Can you believe it’s almost time for Daylight Saving Time to end?!
We will fall back on Sunday, November 5th, 2023 at 2 AM. If you have small children, the end of Daylight Saving Time often results in schedules that are thrown off. Your kids might wake super early and everyone may feel grumpy for several days or longer. Every child is different and the time change will affect some much more than others. Don’t worry- it won’t wreck your child’s sleep! We’ll all make slight adjustments together, and we’ll get through it! It is important to know your child and what she can handle. You also want to have a plan for how you want to deal with the time change.
There are different ways to make the transition:
Cold Turkey Approach:
Basically, on Sunday, you will use your regular schedule but do everything according to the new clock time. I really only recommend this approach if your child is older than two and seems to have an easier time with changes/transitions.
Gradual Approach:
For children younger than two, or children who have a harder time with changes/transitions it’s better to make the switch gradually. If you think she will have a really hard time with the transition you could start moving the times later by 10-15 minutes a night during the week before the change. You could move bedtime later by 15 minutes a night starting on the Wednesday prior to the time change. If you want to move bedtime later by 10 minutes a night, you will want to start on the Monday prior. Make sure to move naps later on the same days.
Or if you just want to work on the transition for a couple of days, then on the day before the switch (Saturday) move nap times and bedtime just slightly later. Naps might be about 15 minutes later than usual and bedtime might be a half hour later than usual. Use your intuition about what your child can handle and of course, don’t let your child get too overtired and miss her sleep window.
Regardless of which option you choose, by Sunday evening you will be back at your child’s usual bedtime (according to the new clock).
Tips for the end of Daylight Saving Time (no matter which approach you use):
- Make naps a priority during the week leading up to and after the time change.
If your child is under the age of four, a daily nap will be important at this time of year. If you have a baby, she may need an extra nap for a few days after the change. The last thing you want is for your child to go to bed overtired, as that is a very common cause of early rising.
- On Sunday morning, and sometimes for several days or even weeks after the change, children may wake up earlier according to the new clock time.
It is very important that you are consistent about not letting your child get up and start their day before 6 am. I highly recommend blackout curtains if you don’t have them! Make sure to have white noise as well. You don’t want the slightest bit of noise or light coming in in the morning.
- Getting fresh air and exposure to bright light for about 20-30 minutes first thing in the morning will help reset her internal body clock.
Take a walk or play outside as much as possible in the days before and after the time change.
- Try to do everything according to the new clock time starting Sunday.
This means all meals and sleep times. If your child is exhausted, it’s okay to let her go to bed 15 minutes or so earlier than usual. Just try to make it as close as possible to the regular schedule according to the new clock.
Just like adults, kids may not feel like themselves after the change. Usually it takes about a week before we fully adjust to the end of Daylight Saving Time- and that’s true no matter what approach you take. Stay consistent according to the new clock times and things should “Fall” into place!
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