Daylight Savings Time is this weekend! As the country prepares to “spring forward” an hour, my family is wondering how to best handle our daughter’s sleep schedule to make this a smooth transition.
Usually, my toddler wakes around 7am, naps at 11:30am, then goes to bed at 7pm. In preparation for Sunday’s time change, we are planning a simple transition for the next four nights, which you can see in the handy-dandy graphic below:
This style of gradually shifting your child’s sleep schedule earlier will ensure that they aren’t going to bed too late on the night of the time change, and will wake up refreshed and ready for the day’s activities on Monday morning! No overtiredness or sleep issues here, we can “spring forward” with confidence!
Of course, if your child is more of a “go with the flow” sleeper with variable bedtimes, you may choose not to make any proactive changes. Just keep in mind that your child may need a slightly later bedtime after the time change, since it will feel earlier according to their circadian rhythm.
It can take about a week for your child’s internal clock to fully adjust to the new schedule, so give yourself and them some grace. Good luck this weekend!