Adjusting baby to time change?

[disneymoon0606]

Since we turned back the clocks an hour on Saturday night, DD (8 months) has been having a hard time getting used to the time change. She now wants to go to bed at 6 and wake up at 5. (Who'd have thought "gaining an hour" would leave me so tired?)

I'm wondering if anyone has any tips for getting her more used to the time change now, and again when we go "ahead" an hour at the end of the month when we go to FL (and then back again when we come home).

Her naps seem to fit the new "time" really well, but come bedtime she's really tired at 6 and is ready for the day at 5 the next morning. How can I help her adjust to these changes? Thanks!

 

[YellowMickeyPonchos]

I don't really have an answer for you - my two girls are in the same boat right now. Add on that we took a 3 day weekend trip from west coast to central time zone the weekend before and you can bet we're all off.

I've adjusted myself to getting to bed earlier and waking up earlier anyway, so I'm about where they are now. It'a really all I've figured out how to do and it's really only for the short term anyway. They adjust on their own.

You could try to keep her up later, but it's possibly not worth the struggle.

 

[FSUSammy]

I don't know maybe I got lucky but here is what I did. DS is 1 and usually goes to bed at 8pm and get's up like clock-work at 7. On Saturday night I did whatever I could to get him to stay up as late as possible. The latest I was able to get him was 8:20. Well yesterday he was ready for the day at 5:30. I was NOT going to get him out of bed. He never cries when he wakes up so he was in his crib babbling until 7am when I got up to get him ready for the day and give him his breakfast. Then the rest of the day was like normal. Lunch, naptime, snacktime, and dinner were all at his normal time so that he was ready for bed by 8. Today he woke up at his normal time.

I guess my only advice is try to stick to your normal routine as if the time change didn't happen. So if dinner is at 7 then its at the new 7, not at what is now 6.

 

[disneymoon0606]

I'll give that a try. I usually nurse her at around 5, then she sleeps till 6:30 or 7. So tomorrow I'll let her babble (she usually doesn't cry until I go in and then leave with her still in her crib, so I won't even go in) until 5. I was surprised today that she's been on her regular eating/napping schedule. She woke up at 4:15 and was awake until 5:15 and then up again at 6.

Luckily I did go to bed earlier last night, so I'm not very tired today. But if I had been up till 10 or 11 it would be a different story I'm glad I'm not the only one having trouble with the time change!

 

[HGD24]

Our DD woke up at her usual time yesterday (7am) and was on schedule with all of her naps and meals. This morning however, she was awake shortly after 6am - she hasn't woken up that early in months! DH let her play in her crib until about 7am so hopefully that will get her back on her usual schedule. I'm sure it will take a few days (hopefully not much longer) to adjust.

 

[princessmom29]

I eased bed time back by 15 min a night with mine every night untill we caught up to the time change, and left her in her crib for a while when she woke up early. It worked pretty good after about a week.

 

[Tisha_PA]

I eased bed time back by 15 min a night with mine every night untill we caught up to the time change, and left her in her crib for a while when she woke up early. It worked pretty good after about a week.

I did the same thing with my DD's and DS's. Making a gradual 15 minute change every few days seemed to work well. Good luck!

 

[Carriemel]

My little (almost 5 months old) has adjusted quite well....a lot better than I would have expected. She's asleep sometime around 7:30 and is up at about 5, which is ok, cause that's when my husband goes to work. I'll give her a bottle then and most of the time she'll go back to sleep for a couple more hours.

 

[foltzy]

I have a 3 and 1 year old. My 3 year old was up at 6 this morning. My 1 year wanted to go to bed at 6:30 tonight and I did all I could to keep him up until 7:30 (bedtime). It's been hard these past few night but I also know that usually it takes them about a week until their internal clocks are reset and all will be good then.

 

[tinkerlisa]

Somebody told me that the time change does not affect a baby's sleep schedule. That person was full of it because my 15 month old is now ready for bed at 6pm! I used to put him down between 7-7:30 but its been hard getting him to change! His naps aren't even the same.
My six year old feels it too. he is exhausted when he comes home from school and I even caught him dozing on the couch the other day!
I hope they adjust quickly. I tried adjusting naps but it didn't work.