every little bit of light that creeps in can affect their melatonin levels which helps them to sleep. (I won't go into those details now.)
Step Three: If you have a toddler (2.5years and up) you may want to turn to a GroClock to help you out. These clocks help your toddler know when it's time to get up. This way they don't wake you up and have to get them to go back to bed until it's time to get up.
The last thing I'd like to mention is: You can do the adjusting after the time change has taken place as well. For example using the same schedule as above The first day of time change it will be 8am instead of 7am, so you would want to get your child up at 7:45am, then their first nap would be at 10:15am, second nap at 2:30pm, and bedtime at 7pm. Then every second day gradually adjusting them back to their regular times.
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Sleep Easy!