4 Child Sleep Tips to Help Your Little One Adjust to Daylight Savings

This Sunday, March 8 is Daylight Savings Time. Who's ready to "Spring Ahead"? I know this tends to throw my schedule off as an adult, so I feel for my toddler when we make the time adjustment twice a year. This can really throw off nap and bedtime and make life miserable for everyone. Diana Julian, founder of Big Sky Lullaby child sleep consulting, shares a few tips to make the transition much easier.

Per Diana Julian of Big Sky Lullaby:

• Gradual Transition - Gradually shift your child’s sleeping schedule to help ease them into the time change. Starting on Sunday move back toward the original time for naps and bedtime by 15 minutes every two days. By the end of the week, you should have transitioned back to your child’s regular schedule.
• Keep the Routine - The most important element of the time change is your child’s soothing routine. A consistent soothing routine will be what your child looks for to know when sleep will follow. They aren’t paying attention to the clock, they will simply follow our cues. Our general sleep time routine, for example, is reading, singing and cuddle time. Julian goes on to say that adding a key phrase as you lay them into bed is another important cue for little ones. A key phrase can be as simple as “It’s night-time, mommy and daddy love you.” It will be the last cue they will hear before you place them in their crib.
• The 6 A.M. Rule - If your child wakes before 6 a.m., keep them in their dark room until 6. Sunlight and darkness are the biggest influences on our child’s circadian rhythms and melatonin production.
• Take Advantage of the Time Change - If you have a 4-month-old whose schedule you are trying to establish, this time change will help you shift their nap times later in the morning so that they begin to fall during their biological sleep wave.

Keep these tips in mind to help ensure a successful transition as you spring ahead on Sunday! For addition information regarding healthy child sleeping habits, visit bigskylullaby.com.