Daylight savings sucks in the fall, but in this direction, it’s easy-peasy. You’re just moving the clocks forward, but your baby’s internal clock may lag behind a little. You don’t need to change much, but for the first few days, you can choose one of two options.
How Do You Adjust a Baby to Spring Forward?
Option One: Pretend nothing is happening, and just start on Sunday as if the new time is normal. You can be mindful that your baby’s internal clock is an hour earlier, but just stick to your normal schedule. For example, if your baby normally wakes at 6am, the clock will say 7am on Sunday. If she goes down for a nap 2 hours later, put her down at 9am on the new time, and stay on that trajectory for the rest of the day!
Option Two: Gradually move to the new normal over a few days by putting your baby down 30-45 minutes later, inching back 15 minutes over 2-3 days. For example, if your baby normally goes to bed at about 6:45pm, the clock will say 7:45, and her internal clock will think it’s an hour earlier. Based on her afternoon nap, you might put her to bed at 7:15-7:30pm for the first day or so, then inch back to 7pm if you want a 7-7 schedule. And for naps, adjust the same way! Make sense?
If you have any questions, just shoot me an email at natalie@mommwysie.com. I’d love to hear from you!
