TIME CHANGE.

Parents, it is time to change our clocks, gain an hour of sleep, if we are lucky, and put all the steps into place to ensure our great sleepers have all the right tools to endure the change.

Are you feeling overwhelmed by the Time Change approaching? I remember my first little one’s time change. I was frantically googling WHAT THE HECK DO I DO!! If this is you, take a deep breath, grab a coffee and dive deep into the blog to get all the tips on conquering DST and keeping your good sleeper.

Room Environment Check:

Before we begin diving deep into the DST tips I want you to enter your child’s room, turn off the lights, and sit down. Pull out your phones camera and begin recording. From ceiling to wall, wall to floor, floor to door until all angles are covered.

Exit the room.

Replay that video. Do you see any light? IF so, get it covered!

No matter which scenario you may be using below be sure that your child’s routine is still in place. Your little one should have a bedtime routine that they do each and every night to cue their brains that bedtime is approaching. So, now that we are aware that bedtime routine is approaching let’s see which scenario best fits our schedule, or our parenting.

Scenario 1:

START EARLY!

No matter if your little one is on a nap or not:
- If you want to keep them on the same schedule as they are currently on then, you will follow the process below.
  - Monday Oct 30, you will begin pushing their wake window by 10 mins each night.
    - Tuesday Oct 31, you will push their bedtime forward 10 minutes more (total 20 minute difference) from the previous night schedule.
  - EXAMPLE
    - Oct 30, usually in bed at 8pm (now 8:10) and waking them at 8:10 am the next morning.
    - Oct 31, usually in bed by 8pm (now 8:20) and waking them at 8:20am the next morning.
    - You will push naps (to meet the same designated wake window)
      - If their schedule is 8, 10:30-12, 3-4:30, 8
        it is now
      - 8:10, 10:40-12:10,3:10- 4:40, 8:20 day 2, October 31.
- You continue this process until you hit the designated wake time you are trying to reach. You will adjust your little ones nap schedule to meet the 11- 12 hours of day and the 11-12 hours of night.
- HERE IS AN EXAMPLE of what Saturday 11/4 should look like.
  - Wake at 8am Wake at 9:00
  - Nap 1: 10:30-12 Nap 1: 11:30-1
  - Nap 2: 3-4:30 Nap 2: 4-5:30
  - Bedtime 8 Bedtime: 9:00
- What will happen, on Sunday, is - they will wake at 8am, but it will feel like 9am to them because everything fell back into the usual schedule.

Scenario 2:

This is for my mamas who totally forgot about DST and need a quick fix… so, this is the last minute quick fix scenario.

Thursday, Nov 2, the weekend of DST you will begin your process.
Wake them later (get them out of bed 15 mins later than usual)
- Usual 7
- Now 7:15 on Thursday morning
  - Still Napping: if your little one is on a nap then, you will push that nap forward 10-15 minutes, lengthen that last nap of the day by 20 minutes and lay your little one down 20 minutes later for bedtime. And guess what…. the next morning wake them 20 minutes later.
    - Example: Nap 1 starts at 10:00 it now starts at 10:15-11:30
    - Nap usually starts @ 2:30, it will now start at 2:45 it ends at 3:30 you will now lengthen it by 20 minutes meaning 3:50pm.
      - bedtime is usually at 7:30 now it is closer to 8pm.
  - Follow this process of pushing bedtime by 15- 20 more minutes each night.
    - Saturday night you should be laying them down at 9pm, if their usual bedtime is 8pm.
  - Not on a nap:
  - Start their day later by 15-20 mins & push bedtime back by 20 minutes (difference from usual schedule) Thursday.
  - get them up 20 minutes later Friday then, Friday night, push bedtime back 40 minutes later (from usual schedule).
  - wake them 40 minutes later Saturday and lay them down 60 minutes later (from usual schedule).
    This will mean Sunday, 11/5 they will wake at 8am which really is the new 9am.
  - Tips to make them tired, and help push things without much exhaustion…
    - GET OUTSIDE AND PLAY SO FREAKING HARD.
    - No tv 2 hours before bedtime.
    - Plan playdates up until bath time.

Scenario 3:

THE GO WITH THE FLOW.

Step 1: Have and off day Sunday. Enjoy the day do whatever you want to do. That night you will want to do an early bedtime.

Hope that they wake at the designated wake time.
If not, keep their day normal. Keep naps the same as before DST not pushing them back or pulling them up.
Early bedtime for a couple nights.
Stay on track for 3-4 days.

If you have troubles after DST hop on a call with me and let’s get you back on track.

If DST is the least of your worries because your little one already struggles getting to sleep, staying asleep or waking early, book a FREE call with me.

Your Sleep Coach,

Brooke

PS, Daylight Savings Time brings on brighter mornings. Make sure you downloaded the FREE Early Morning Riser Guide below.