I LOVE the Spring forward time change. Summer nights, sunny mornings, and because even though my children are technically waking up at the same time after, it FEELS like I'm kicking a$$ at this Mom thing when they sleep in "an hour later"......temporarily. Don't all good things come to an end? Guess what- this one doesn't :) I'm sharing my super easy & super secret Spring Forward Daylight savings sleep tips in this post, all for the price of just having you as a reader (Yes, you can buy me a drink later!)

White DockaTot //  Criss Cross Rug // Modern Crib // White Noise Machine — White DockaTot // Criss Cross Rug // Modern Crib // White Noise Machine

Ok let's start with: The "After" Schedule

I have a good friend nearby who always "conveniently" travels for work whenever there is a minor sleep issue or time change happening in her house, and we joke that it isn't accidental that she leaves her husband to deal with it. Last year, same time change, she left for a 3 day work trip the night before the switch. Hubby was happy his little angel slept in an extra hour that sunny Sunday morning, but horrified when his "easy-to-bed" daughter screamed for a full hour after lights out night after night. Was he doing something differently than Mom? Was she just being difficult? Or maybe she was hungry? A suddenly, when his wife returned home three nights later, it was as if nothing was different (which made him crazy, he swore it was two nights of misery!)

Here's what happened.

Every child has a night here or there where they test the waters with your authority, super common. More than two nights in a row has me a lot more suspicious! Although the sweet toddler below was used to getting up at 7am (which was now 8am), Daddy tried to put her down for bed at her NORMAL bedtime of 8pm (which, YUP, was actually 7pm prior to the change, a whole hour earlier than normal). Bingo!

Confused? Me too.

Here is a sample before & after one-nap (15mos+) schedule:

CURRENT:

Wake at 7am

Nap 1pm

Bedtime at 8pm

*They will wake up an hour later on Sunday (which really isn’t an hour later but looks like it, make sense?*

AFTER DAYLIGHT SAVINGS:

Wake at 8am

Nap at 2pm

Bedtime at 9pm

NOW you have to ask yourself: SLEEP IN......OR GO TO BED EARLY? (Buzzkill: You can't have both when you have kids.) But you now have the option to choose (Pop, Fizz, Clink!).

If you chose Sleep In: You'll have to now stick to the "After" schedule religiously.

If you chose Go to Bed Early: You'll have to slowly work back to your "Current" or "Before" schedule by putting your child down for nap 30 minutes later, and down for bedtime 30 minutes later for at least 5-7 days. If you're using the "after" schedule to achieve this, then naptime would be 1:30pm, and 8:30pm bedtime. After a full week, move nap back to your "before time" and bedtime back to your "before bedtime" and your child should begin waking at the normal time again.

If you want your child to sleep past 5am, you NEED a blackout shade. The sun rises on East-facing windows, signally your child's internal clock that it's time to get up! Ain't nobody got time for waking up that early. Here is our favorite, fool-proof window cover that works better that tin foil, and comes on & off a whole heck of a lot easier (for under $50! Totally worth the extra zzz's.)

If you've followed all these steps and NoooOOOoooooooooOOOO, your baby is still waking up too early after the time change? I love to give options if that wasn't already apparent. You can A) Live with it, welcome to your new normal or B) Contact me for a "Mini Consultation" for assistance with a circadian rhythm shift (difficult, but completely possible!) or C) For older children, purchase an Ok-to-Wake clock that you can program with your phone, muah haha, to turn a certain color when it's "ok" for your child to come out of his/her room. Our favorite is from Hatch called The Rest (use code SATCSHIP for free shipping!!), shown above in this baby's nursery. The Rest also doubles as a nightlight and white noise machine, 3-in-1!

Follow along on our Instagram for more tips & ideas or by signing up for our Insider's Group (subscribing to the blog). Sleep is possible, let's do this!