Spring Forward: 4 Tips to Help Your Children Adjust to Daylight Savings

Winter is behind us! Days are getting brighter which means we “spring forward” the clocks an hour.

When Does This Happen?

Daylight Savings Time Starts on Sunday, March 12th at 2 am (Canada). We will move our clocks forward one hour.

What Does it Mean to Spring Forward?

It means that your whole day will shift by an hour. Basically, 6am is now 7am and 6pm is now 7pm. So if baby wakes up at 6am old time, baby will now be waking up at 7am new time. Sounds good for early risers right?

I prefer spring forward over fall back as that means beautiful sunrises, gorgeous sunsets, and peaceful walks in the evening to tire out the children. But yes, that does mean it’s lighter out at bedtime which can make it hard for our little ones to fall asleep. But that’s another story.

Will This Impact My Baby’s Sleep?

Yes and no. Some babies adjust just fine to loosing an hour of sleep, while others might be a bit moody and grumpy as they adjust to the new time.

What kind of baby do you have? Does baby adjust poorly to missing a nap or having wake windows too small or too big? Or is baby easy going? Does baby need help adjusting to sleep changes?

Let’s look at some tips that can help even the fussiest baby to adjust to loosing an hour of sleep.

4 Tips to Help Baby Adjust to Daylight Savings

1) Adjust Beforehand

  • Wake baby up 15 minutes earlier each day for a minimum of 4 days before the time change. Shift their whole day by 15 minutes (feeds, naps, activities, etc) ending with bedtime being 15 minutes earlier. Do this everyday until baby’s new morning wake up and bedtime is at the new time when it’s time to change the clocks forward an hour. This works well for sensitive babies who don’t like change.

2) Adjust After the Fact

  • After the time change, wake baby up 15 minutes earlier each day until they reach their usual wake up time. Shift their whole day back by 15 minutes (feeds, naps, activities, etc) ending with bedtime being 15 minutes earlier. Do this everyday until baby’s new morning wake up and bedtime is back to the usual time by the new clock. This approach also works well for sensitive babies who don’t like change.

3) Do a Minor Adjustment on the Day

  • For older baby’s and children on one nap a day, let them wake up at their usual time (although the clock will say it’s an hour later). Have your child nap 30 minutes later and by bedtime they will be adjusted (or mostly) to the new time. This approach is good for easy going babies or busy parents.

4) Do Nothing

  • Yes that’s right, do nothing. Wake baby up at the new day the day of the time change, and go about your day as usual. Easy going babies will adjust within a few days with this approach.

For my older child I usually do nothing but for my toddler, who is on one nap a day, I take the minor adjustment approach. What approach will you try?

Come chat on social for more tips on baby and child sleep.