It is fitting that Daylight Saving Time ends near Halloween because I think this is one of the scariest things a parent will ever have to deal with!!!
Daylight savings time usually ends in early November and results in “gaining” an hour where our clocks fall back. While childless adults may revel in this extra hour, DST is a dreaded time of year for parents.
Children can’t read clocks and their bodies become accustomed to waking at the same time each day. A small change, even one hour, can make for a difficult and/or long adjustment.
Remember that this is a shift in body clock and it takes time. It usually takes about 4 weeks for people to really feel settled into the time change. Be patient and consistent – it will happen!
I have three options for you to help your little one adjust to the new time. I've done them all and I don't think there is a better or easier one. It's just what you can manage.
Option 1 - Don't do anything!
That's right. Don't do anything - continue on as normal even when the time change happens. Your child will adjust (just as you will too) without making it a big production because the rest of the us are now operating on a different time and schedule. Your child's will inevitably adjust simple because of that. This works well for older toddlers or kids who are on one or no nap.
This also works really well for really young infants on 3+ naps (or under 6/7 months) who do not rely on the clock schedule (because you are using wake windows). Be sure you don't establish waking up for the day any earlier than 6:00 a.m. and focus on your wake windows.
Be patient with the adjustment, but it will happen!
Option 2: Make gradual changes leading up to the time change
Here, you are making the changes in anticipation of the change. Starting about one week before DST, you will make gradual changes with your child's sleep.
Babies and Toddlers/Pre-Schoolers on 0, 1, or 2 naps: Starting about 6 days before the time change, stretch their schedule to be 30 minutes later. For example, if your child usually goes to bed at 7:00 p.m., stretch it out to 7:30 p.m. for a few days. Do this for three days and on the fourth day, stretch them again another 30 minutes begin putting them to bed at 8:00 p.m. This will eventually become 7:00 p.m. again when the time falls back.
Warning: Early Wake Ups
Unlike the commencement of DST in the Spring, you may not benefit from the new time change and you may experience early morning wake ups as a result (i.e. if your child wakes at 6:00 a.m. they will not be waking at 5:00 a.m. - OUCH!).
As hard as it will be, be sure to keep your baby in the crib/bed until at least 6 a.m. (new time). if your baby is young (under 6 months) and still using wake windows, you will want to split the difference in minutes between the actual time they woke up and the earliest appropriate wake time (always 6 a.m. for infants) and use that to start your first wake window for the day. Let me explain:
If your baby wakes up at 5:00 a.m. (and doesn't go back to sleep), that is 60 minutes earlier than the earliest appropriate wake up time (6:00 a.m.). So, you will count half of those minutes (in this case, 30 minutes) towards their first wake window.
If your baby is older and on a set by the clock schedule or is a toddler/preschooler, you can use your 30 minute flex time to adjust as necessary.
Remember that it takes about 2-4 weeks to fully acclimate to the new change, so be patient.
Conclusion
The good news is that, while the Spring time change is a doozy for parents, I do feel that this time change, falling back, is a bit easier since we are still "gaining" an hour. The other good news is that human, including small ones, will adjust in time.
No matter how you decide to tackle it, remember that while yes there will be a transition period, your child will adjust (as will you). And who knows, perhaps this is the penultimate time we will have to do this?? One can only hope.
If you are finding that you need help getting back on track after the time change, schedule a 30 minute troubleshooting call with me! We will get you on back on the path to sleeping well :-)
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