Nov. 2nd is the day! The time change. Time to fall back.
Before you had kids, the time change wasn’t that big of a deal. In fact, you probably loved the extra hour of sleep. But if you have a little one that normally wakes at 6am, they will now be waking at 5am! That’s no fun!
So what are we to do in regards to our children’s precious sleep schedule? “Fall back” tends to be a little tougher to manage than “spring forward, but it will all come together.
A couple of days before the time change, start slowing shifting your child’s nap times and bedtimes. Start with 15 or 30 minute intervals. So if your child normally takes a nap at 1pm, two or three days before the time chance, put them down at 1:15 or 1:30. If they normally go to bed at 7pm, make bedtime 7:15 or 7:30. Then by the time Sunday comes around, it won’t be a huge change.
Your child will probably wake early on that Sunday morning, so try and keep them in dim lighting for the first hour after they wake, to help their body clock reset.
We all have a Circadian Rhythm or body clock. The word Circadian means approx. 24 hours. So our body goes through a series of things around the clock at certain times. We have hormone releases, temperature fluctuations etc. We also have “sleepy awake” and “alert awake” stages. That is why we really concentrate on the timing of naps and bedtime. Because when our babies nap in tune with their body clock it will allow them to fall asleep easier and gives a better quality of sleep. This Rhythm is first and foremost set by the sun and it is secondarily set by things we do during the day such as eating. So if you were to not adjust your child’s clock it would probably remain that way for a while but after a time the sun and even your daily activities (such as eating) would reset her clock on its own. It might vary slightly from what it was but it won’t stay exactly the way you would like it too.
But as soon as the time change has occurred and we have changed those clocks, no more adjustment time. Switch cold turkey! This also goes for those of us who don’t get around to readjusting our children’s schedule. I have done this many times myself! It might take a few days but they will adjust! On Sunday evening, try your best to help your child make it to their normal bedtime. If they are utterly exhausted, it’s okay to let him or her fall asleep 15-20 minutes early. Use your best judgment. Please remember that every child is different. Some kids take the time change in stride, and others take a few days to fully adjust. Just be patient and it will all fall back into place.
If you have a toddler, a tot clock can be very helpful in letting them know when it is okay to get up for the day.
Our bodies love consistency, so if you are consistent, their little sleep clock will come back in place! Happy Fall!
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