By: Deborah Pedrick, familysleep.com
This is the time change that doesn’t get a lot of attention because it is the less disruptive of the two. Even though we are losing an hour this has it’s benefits. For all our children who wake early, this is the time change you embrace.
There are no adjustments that need to be made to prepare for this transition. Since the difficulties in these time changes is usually based on the wake time, for this time change it really works to our advantage as parents.
For babies taking two naps a day who had have normal wake times between 5:30-6:30am, will now be getting up around 6:30-7:30. Aim for naps around the same times that you had been, usually within about two hours after waking for the day and the subsequent naps will occur also within about 2 hours from the previous nap. For babies who already wake later than most babies, like 7am (now waking at 8am), their nap schedule at first might be an hour later than normal but that will regulate itself as the wake time eventually moves earlier to the normal wake time.
Bedtime for everyone should be based on the quality of the naps for the day so if your child seems a bit off with his schedule and day sleep is not as restorative as it should be, make sure you put your child to bed earlier. For all those parents who believe that their children could use an earlier bedtime this would be the time to do it.
Happy Spring and enjoy this one!
Deborah Pedrick, Founder, FamilySleep.com , a consulting service and informational web site with a roster of experts (all moms) who consult with parents, face to face, over the phone and even via email. FamilSsleep’s philosophy reflects that of renowned sleep expert, Dr. Marc Weissbluth ,who was Pedrick’s son’s pediatrician over a decade ago, and is focused on helping parents become familiar with their child’s healthy sleep rhythm and incorporating it as best they can into their schedule. For more info: call 203-559-4674, or visit www.familysleep.com .
