Peaceful Parent Sleep Coaching -- baby and child sleep consultant for parents of young children in Brooklyn and globally
  • About
  • Services
  • Free Consult
  • Sleep & Parenting Hacks
  • Success
  • Videos
  • Life Coaching
  • About
  • Services
  • Free Consult
  • Sleep & Parenting Hacks
  • Success
  • Videos
  • Life Coaching

Sleep & Life Hacks

Daylight Savings Time Arrives March 13th in the USA and Canada. Here's How To Avoid Sleep Disruptions.

3/7/2022

0 Comments

 
How to help your child adjust to daylight savings time
It’s hard to be organized with time changes – I rarely succeed – but that’s partly because I don’t have someone reminding me! So I’m here for you!

The big payoff for preparation? Preparing your children gradually will help prevent night wakings and early morning wakings. Which means avoiding overtired, cranky children (and adults)! Win win. 

If you are extra organized, begin TODAY by moving bedtime 10 minutes earlier each night. You also need to wake your child up 10 minutes earlier each day, to move meals 10 minutes earlier, and to move naps 10 minutes earlier as well.

Do this each day and by the time DST rolls around, your little one won’t even register the time change.

If you are less organized – and I don’t blame you – you can start 4 days ahead of time and move every item on the list (bedtime, wake time, nap times and meal times) 15 minutes earlier each day.

And if you are even less organized, remember that you don’t have to make the full switch on Sunday. You can pretend that the time change didn’t happen yet and make a gradual transition even after the official time change. Just start the transition on Sunday. 

Just know that the faster the transition, the more likely you are to have “growing pains” and sleep disruptions. If you do it all in one day, the entire family is likely to suffer. But you should recover within a few days.

Also, if you haven’t yet installed blackout shades, this weekend is an excellent time to do so. The days are just going to keep on getting longer and, for those of you at northern latitudes, bedtime (and early wakings) are just going to keep on getting more challenging as a result. So make those bedrooms as dark as you can.

The reason for this – it’s not just that darkness is easier for sleep – is that darkness triggers the brain to produce melatonin, the hormone that naturally helps us fall asleep and stay asleep. Blackout shades are truly magical for this reason – they are total gamechangers.

If you are worried about your child getting “addicted” to truly dark rooms and that travel will be difficult as a result, know that you can bring garbage bags and painter’s tape with you to make guest rooms more dark while you travel.

Also, fear of not having great sleep later should not be a reason to prevent great sleep now. If nothing else, your well-rested child will be better able to cope with the disruption of travel if they are sleeping well now, even if they don't have perfect darkness later on.

If the financial investment of blackout shades is intimidating, know that you can use temporary blackout shades. You don’t have to spend a lot for great sleep! This six-pack of temporary blackout shades is just $20. Or you can do what I did and experiment with just garbage bags and painter’s tape at first. (Warning: it’s highly effective and deeply depressing to go into a room that is consistently that dark!)

Daylight savings tends to bring a lot of sleep disruptions to families with young children. Spending a few days preparing for the transition will help everyone. Just don't forget, parents, that you also need to start transitioning your sleep and wake times now too. It's not easy to force yourself to go to sleep earlier, but it's worth the payoff. 

If your family is already struggling with sleep, fear not. Schedule a free consult today and get the well-rested family you deserve. 

*Mexico changes to DST on Sunday, April 3rd 

​
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Abby Wolfson is a pediatric nurse practitioner, certified child sleep consultant and certified life coach for parents. She divides her time between Brooklyn, NY and San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. 

    Archives

    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019

    Categories

    All
    Achieving Your Impossible Goals
    Adolescents
    Breastfeeding
    Coaching
    Developmental Leaps
    Early Waking
    Illness
    Life Coaching
    Living Internationally
    Naps
    Newborns
    Overtiredness
    Positive Reinforcement
    Postpartum Depression
    Preschoolers
    Self Soothing
    Setting Limits
    Sibling Challenges
    Single Parents
    Sleep Crutches
    Sleep Deprivation
    Sleep Essentials
    Sleep Obstacles
    Sleep Schedules
    Sleep Training Methods
    Sleep Training Success
    Sleep Transitions
    Strong Attachment
    Tantrums
    Thought Work
    Time Changes
    Travel
    Twins
    Vulnerability

    RSS Feed

SCHEDULE A FREE CONSULT
Picture
Every child deserves a great night's sleep.
​© 2019 Peaceful Parent Sleep Coaching. All Rights Reserved. Storybrand Website Design by Red Door Designs