Every November, we get a little “gift” — an extra hour of sleep when we fall back from Daylight Saving Time to standard time.

Sounds dreamy, right?

A whole hour to sleep in?

​The only problem is that our kids didn’t get the memo.

That magical “extra hour” often turns into 5 a.m. wake ups, cranky afternoons, and frenetic, overtired evenings.

Planning ahead can really pay off  when it comes to this transition which all too often catches us by surprise. 

Why Kids Wake Early After the Fall Back Time Change (and Why They Won't Just Sleep Late For Once)

When the clocks fall back, 6 a.m. becomes 5 a.m. Your child’s body still thinks it’s 6 a.m.

That’s why they’re suddenly up with the birds.

The good news: most kids adjust within a week.

The better news: you can help make that week easier with a few smart DST sleep strategies.

Pick the Right Transition Plan for Your Family (and Yourself)

There’s no one-size-fits-all solution. The best approach depends on your child’s age and temperament as well as your own personality.

Are you the kind of person who starts packing a week before a trip or an hour before you're supposed to leave? That'll tell you a lot about which approach is best for you.

(Truthfully, I'm a week-before packer and still never managed to organize myself for the time change.) 

• Wing It
  Do nothing in advance. You’ll get through it although you'll likely have a few cranky mornings for parents and children alike.
  
  
• Mini-Transition (Most Families’ Sweet Spot)
  A few days before the time change, put your child to bed 20 minutes later each night. Leave them for 20 minutes longer in the morning than they are accustomed to. If they get upset, get them up but keeps the lights low and activities quiet until the 20-minutes-later goal time. By Sunday, a buffer day, their internal clock is already closer to the new time. 
  
  
• Full Transition (For Sensitive Sleepers)
  Start shifting bedtime and naps by 10–15 minutes over 4–6 days. It’s slower, but perfect for sensitive little ones who don’t handle abrupt schedule changes well.
  
  

Align Wake Ups, Naps and Feedings With the New Schedule

If bedtime shifts but mornings, naps, and feedings stay the same, your child’s sleep schedule won’t fully reset.

You'll need to get them up later (ideally, this part isn't critical), feed them later, and put them down to nap later than usual.

Embrace Later Bedtimes (Temporarily)

Temporarily moving bedtime later can help cause overtiredness during the transition, but it makes the following week less painful so just take it slow and steady. Don't try to skip a whole hour in one night. 

Use Light to Reset Your Child’s Sleep After DST

​Light is one of the most powerful cues for our internal clocks:

• Exposure to morning light helps reset the body clock. Open  the curtains first thing upon waking your child, and get outside as early as you can, even if it's just a 10 minute walk or to drink coffee and hot chocolate on the stoop.
  
  
• Dim the lights in the evening to signal that bedtime is coming. This helps the hypothalamus get the memo to start producing the body's own melatonin. It'll be important to turn all the screens off early, also, because the blue light from screens is stimulating to the brain. Not what you want when you are trying for an early bedtime!
  
  

Age-Specific Fall Back Sleep Tips

Babies

Babies are more sensitive to even small shifts in timing, so a gradual adjustment of just 10 to 15 minutes every day can make a world of difference. Slowly stretching feeding times and naps can help minimize overtiredness and avoid major disruptions. Ask childcare providers to help you with this. 

Toddlers

For toddlers, it often works best to “split the difference," shifting the schedule 20 minutes per day, although it's even better if you can do it more slowly. Adjust bedtime gradually, keep routines tight, and expect a few early mornings that will smooth out over the week.

Again, waking your toddler early in the morning this week and after naps will be (painfully) crucial to preventing next week's tantrum storm.

School Age Kids

Ironically, school age children may benefit the most from a structured plan since they need to be alert, focused, and emotionally regulated at school, which is tough with a DST hangover.

Waking your child a little later each day this week can help their body adjust to a later bedtime, which will make early wake-ups less likely next week. After the time change, it’s especially helpful to hold firm on your new morning wake time over the weekend.

And remember: your child won’t be the only tired kid at school that week. The teachers know. They’ve seen it all (and are tired themselves). You’re in good company... but still, it's not fun for anyone.

Give Yourself (and Your Kids) Grace

Even with the best plan, there may be a few bumpy mornings. That’s not a failure, it’s biology.

Keep routines steady. Don't plan any extra actitivies for after pick up next week. Trust that their internal clocks will catch up. Within about a week, your family will find its new rhythm.

🎃 Why Halloween Can Actually Help With the Fall Back Time Change
That later Halloween bedtime is actually your ally for school aged children. 
Toddlers and babies are less likely to sleep late so be cautious with this strategy for them.

A slightly later bedtime Friday night naturally shifts your child’s body clock forward — which makes the early wake-ups on Sunday less brutal.
How to make it work:

• Let bedtime run later Friday night. (You don’t need to make it a free-for-all, but an extra 30–60 minutes is your friend here.)
  
• Sleep in a bit Saturday morning if your child will.
  
• Keep bedtime a little later again on Saturday to lock in the shift.
  
• Enjoy your Sunday coffee at a reasonable hour instead of 5 a.m.
  

A few weeks ago, a mom posted in a parenting group about her 16-month-old.

​Her daughter was napping for about two hours during the day and sleeping from 8:30 pm to 7:30 am at night.


“Except lately,” she wrote, “she’s waking up around 1 or 2 am, wide awake and wanting to play. We keep the room dark, try rocking her back to sleep, but nothing works. Eventually we bring her into our bed and after a long time, she’ll fall asleep but no one sleeps well.”

“Oh,” she added, “sometimes she falls asleep in the car at 11 am. Otherwise for naps I lie down with her. And at night, I rock her until she’s fully asleep before putting her in the crib. But please don’t tell me to use cry-it-out. I’d rather just lie with her at night for the next couple years of naps and nights than traumatize her.” 

As soon as I read her post, I knew what was going on.

Why Toddlers Wake at Night to Play

From the outside, this toddler’s sleep sounds great. But when you look more closely, the total sleep is low.

The Overtiredness Trap

Let’s do the math:

• At night: 10.5 hours in bed minus a 2-hour waking = 8.5 hours of sleep
  
• Nap: 2 hours
  
• Total: 10.5 hours in 24 hours
  
  

Most toddlers this age need 12–15 hours of total sleep in a 24 hour period.

This toddler is woefully overtired.

And when a child doesn’t get enough sleep, her body produces cortisol, the stress hormone that makes it harder for children to fall and stay asleep.

That “wired but tired” feeling leads to night wakings and middle-of-the-night play sessions.

That late-morning car nap? It’s her body trying to catch up on her massive sleep debt.

The Role of Rocking and Co-Sleeping

Here’s something I didn’t share publicly in that Facebook comment but would unpack in a coaching session:If your toddler always falls asleep while rocking in your arms, that becomes the signal their brain associates with sleep.

When she wakes during the night (which we all do between sleep cycles), she realizes she’s no longer being rocked and doesn’t know how to return to sleep independently.

Bringing her into your bed may seem like the only way to survive the night, but from her point of view, it’s a reward: I wake up, I get cuddles, I get to be close to Mom.

Completely understandable and yet it keeps the unfortunate cycle going.


The Ideal 16-Month-Old Sleep Schedule

At this age, most toddlers thrive on one consistent nap and an early bedtime.

Sample Schedule:

• Wake: 6:30 am
  
• Nap: 12:00–2:00 pm (in the crib, not the car)
  
• Bedtime: 7:00 pm
  = Total of 13.5 hours 
  
  

The earlier bedtime helps prevent overtiredness, which in turn reduces night wakings.

And putting your toddler down awake at bedtime teaches your child how to fall back to sleep independently between sleep cycles, something we adults do without even realizing it.

This is a learned skill, and something that can be gently taught by loving parents. 


Gentle Solutions—No Cry-It-Out Required

You don’t have to leave your child alone to figure it out.

Gentle, evidence-based approaches work beautifully when paired with the right schedule, environment, and routines.

Small adjustments can make a big difference:

• Move bedtime earlier
  
• Keep nap time and routine consistent
  
• Use a predictable bedtime routine
  
• Support independent sleep skills at bedtime and overnight
  
  

When I work one-on-one with families, I customize these steps to your child’s temperament and your parenting style so you get results without guilt. 


The Takeaway

Night wakings aren’t a sign something’s wrong with your child.

They’re a signal that something in the sleep puzzle needs adjusting. With the right rhythm and routines, most toddlers need to sleep 11–12 hours at night and take one solid nap during the day.

You don’t have to choose between connection and sleep. You deserve to have both. And more importantly, so does your toddler. 


Ready to Get Your Toddler Sleeping Through the Night?

If your toddler is waking at night to play, I can help.

Together, we’ll identify what’s causing the wakings and design a plan that works for your family.

Book a consult call to get started and help your toddler (and you!) finally sleep through the night.

Abby Wolfson, CPNP

I’m a Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner and Certified Pediatric Sleep Consultant.

Through Peaceful Parent Sleep Coaching, I’ve helped hundreds of families around the world teach their children to sleep independently using gentle, evidence-based methods.

I’m also the only pediatric sleep consultant who offers a money back guarantee, because I believe parents deserve peace of mind as much as they deserve sleep.