Daylight Savings and Early Risings

Do you have an “early riser” (wakes before 6 AM) and worried about the upcoming time change?

That’s right! On November 3^rd Daylight Savings ends and we turn the clocks back an hour. Most people love this day because that means we gain an hour. However, if your little one already wakes early, this could mean you’ll be up well before the sun rises.

So instead of 6 AM, your little one might wake at 5 AM. I know, that sounds rough, but you can help your child adjust to the new time change.

There is one caveat – if your child has not learned how to put themselves to sleep and back to sleep in the night they will have a harder time adapting to the time change.

Those early morning hours are tricky for babies. Their sleep pressure is low and their internal body clock is telling them ‘it’s wake up time’!

Let me break down the sleep science:

Sleep pressure = the need to sleep. This pressure builds up after a period of awake time and reduces after sleep. In the early morning hours, sleep pressure is lighter making it harder to stay asleep.

Internal body clock = circadian rhythm that sets our daily sleep cycle. Newborns have an undeveloped circadian rhythm that emerges around 3 months. Until then, we can create an environment that helps them develop a healthy sleep pattern. We can use blackout shades, white noise, and expose them to sunlight when it’s daytime.  A baby's circadian rhythm begins to emerge around 3 months old.

Thus, sleep pressure is light and their body clock is telling them it's morning. Unless they’ve mastered the ability to put themselves back to sleep or lay quietly in their crib, we can expect some discomfort with this time change.

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With some support, your child can adapt to Daylight Savings time if they have learned independent sleep skills.

Take note: Is your child currently experiencing early wakings? If you need to respond and soothe your child (6+ months) before 6 AM, they will benefit from sleep coaching.

Sure, you may have sleep trained your baby when they were younger, but resolving early wakings takes time and practice.

If you’ve already sleep coached your little one, you may need to return to a Shuffle position for a few days. This is not a regression, this is supporting your child as they adapt to the change.

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 The Sleep Lady offers practical tips to help with this time change.

For children who are around 3 years or older you can try a clock that changes colors when it’s wake up time.

Ready to Rise OK to Wake Clock

TIP

There are two simple ways to approach this time change:

1.  Gradually shift your baby’s schedule over a period of days.

Try putting your child to bed 15 minutes later each night a few days before the time change.

2.  Go cold turkey and just wake up at the new time.

Personally, I find the cold turkey method the easiest. I don’t stress about the time change and enjoy my weekend.

***I caution parents of babies who are alert and sensitive that this approach might not be what works for their child.

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