Expert Tips: How To Help Your Little Ones “Spring Forward” This Weekend (The Time Change!)

I dread the twice yearly time changes because it totally wreaks havoc on my children’s nap and sleep schedules. This weekend, we will LOSE an entire hour of important sleep time on March 10 because of the clock moving forward an hour for Daylight Savings Time. Babies and children can have an especially hard time making the adjustment. The sleep experts at Sleepy Planet provided me with the following advice to help little ones make a smooth transition to Daylight Savings Time.

I will be trying these tips with my kids this weekend. Do you do anything special to help your little ones adjust to the time change? Let me know what you think about this advice:

The Night Before…

On Saturday, March 9th, turn clocks AHEAD 1 hour. If your child normally sleeps till 6:30 AM, the next morning he/she might be sleepy until 7:30 AM. The entire schedule – naps and bedtime – will then shift one hour later. If you’re happy about this change, great! Just protect your child’s room from too much light in the early morning, and use white noise so they won’t wake with the birds.
If you’d rather help your child get back to the usual schedule, try the following:

1. Set your alarm for 6:30 AM (according to the new clock) and wake your child at this time. To them, it will feel like 5:30 AM and yes, they may be cranky and tired, but their body will soon get used to the new schedule.

2. Put your child down at the normal nap time (if they are still napping) according to the new clock and resume a normal schedule from there. Don’t allow a nap longer than usual.

3. On Sunday night, put your child down at their usual bedtime according to the new time.

You may also want to make the transition fun with the ideas found in my blog post: FREE Daylight Savings Time activities, crafts, videos and coloring pages for your children.

Mom Always Finds Out would like to thank Certified Sleep Experts from Sleepy Planet, Jennifer Waldburger and Jill Spivack, and the PAJANIMALS, from The Jim Henson Company and Sprout, the 24 hour children’s preschool channel for the advice and tips for a smooth and calm transition to Daylight Savings. (Daylight Savings Time Tips For Parents)