How to manage the end of daylight saving
The end of daylight saving is quickly approaching, and you may be thinking about how you’re going to manage the change with your baby and toddler to keep them sleeping well.
First things first – remember that the clocks go BACKWARDS, so theoretically 7am becomes 6am, and I bet this has the early rising parents thinking to themselves that their current 5am wake up will turn into a 4am wake up. Well, that’s only partially true. Use this as a blessing to actively work on resettling your baby for an additional hour on the morning of the time change, whilst also addressing the root cause of their early rising.
But if your little one is waking after 6am each day, then that doesn’t apply to you – and here are the two options for managing your little one’s sleep routine
The PROACTIVE approach: this one works well for families who:
- Wake their baby at the same time each day
- Have very predictable nap times each day
- Like a strong, structured plan to follow
If this is you, in the week BEFORE the time change, you ADD 15 mins their wake up time for the day and then shift the entire day FORWARD by 15 mis (all naps and all milk feeds/meals)
Based on a 7am wake up, this generally looks like
Monday: wake up at 7.15, push all naps and feeds forward by 15 mins. Bedtime is 15 mins later.
Tuesday: The same as Monday.
Wednesday: wake up at 7.30am, push all naps and feeds forward by a further 15 mins. Bedtime is a further 15 mins later
Thursday: same as Wednesday
Friday: wake up at 7.45am, push all naps and feeds forward by a further 15 mins. Bedtime is a further 15 mins later
Saturday: Same as Friday
Sunday: The clocks will change at 3am. Set an alarm for 7am and get back to your usual nap and feed times.
The REACTIVE approach: This one works well for families who follow awake times, who tend to go with the flow, or who have early rising babies.
With this approach, allow your baby to naturally wake for the day. If they wake before 6am, actively resettle until after 6am.
From their wake up, follow their age appropriate awake times for the day.
Over the course of the week, gently add awake time each day to push their nap times back to their previous approximate times, or simply go with the flow and follow your baby’s lead.
A few special mentions:
- If your baby is under 4 months, allow them to naturally wake and follow awake times.
- If your toddler is over 2.5, don’t worry so much. They will adjust easily over the course of a week
- If your baby is early rising, getting to the root cause is important. For more advice about early rising click here
- Don’t let this be a stress point for you, generally speaking most babies tolerate these kinds of time changes really easily.
If you’re stressed about managing this change, or would like some guidance with your little one’s sleep - why not book in a consultation with me? I love helping support families along their sleep