A 15-Minute Daylight Saving Time Hack That Will Help Kids Sleep Well

We give our kids a week to adjust to their new sleep schedule before changing the clocks to Daylight Saving Time, and it’s a life saver. Moving everything forward or backward 15 minutes every day is critical.

The Fight for Daylight Saving Time: Maintaining a Sleep Schedule for Children

When we first switched to Daylight Saving Time with the kids, we had just completed weeks of sleep training—hours spent practicing consistent sleep routines, bedtimes, and techniques for getting the kids back to sleep in the middle of the day. night. Blackout curtains, white noise, diapers and bags. It worked wonders. The children slept through the night, about 12 hours each night, plus constant naps during the day.

Then, just when we felt like we’d made it past that huge step, we got a notification: It’s time to change our clocks to daylight saving time.

My first thought was: YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING ME. We didn’t plan this. All our hard work is down the drain!

But it happens like clockwork, twice a year every year. Our clocks and our sleep shift forward or back an hour depending on the season, and we do our best to get our bodies and sleep times in order.

We are used to this as much as possible. But what happens when it’s a baby or toddler and you’ve just spent a ton of time and energy trying to get their sleep patterns in order?

Our simple 15-minute solution for smooth time changes

We found a method that works great. For us it requires almost no extra work and is easy for the little ones to adjust to. And it turns out that this is a good method that can be used for us adults too.

It’s simple. A week before the time change, begin shifting your bedtime, bedtime, and waketime depending on whether the clock is moving forward or backward, in 15-minute increments each day until you reach that clock difference.

Here is an example for autumn time changewhere do we move our clocks back an hourusing these sample times:

• Bedtime: 19:30.

• Wake-up time: 7:30 am.

• Bedtime: 13:00.

Starting on Monday of the time change week, we move everything back by 15 minutes. Thus, the bedtime and wake-up time from 7:30 moves to 7:15, and the bedtime from 1:00 to 12:45.

Then, on Tuesday, we shift it another 15 minutes – 7:00 bedtime and wakefulness, 12:30 bedtime.

Wednesday, another 15 minutes. And by Thursday you will have completed the hour.

Once we get to that hour mark, we’ll stick to that schedule for the rest of the week so that when the weekend time change officially happens, the kids are already accustomed to their new bedtime routine.

For spring time changefollow the same guidelines, but instead of moving events back 15 minutes, move them forward.

It works surprisingly well for us. It feels like no extra work is needed other than calculating those 15 minutes. And the girls’ sleep does not suffer at all.

We also tried this on ourselves as adults and found that it made time shifting a little easier. For those who are particularly sensitive to time changes, this may be a good strategy. This is also a great method to use when traveling between time zones.

Alternative approaches for smooth adjustment

We have seen some who recommend starting 15 minute shifts just 4 days before the time change so that the last shift coincides with the day of the clock change. We don’t like this approach mainly because we like to have a whole week to prepare for it and have a few extra days at the end for kids’ bodies to get used to the new sleep pattern. Additionally, if our sleep as a parent is disrupted, it is easier for us to support our children as they adjust while we are still maintaining a regular schedule.

Of course, either approach can work depending on your situation, but we’ve found that starting on Monday or Tuesday works best for us.

If you are in a pinch, you can try a schedule with fewer days and a larger time offset interval. For example, shifting your sleep schedule by 20 minutes a day for three days. We’ve always used 15 minutes, but an extra 5 minutes will do just fine!

As with almost everything in parenting, it comes down to what is best for your child(ren) and your family. Sleep is a very important part of the day/night, so do what works and do it.

And, of course, try not to dwell on it. Over time, children will adjust, even if it takes extra time. This is just one tip we’ll use to try to make the process a little smoother.

Before we know it, another notification will pop up reminding us that the clocks are moving again. With just a few days of planning, Daylight Saving Time can put one less obstacle between the kids and a good night’s sleep, and between us and feeling fully rested. And if things don’t go perfectly, remember: you are not alone! We were all in the same weak boat, just trying our best even though times were changing.

We hope your schedule brings everyone brighter mornings, quieter nights, and a little more rest.