Spring Forward: Keeping Your Child’s Sleep on Track

Spring is in the air! As winter comes to a close and we look forward to enjoying the warmer evenings and extended daylight hours, we prepare by springing forward this coming Sunday, March 10th at 2am. So before you head to bed Saturday night, make sure that you set all your clocks ahead by one hour. Here are some tips on how to handle this time change when it comes to your little ones’ sleep schedules.

For the first three days following the time change, "split the difference" when it comes to naptime and bedtime. If your child normally takes their first nap at 9:30am, you should put them down at 10:00am. If they normally go to bed at 7:00pm, you should put them to bed at 7:30pm.

This does mean that your child will be going to bed a little earlier than the normal wait between their sleeps; however, it’s not so much that it’s going to interfere with their schedule. Be prepared that it may take them a bit longer to fall asleep as they may not be as tired.
On night/day four, move their bedtime/naptime back to the normal time. It will take your child about a week to adjust to the new schedule, so be patient and consistent with them and know that they’ll be back on track soon.
Bonus - This may even help those of you who have children that are currently waking up a little earlier than you would like!

Kathryn is a child sleep consultant, mom of a lively one-year old and founder of Sleep Stars Consulting; she resides in Maple Ridge and enjoys singing and dancing with her child. For more information visit www.sleepstars.ca.  

For more sleep advice checkout Kathryn's article on How does your child sleep in the Spring 2013 magazine and online http://www.urbanbaby.ca/how-does-your-child-sleep/