Daylight Saving Time Sleep Survival Strategies [Fall Back]

Oh, Daylight Saving Time.

When the clocks get turned back, your baby will hopefully be sleeping right through it. But when the sun rises on Sunday morning, those blissful pre-baby days of sleeping in an extra hour are now behind you. However, sleep deprivation isn’t a given, either.

Our agency works with hundreds of babies every year overnight. Our Newborn Care Specialists, Postpartum Doulas, and Sleep Consultants know the baby sleep survival strategies to make this transition as seamless as possible!

DST Baby Sleep Survival Strategy #1: Roll With It

Thankfully, the “fall back” daylight saving time tends to be an easier adjustment than “spring forward.” When the clocks get turned back an hour, everything shifts an hour later. Your older baby or toddler might be the type to do just fine going to bed or napping an hour later than usual.

Think of those nights when you’re running behind, late to get dinner on the table and slow to get everyone settled for the night – how does your little one handle it? If they tend to not get too overtired and are apt to sleep in a bit later the next morning, you can try simply resetting the clocks and sticking to your routine as usual. 

Your little ones might wake up “early” for a few days, i.e. if they typically wake at 7:00, they may still wake around the same time [now 6:00]. Because to their body, it still feels like 7am! Try to let them play on their own for a bit longer before their first morning feeding, to get them back on schedule. Most older babies and toddlers will adjust to the new wake-up time within a few days to a week. 

DST Baby Sleep Survival Strategy #2: Adjust Gradually 

If your baby is young or strongly attached to their sleep times, they might need a bit more help to adjust to daylight saving time. Staying up an extra hour cold turkey just won’t work for newborns or babies who are sensitive to overtiredness. In this case, you’ll want to gradually adjust their schedule so they don’t have to make the change all in one day. 

For example: starting 4 days before daylight saving time, shift your baby’s naps and bedtime ahead by about 15 minutes a day until you push them one hour ahead.After the clocks move back an hour, their times will correlate with the new clock.

Example Normal Routine:

Bed 7pm
Up at 7am
Nap 9am
Nap 12pm
Nap 3pm
Bedtime 7pm

Transitioning:
Bed 715pm
Try to keep asleep until 715am
Try to keep awake until 915am
Nap 1215pm
Nap 315pm
Bedtime 730 to prepare for the next day

Do the same for feedings and bedtime, and your little one will be on track to adjust to the new clock time right on target. Need help with your older baby’s (5 months and up) sleep patterns? Learn more about our sleep training packages.

Daylight Saving Time and Newborns

If your newborn or young baby’s naps and bedtime are still dictated by their awake time, not necessarily the clock, it’s important to still follow their cues. Trying to push your baby to stay awake longer than they can comfortably handle often backfires, leading to overtiredness and fussy babies who wake more often in the night. 

At this age, you’re still finding your rhythm and learning your baby’s cues. Have a goal bedtime in mind [6:30-8:30PM for most families], but don’t stress if your baby isn’t quite there yet with the new time change. Keep track of their awake windows [30-90 minutes for newborns, 75-120 minutes for 3-4 month olds] and sleep cues, and help your baby sleep when their body is ready. 

Sleep begets sleep, and well-rested babies fall and stay asleep better. Sleep deprivation is hard enough in the newborn phase without the stress of trying to adhere to a strict clock schedule.

The time for following the clock for predictable naps and bedtime will come when your baby is older, but for newborns, developing healthy sleep habits is the priority over the time on the clock. 

Overnight Newborn Care and Daylight Saving Time

Twice a year, we need to pay special attention to the clock to not over- or undercharge families. An 8-hour overnight shift on daylight saving time is actually 9 hours of work! So, our team members either need to leave an hour earlier in the morning, or we need to bill for the extra hour.