The 'non-expert' fall daylight savings survival guide

Fall daylight savings (DLS) is this weekend and for all of those without children it means an extra hour of sleep. Yay! But as a new mom I know that is not the case in our household. I’m not going to lie I’ve been stressing out about how I survive DLS all week. I feel like I have just gotten Draper into a good sleeping pattern and now what do I do?

I am absolutely NOT a sleep expert, but I have collected some great tips from my mom-unity, sleep trainers and of course trusty Goog that I want to share. I did the work so you don't have to. Here is my non-expert version of the fall back survival guide.

Slow and steady wins the race.

It takes about a week or so for your child's body to get use to the time change. So be patient with your little one and yourself and don’t expect everything to happen overnight.

Plan head

If your anything like me you've completely missed the boat on this one but good to know for next time, right? Apparently the week leading up to DLS you should shift your child’s schedule by 10 mins each day. Starting on the Monday before DLS, adjust your baby’s wake time, nap times and bedtime to 10 minutes later than normal. Each day that week shift another 10 mins later.

Bedtime

Keep your little one up 30 minutes later than normal tonight (Saturday) and a couple of days following. So if they normally go to bed at 7, put them asleep at 630 (new time). Your babe is likely going to be overtired and fussy heading into bedtime but that wont last long (I hope). On Wednesday which is the 4th night and every night following, put your child to bed at the ‘new’ 7pm bedtime. Sounds easy peasy, I like it.

Mornings

This may be easier said than done but when they wake do NOT rush in to get them. On Sunday hold off for 15 minutes before going into their room to get them, on Monday hold off 30 mins, on Tuesday hold off for 45 mins and by Wednesday they should be adjusted to the new time. (Fingers crossed)

Routine is key

Even though the time has changed, it does not mean your nap/bedtime routine should change. Maintaining your consistent nap/bedtime routine will help smooth the transition. It will signal to baby that sleeptime is coming so don't skip out on it.

Fresh air and sunlight

Natural sunlight is key for resetting our internal clocks, so take your babe for an early morning walk for a few days after we fall back, as the sunshine will help baby process that it's morning and will help to resolve any confusion with their circadian rhythms*. Do the same in the evening before the sun goes down. Nothing like a big dose of daily fresh air, like a walk after supper, to tire your little one out for a good night’s rest.

Celebrate successes

Dealing with the time change can be difficult so if you get through it successfully (and you will) make sure you celebrate your victories.

For the love of coffee & sunglasses.

If your babe wakes up at the crack of dawn and nothing is getting them back to sleep, you can always count on strong coffee and dark sunglasses to have your back.

There's always next time. If this all goes to shit you have Spring Forward DLS to look forward to. This is when our kids won’t realize that 7am is now actually 8am and you will get an extra hour of sweet glorious sleep!

I hope this helps. I'm sending you all positive sleep vibes for tonight and the week ahead. Good luck.

xo

LDT

Credits:

https://babysbestsleep.com/

www.preciouslittlesleep.com

http://www.weebeedreaming.com

*sleepfoundation.org says our circadian rhythm is basically a 24-hour internal clock that is running in the background of your brain and cycles between sleepiness and alertness at regular intervals. It's also known as your sleep/wake cycle.