Could Spring Really Be Just Around the Corner?
After a particularly brutal winter — locked inside for what felt like years (okay, one very long year) — the promise of spring feels hopeful.
Until you realize…
Daylight Savings is coming.
More light.
Potentially less sleep.
If you just got your baby on a good schedule and you’re panicking about all your hard work being undone — take a deep breath.
It’s going to be okay. I promise.
On Sunday, March 8th at 2:00am, the clocks spring forward one hour.
So 6:00am suddenly becomes 7:00am.
Here are 3 simple strategies to help you and your baby adjust smoothly:
Plan ahead: One week before the time change, start adjusting slowly.
Move your baby’s entire schedule 10–15 minutes later each day:
Morning wake time
Naps
Feeds/meals (yes — meals are sleep cues!)
Bedtime
By the end of the week, your baby will already be on the new time.
No drama. No overtired meltdowns. Just smooth sailing.
I forgot to plan ahead: If you’re like most parents and remember the night before — don’t panic.
On Sunday morning:
Wake baby 30 minutes later than usual
Shift naps and feeds 30 minutes later
Put baby down 30 minutes later for bedtime
By day two, you should be fully adjusted.
Babies don’t know the clock changed — they respond to routines and environment, not time.
What? let’s just pretend nothing happened: You can shift the entire schedule by a full hour immediately:
Wake baby an hour later (keep room dark and calm)
Shift naps and meals by an hour
Put down an hour later for bedtime
Some babies handle this beautifully.
Others… not so much.
Watch closely for overtired cues:
Eye rubbing
Fussiness
Crying
Clenched fists
“Second wind” energy
If you notice overtiredness, move bedtime earlier and switch back to 15–30 minute adjustments.
What If You Wake Up and Forget?
If you accidentally start the day on the “old time,” it’s okay.
Stretch the morning, slightly extend the wake window, adjust the nap, and move forward on the new time.
It may not be instant magic — but well-rested babies adjust much more easily.
GET FREE NAP SCHEDULES HERE www.lilbabysleep.ca/sleep-schedules
If you want to keep your bedtime later for the summer…don’t. change. a. thing.
Along with moving your schedule you want to make sure the conditions are ideal for sleep and that you are cuing sleep, especially with the extra sunlight.
Light is a very powerful sleep tool. Light helps regulate sleep wake cycles for all of us. If you expose baby to light in the morning their body will know that it is time to be awake, the opposite approach before bed (at least an hour). Dimming all lights, turning off the tv and electronics can signal to the body that it is time for sleep and help it prepare, putting your baby down will be easier if they are prepared for it. If you haven’t already done so, this is the best time to invest in black out blinds or dark construction paper pasted to the window will also work. Even a small bit of light coming into baby’s room in the morning when their sleep is the lightest can make a huge difference.
Keep routines consistent. This will also help cue sleep. Bedtime and nap time routines should be done before sleep (adjust the time). If you do it often enough, baby will know its bedtime just by your actions and won’t even notice that it’s being done early. The only ones that run by a clock is us the parents, baby’s function through routines and their environments.
The key to surviving daylight savings time is flexibility. Watch for sleepy cues, adjust schedules and if you need to sneak in an extra catnap to make it to bedtime, do it. Stay calm and spring will come - eventually.
Reach out if:
1) your baby is not sleeping well and you are dreading any change because you know they are not well rested to begin with.
2) You are already struggling with early mornings and this will make them EVEN EARLIER!
3) You want to sleep well (the entire family) so you can be on ANY schedule and thrive!
4) you need help with the new schedule and naps for your little one because you’re already struggling with short naps or non-existent naps.
Book a free discovery call with me and let’s chat!
Lil. xx
