Fall Back: Daylight Savings Tips
Posted By: Jill Spivack and Jennifer Waldburger
Jill Spivack, LCSW, completed her graduate studies at University of Southern California and worked as a psychotherapist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center’s Early Childhood Department.
Well guys, this is the time change that most of us parents dread. We now have to contend, not only with colder weather but with the fact that little Emma or Justin will be waking 1 hour earlier once the clocks have changed (ouch). To ensure that the shift goes as smoothly as possible:
1.
Put your baby to sleep at his normal bedtime on Saturday night.
2.
Before you go to bed, turn your clocks ONE HOUR BACK.
3.
Your child will likely wake up 1 hour earlier by the new clock than he normally
does on Sunday morning, say at 5:00 AM (which still feels to his body like 6:00
AM). Psychologically, this can feel hard for you but get up with him anyway.
He's slept 11 hours and is rested.
4.
Go ahead and stretch your baby to his NORMAL first nap time (according to the
current clock), even if he's tired. His body will want to nap 1 hour
earlier than normal but don't let him! Do anything and everything to keep
him awake. Put him in the bath to splash around or do the hokey pokey around
your living room to make sure he stays up as close to his normal first nap time
as possible.
5.
Then, follow as closely as you can, his usual schedule thereafter.
**Don't
let him nap too long, as doing so may continue to cause early morning wakings.
***This
adjustment can take 3-4 days to really iron out, so continue to get up with him
when he wakes early, but after the 4th day, let him stay in the crib until his
usual wake up time.
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1 comment
April Leigh
8:08pm on Friday November 4
My youngest child of 4, is 18 month old Jakobi-Lynne.She doesn't go to sleep until 1 or 2 in the morning. She doesn't wake until 11am, even though the rest of us get up at 7am.She only naps for 20- 30minjutes at a time! Any idea what to do to fix the mis-scheduling???
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