Although it doesn’t look like fall in Nebraska right now, the twins got to “Fall Back” into the snow instead of leaves this year! As I’ve mentioned before, some parents don’t dread the thought of the time changing because they have good sleepers on their hands. For other parents that have worked hard to get their sensitive sleepers on a great schedule, this day can leave one feeling uneasy.
For those with children that aren’t such sensitive sleepers, their body should gradually adjust to the time change on it’s own within a day or 2 just like ours does as adults. For the little ones that struggle with sleep, I believe the easiest way to adjust to the time change is to slightly move back their schedule a few days to a week prior to the actual time change.
For Instance, the following schedule is an example for a child on 2 naps (anywhere from 8 months-24 months). Besides their sleeping schedule, you’ll want to adjust meal times also.
They will still wake up at 6:30 on the 1st day, but you can let them play in their bed for 15 minutes or so, and you’ll just adjust everything (including their meal times) 15 minutes later throughout the day.
| Current Schedule | October 28th | October 29th | October 30th | October 31st | November 1st |
| 6:30am Wake-Time | 6:45am Wake-Time | 7:00am Wake-Time | 7:15am Wake-Time | 7:30am Wake-Time | 6:30am Wake-Time |
| 9am Nap 1 | 9:15am Nap 1 | 9:30am Nap 1 | 9:45am Nap 1 | 10am Nap 1 | 9am Nap 1 |
| 1pm Nap 2 | 1:15pm Nap 2 | 1:30pm Nap 2 | 1:45pm Nap 2 | 2pm Nap 2 | 1pm Nap 2 |
| 6:30pm Bedtime | 6:45pm Bed | 7:00pm Bed | 7:15pm Bed | 7:30pm Bed | 6:30pm Bed |
If you have any questions or concerns about the time change and keeping your little one on schedule, feel free to contact me.
