The End to Daylight Savings Time – Fall Back
Happy Fall everyone! Here in Michigan, the leaves are changing colors and we’re enjoying some cooler weather, visits to the cider mill, and the kids are anxiously awaiting the sugar rush of Halloween, though it will look quite different this year due to COVID! Fall also means the end of Daylight Savings Time, which can be an annoyance for parents of little ones. Read below to learn how to help your kids make the transition without too much interruption.
It’s a known fact that most adults look forward to the end of Daylight Savings Time in the fall, otherwise known as “Fall Back.” It means we get an extra hour in our day, which many of us use to catch up on sleep (or an extra hour to get stuff done for all the “doers” out there). For parents of little ones, Daylight Savings Time is like a curse word. It wreaks havoc on schedules, particularly when it relates to sleep. It not only affects children’s sleep patterns, but adults too. In fact, there is an 8% increase in traffic accidents the Monday after Spring Daylight Savings Time kicks in (luckily we’re moving in the fall phase). I really dislike this time of year, though, as it means I’ll soon be waking up when it’s dark and ending my work day in the dark.
If it was up to me, Daylight Savings Time would not exist. It can have a negative effect on both adults and kids, and can increase our sleep debt – especially for kids whose body clocks operate better with a consistent structure/routine. That is usually why parents of little ones come to dread these time changes. Given we’re headed into “Fall Back,” I’ll focus on how to handle the time change this time of year, and I’ll address springtime next year when it’s relevant.
So how do I tell my clients how to handle Daylight Savings Time? I tell them to “split the difference.”
If you plan on waiting until Daylight Savings Time ends on Sunday, November 1st, read below:
Bedtime: If bedtime is 7pm for your child, put him to bed at 6:30 for the first 3 days following the time change (which will feel like 7:30). On night 4, just get in line with the new 7pm so he is going back to bed when the clock says 7.
Waketime: But what about early wakeups? If your child normally slept until 7am, she will likely now be waking up at 6 after the time change. If she is over the age of 2, and does not have an “ok to wake” clock in her bedroom, I recommend you get one. This is the one we have in our kids’ rooms (it turns green when they’re allowed to get up). A regular digital clock works too – you’ll just want to put a piece of tape over the minutes so that she can see if it’s 6 or 7, but not see the minutes. For the first few days, set the clock forward a half hour, so that at 6:30, it says 7, and let her get up a little earlier than normal. By the end of the week, she will be back on track sleeping until her normal wake-up time of 7am (just remember to set the clock back to the actual time around day 4).
It may take a little more effort on your part to help your baby adjust his body clock. When you hear him starting to wake in the morning at 6 now (instead of 7), don’t rush in. You don’t want to set the new standard that it’s ok to get up at 6 now. On morning one, wait until 6:10; morning two, wait until 6:20; morning three, wait until 6:30 and so on. By the end of the week, his schedule should be adjusted to the new time, waking up at 7 again.
Naptime: We’ll adjust naps a similar way. Let’s say your child normally takes her first nap at 9:30. For the first three days after the time change, adjust that nap to be a half hour earlier at 9:00 (which will actually feel like 10 to her). It may be a stretch to keep her awake that long, but shouldn’t be too long that it will cause damage to her schedule and cause overtiredness. You’ll do the same for the rest of her naps throughout the day, adjusting times to a half hour earlier (which will feel like a half hour later). On day 4, adjust naps to the correct time.
If you want to get ahead of the game and have the flexibility in your schedule, you can start making adjustments to bedtime, waketime, and naptime a week in advance, starting today. Keep reading if that sounds like you!
Start by modifying bedtimes by 15 minutes every couple days. For example, if your child typically goes to bed at 7, push bedtime to 7:15. A couple days later, push bedtime to 7:30, then 7:45, and then 8 (which will technically be 7 once the time change happens). If you time it right, his body clock will make the transition easily and he’ll be back to a bedtime of 7.
Take the same approach with waketimes and naptimes, if you can, pushing everything by 15 minutes every couple of days until you’re back on the “normal” schedule after the time change.