Have you been waking up in the dark at 7:00am lately and starting to panic about rolling our clocks back on Saturday? Or is that just us? In any case, Erica Desper of Confident Parenting has some tips for you.
And, if you and your wee one are having sleep issues whether the clocks roll back, forward, or stand still, Erica offers a free 15 minute consultation, so schedule yours today!
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The end of daylight savings is swiftly approaching and parents are beginning to panic! I don’t blame you Moms and Dads. If you have a sensitive little guy like I do, the time change can wreak havoc on the family’s sleep for a long time. Bedtime will feel a full hour later to your child and a 6am wake-up call becomes a 5 am one! Here are some tips to help your family prepare for the change and transition more smoothly.
Option #1 – Do Nothing!
If you have a child who is rather adaptable and well rested and who is waking at a reasonable time each morning you may be able to go with option #1 and do nothing in preparation for the change. When your family wakes that morning simply shift the day’s schedule and activities to the new clock times and roll with it. Your child may be a little overtired and feel free to offer naps and bedtime slightly earlier if needed but he should adjust within a few days.
Option #2 – Shift the Schedule in Advance
If you have a more sensitive child, one who is already overtired or waking too early in the morning (before 6 a.m.), you may want to consider shifting her schedule in advance. Remember that bedtime on Sunday night will feel a full hour later to your child and, for a sensitive child, can wreak havoc on the overnight as well as her mood. You can approach the transition gradually by spreading the time shift out over a few nights or more. You can do this by shifting wake time, meals, naps and bedtime 15 minutes later each day. For example, if bedtime is 7:00 p.m., you could begin on Thursday night by shifting that to 7:15, then 7:30 on Friday night and 7:45 on Saturday night. By Sunday night bedtime would be 8:00 p.m. which will again be 7:00 on the new clock. For highly sensitive children you can slow that process down even more, shifting the schedule by 15 minutes every 3 or so nights and starting well in advance.
Option #3 – Split the Difference
If you are unable to fully shift the schedule in advance or if your child still struggles to make it to the new times once the clocks have changed you can split the difference. To split the difference shift your child’s schedule by 30 minutes in advance of the change and then, once the change has occurred, continue the gradual shift another 30 minutes forward. For example, push wake time, meals, naps, and bedtime 15 minutes later on Friday and again on Saturday. On Sunday the clocks will change and you can shift another 15 minutes on Sunday and Monday and arrive at your child’s old schedule on the new clock.
Many children will adjust in a few days but the most sensitive and least adaptable ones can take a couple of weeks to fully adjust. During the process your child will likely wake earlier than usual for a time. Be sure to keep him in his crib or bed in a darkened room until his normal wake time. For example, if he typically wakes at 6:30 but wakes at 6:15, don’t get him up until 6:30. Over time that will help to reset his clock and get the wake time back on track. If you are using a wake up clock be sure to reset the timing of the wake up light for the new time as well. Since our internal clocks are set by daylight, aim to go outside in bright sunlight for 20-30 minutes each morning after the change. This too will help to reset your child’s internal clock and get things back on track more quickly.
And as with all things parenting, remember, this too shall pass!
Erica Desper founded Confident Parenting in 2012, as a certified baby and child sleep coach offering private counseling for families in the greater Philadelphia area. Her sleep-saving approach is offered through a variety of packages, including unlimited text and email support. Erica has supported hundreds of families in and around the Philadelphia area and internationally to improve the quality of their families’ sleep. She is also mom to son, Jaiden who, as an infant, was very good at crying and not very skilled in sleeping! For more information about Erica, visit www.beaconfidentparent.com.