A HOW-TO GUIDE: DAYLIGHT SAVINGS

We’re 11 days away from daylight savings. Did you know that? If I’m being honest, I forgot about it until a few days ago. The good thing? Time changes are nothing to be afraid of if you are prepared. Which now that you are reading this, you are.

Here are three different ways that you can prepare for and tackle the time change.

OPTION #1

Just follow the clock, and adjust your schedule a little bit every day. Let me explain how this looks in real life because I was a little confused at first, too.

If you’re looking at the clock, once the time changes your schedule will look the exact same. Let’s say your little one usually has a wake time of 7am, nap at 12pm, and bedtime at 7pm. You’ll still have those exact same times. It’ll just feel a little earlier to your child.

It will probably take a couple of days to get completely used to this time change, so make sure you are getting plenty of outside time in the sun to boost melatonin production as well as focusing on a good bedtime routine to help your little one fall asleep easier.

Depending on your little one’s age, you might want to do it 30 minutes at a time. Meaning you’d do a 7:30am, 12:30pm, 7:30pm bedtime. Then after a day or two go up another 30 minutes.

If your baby is 3-5 months old, I'd start a few days earlier and move the schedule by 15 minutes each day.

OPTION #2:

Just have a later bedtime. Yep. You read that right. This means if your little one had a 7pm bedtime, they’ll now have an 8pm bedtime. Nothing will change on their end. It will feel like the same time.

This can be nice in the summertime because it gets darker later which means many things like fireworks and nighttime activities will be later. When you have an earlier bedtime, you often miss those things.

Another added plus is that when it comes time for the next time change in November, you won’t have to worry about it. You can just move bedtime earlier. This option is ultimately easier on your little one.

Disclaimer: I would only truly attempt this on a child at least 18 months old because younger babies need that earlier bedtime. If your baby is younger than 18 months, I would not choose this option.

OPTION #3

Catch up over the next few days. On Saturday night, put your baby to bed as you normally would at the regular time. Then on Sunday morning, wake them up by the clock. So if your baby normally wakes up at 7am, you will wake them up at 7am according to the new time. It will feel an hour earlier to your baby, but you can do naps about 30 minutes earlier to make up for the lost hour.

It might take a few days to catch up and get back on a normal schedule and routine again, but this is a great option if you don't have the time to plan ahead.

Does bedtime feel like an uphill climb for you? Sign up for my 5-day better bedtime challenge here!

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