Helping Your Baby Adjust to Daylight Saving Time
Daylight saving time can throw off your baby’s sleep schedule. Many babies greet the fall and spring time changes with difficulty since they are so used to their routine. Time changes can be a stressful time for parents, but here are some tips to help your baby adjust quickly.
Daylight saving time is a great time to adjust your baby’s sleep schedule and habits to ensure a successful transition. Try to gradually decrease the amount of day-time naps and stagger the night-time bottles or nursing times as needed. Removing all sleep props, like a pacifier or night light, before it’s time for your baby to go to sleep can help ease the transition.
It is very important to stay consistent with your baby’s bedtime routine. This means that you should keep a regular time to go to bed and ensure that your baby wakes at the same time each day. By doing this, your little one will become accustomed to the routine and the time-change will be less traumatic.
Stick to Your Baby Routine
Creating a consistent sleep routine for your baby is key to helping them adjust to daylight saving time. A bedtime routine can help activate hormones that signal the start of sleep. Some tips for creating a bedtime routine include playing soothing music, dimming the lights, and using aromatherapy like lavender oil. Ultimately, it’s about creating a routine that sets up the space and environment for a calm night’s sleep.
It’s also important to make sure that your routine is adjusted immediately when daylight saving time hits. Even if your baby protests, do not give into the temptation to reel back your efforts. Consistency in the night and morning routine will help ease the transition.
Responses to Few Hours of Extra Sleep
Babies, especially newborns, usually have difficulty in adjusting to the time change. Fortunately, their little bodies adjust to the one or two-hour-difference in no time. You can expect some daytime crankiness and fussiness during the first few days. Ready access to you or a parental figure during this transitional period is important for both comfort and comfort.
Night-time feeding is also important during the adjustment period. It’s natural that your baby will wake up during the transition or even move naps from the morning to the evening. Don’t panic just yet. Allowing your baby to drift off to sleep will help them acclimate to the new times faster.
It is also important to realize that your baby’s sleep schedule won’t remain the same forever. You may need to adjust it again in the future since daylight saving time changes every six months.
Set the Sleep Environment
To help your baby adjust to a new time, it’s important to create a comfortable sleep environment:
- Block out light with blackout curtains
- Use white noise machine/sound machine
- Keep the room at a comfortable temperature
- Swaddle your baby
Conclusion
Daylight saving time can be a difficult time for parents and their babies, but it doesn’t have to be. By following these tips, your baby will be off to a good start and be better adjusted in no time. Create a routine, stay consistent, and be patient, your little one will adjust and understand before you know it.