Preserving your child’s sleep through Daylight Savings clock changes
I will never forget the autumn our first daughter turned 1. She was in a phase of 5:30am early morning wakes which we could not seem to shift. And then WHAM, the clocks changed and all of the sudden we were all waking up at 4:30am every morning for months!! (Don’t ask me why we didn’t reach out to our sleep consultant to figure out how to fix this nightmare - we were definitely of the stubborn mindset that our baby was just a terrible sleeper. Newsflash - early morning wakes can be fixed!)
My wish for you is to avoid that same pit of sleep deprived despair that I found myself in 7 years ago. So with that, please read on to learn how to prepare for the dreaded clock change whether you are in fall or spring.
What is Daylight Savings Time exactly?
Daylight savings time (DST) is the practice of setting the clocks forward by one hour in the spring (“spring forward”) to enjoy longer daylight hours in the warm summer months, and then setting the clocks back by one hour in the fall (“fall back”) to return to standard time. So what we call “daylight savings” in the autumn is actually the end of daylight savings time. Any way you slice it, changing clocks can wreak havoc on sensitive sleepers.
What does the fall clock change do to sleep schedules?
Starting on the first Sunday in November, the sun will rise one hour earlier than it usually does (which is good because otherwise it would be cold AND dark every winter morning in certain climates and that’s just an awful way to start the day).
If you haven’t prepared for DST, your child will wake up one hour EARLIER by this new clock. So, if your child was always a 6:15am riser, your child will be waking at 5:15 am. No bueno.
Starting on the first Sunday in November, the sun will set one hour earlier than it usually does (which causes those of us in colder climates to begin our winter hibernation starting at 4pm when it is too cold and dark to do anything fun…except glow stick dance parties!)
If you haven’t prepared for DST, your child will go to bed one hour EARLIER by this new clock. So if your child had a 7:00pm bedtime, they will now be ready for bed at 6:00pm.
What does the spring clock change do to sleep schedules?
Starting on the second Sunday in March, the sun will rise one hour later than it usually does.
If you haven’t prepared for DST, your child will wake up one hour LATER by this new clock. So, if your child usually wakes at 6:00am your child will now be waking at 7:00am. This is a GREAT change for earlier risers!
Starting on the second Sunday in March, the sun will set one hour later than it usually does causing everyone to jump with joy at the extended daylight!
If you haven’t prepared for DST, your child will go to bed one hour LATER by this new clock. So if your child has a 7:00pm bedtime, they will naturally feel ready for bed at 8:00pm.
How to prepare for the clock change - 3 options
DO NOTHING
Three-day preparation
Gradual preparation
Option 1 - DO NOTHING
If the clock change will actually cause your early riser to sleep later, or your late-to-bedder to fall asleep earlier, then celebrate! DST may actually help solve a major sleep issue! Keep your schedule exactly how it is just on the new clock times. As an example: Let’s say 18 month old Rosie has been waking at 5:30am, napping at 12:00pm, and going to bed around 6:30pm when the clocks “spring forward” in March. Simply by changing the clock, Rosie will now wake up at 6:30am, nap at 1:00pm, and go to bed around 7:30pm. Perfect! Another example: 4 year old Oren has been falling asleep close to 9pm most days, and sleeping until he has to woken up for preschool. When the clocks “fall back” in November, Oren will be tired at 8pm and will hopefully be waking on his own around 7am.
Alternatively, if your child is older, or generally more adaptable to changes in routine, then no need to prepare in advance. In the fall when the clocks “fall back” your child will wake earlier than usual for a few days. As long as you get lots of sunshine in the morning and throughout the day to help set their internal clocks, and stick with a typical (or slightly earlier) bedtime, your child should quickly adapt to the new schedule. In the spring when the clocks “spring forward" it’s best to wake your child at their “normal” wake time and just keep going with the day.
Option 2 - three day preparation
If you have a more schedule-sensitive sleeper (*raises hand) then doing a little adjusting in advance can help avoid those dreaded crack-of-dawn wakes in the fall. Let’s use 10 month old Benjy as an example. His current schedule looks like this:
Wake at 6:30am
Breakfast at 7:30am
Nap #1 at 9:00am
Lunch at 12:00pm
Nap #2 at 1:00pm
Dinner at 5:30pm
Bedtime at 7:00pm
Three days before the clocks fall back (Thursday), we’ll start to push Benjy’s schedule by 15 minutes. That’s pretty self explanatory except for the wake up time. Oh Rachel, how do I make my baby sleep 15 minutes later? Answer - you can’t! But you can control your child’s light exposure which is the goal here. So, if Benjy wakes at 6:30am and is quiet and happy in his crib, leave him in there until 6:45am, and continue his regular schedule just 15 minutes later (breakfast at 7:45am, nap #1 at 9:15am, etc). If Benjy is not content to hang out in his crib, then go to him but interact quietly in his dark room until 6:45am, and then open the curtains and bring on the light!. Our goal is to start shifting Benjy’s light-driven circadian rhythms.
On Friday, push the schedule by another 15 minutes, so a total of 30 minutes from his original schedule (breakfast at 8:00am, nap #1 at 9:30am, etc). On Saturday, his schedule will be pushed 45 minutes from his original. Keep in mind that this means that even if Benjy still wakes at 6:30am, the goal is to keep him in the dark room until 7:15am on Saturday so his body is not stimulated to wake fully by natural or artificial light. And then Sunday - voila! Benjy should be waking (or at least staying in the dark) closer to 7:30am, which is once again 6:30am thanks to the clock change!
Note - adjust this schedule in reverse if approaching the spring clock change. So on Thursday adjust meals, naps, and bedtime 15 minutes earlier. On Friday, 30 minutes earlier, on Saturday 45 minutes earlier, and by Sunday you’re back to regular schedule.
Option 3 - gradual preparation
For those super sensitive babies, you can take 7-10 days to prepare for this clock change (typically the fall change causes more issues than the spring change). See the three-day preparation above as your guide and modify it by letting your baby settle into each 15 minute change for 2-3 days before adjusting by another 15 minutes until you’ve achieved your desired schedule.
Take home points
Whether you do a 10 day preparation or jump headfirst into the new clock, start each day with lots of natural light to help set your child’s (and your own) circadian rhythm.
As you adjust schedules, make sure to adjust breast/bottle feeds and meals in addition to sleep times,
If your baby is still waking early (before 6:00am) once the clocks change, make sure not to reinforce the early waking with light exposure. Keep your baby in the dark room until your desired wake time.
If your child is struggling with the schedule adjustment and seems cranky by evening time, go for…wait for it…early bedtime! Early bedtimes are an easy, temporary solution to help your child get that wonderful, restorative deep sleep.
If you’ve read through this post and still cannot make heads or tails of how to prepare your child for the clock change, then consider investing in a 30 minute “Ask Me Anything” phone call so I can help talk you through the best plan for your child!
Rachel Glantz is the certified pediatric sleep consultant and founder of Pine Street Sleep LLC.
