Managing the end of Daylight Savings
If you live in the Southern Hemisphere, the end of daylight savings is nearing and anyone without children will be welcoming the bonus hour of bedtime they get on Sunday morning.
But those with kids may not feel so good when their normal 6:30am wake-up suddenly becomes 5:30am!
I have outlined below the three options I suggest for parents preparing for the time change. Choose the one that suits your parenting style and baby temperament the best.
I will use a 6:30pm - 6:30am routine below to explain, but this is only for demonstration purposes. Please adjust this to match with your child’s current routine.
Remember, the times below are a guide as many children do not sleep a full 12 hours overnight. If they wake before the desired time in the morning, try and delay meals until as close to the adjusted time as possible as this will help their body’s to adjust more quickly after the change.
If your little one is still struggling to adjust after a week of daylight savings, then don’t hesitate to reach out and book a sleep consultation service so we can support you.
Option 1: Do Nothing!
This is best suited to parents who are not worried about a temporary change to their child’s sleep and can manage the disruption and potential early rising for a few days while their child’s body clock adjusts. It is also best suited to babies who are typically more flexible and who cope well with change to their daily routine.
On Saturday, put your child to bed at their usual bedtime - 6:30pm. Their body will wake at their usual time, but the clock will read 5:30am. Try your best to leave them in their sleep space if they are happy and delay exposing them to light or giving them food until as close to 6:30am as possible as food/light/social interaction all trigger the circadian rhythm, so delaying these things will help to adjust their bodies to daylight savings time more quickly.
It should only take a few days for them to get used to the new time and sleep to their usual wake-up time.
Option 2: Slow and Steady.
If you are already struggling with early morning rising, are sensitive to change to your own sleep routine or feel anxious about how the clock change may impact on your baby’s sleep, then this gradual approach will help you to prepare your family for the end of daylight savings.
This also may be the best approach for your baby if they have a more sensitive temperament and struggle to adjust to disruptions to their routine or become overtired more easily.
The aim with this method is to move their whole routine forward an hour over the span of a week, so when the clocks go back on Sunday their body clock is prepared for the change.
Use the following schedule: (example based on a 6:30pm - 6:30am routine)
Option 3: The Mini-Version
If you are like me and forget about daylight savings or can’t put aside a whole week to make the gradual change, you can still start adjusting their body clock’s a few days early by 15 minutes each day over a four day period. Getting a head start before hand will help any sleep disturbances to resolve faster.
General Tips
Try to not stress over the time change and instead feel confident that any disruption to their sleep will be temporary and they will adjust. If their sleep was consistent and predictable prior to the end of daylight savings, then it will get back to their normal within the week.
Also, use the sun to your advantage. Exposure to natural light is one of the strongest tools we have for establishing our body clock. I recommend getting out in the early morning light for a play and again in the late afternoon for the evening sunshine. Once inside and in the lead up to bedtime, darken the room as much as possible to trigger the release of melatonin and prepare their body for sleep.
If your baby’s sleep was unpredictable and fragmented prior to the end of daylight savings, then you may not notice much of a change. If things are not working for you and your family and no one is getting the rest they need, consider reaching out and booking a discovery call to find out how we can help to get everyone the sleep they need.
