Why Daylight Saving Time Disrupts Kids’ Sleep 

Daylight Saving Time (DST) shifts the clock—and your child’s internal clock. Sudden changes in time and light exposure can disrupt circadian rhythms, making it harder to fall asleep and stay asleep. You may see early morning wake-ups, shorter naps, and crankier afternoons. Proactive tweaks to routines help the body adapt and protect sleep during the fall back.

Babies, Circadian Rhythms, and the 4-Month Sleep Regression

Circadian rhythms typically begin organizing around 4–6 months, often right alongside the 4-month sleep regression. The good news: children are adaptable. With gentle, consistent changes to timing and routines, most families can smooth the DST transition without extra stress.

Step-by-Step Plan for the Fall Back (DST) with Babies & Toddlers

1) Use Light Strategically

Starting the Wednesday or Thursday before the time change, add more natural or indoor light during the hour before bedtime. In the morning, keep things dim and quiet until your family’s set wake time. Then turn on lights and offer breakfast or a feeding to signal, “Now it’s time to start our day.”

2) Try Blackout Shades for Early Morning Light

If your child is light-sensitive, blackout curtains can reduce early-morning wake-ups and help protect nap and bedtime windows.

3) Choose Your Transition Approach

Decide how you’ll handle DST: a cold-turkey switch on Sunday or a gradual shift over several days. Making the decision upfront helps you lead with calm confidence.

4) Write It Down

Map your plan: bedtime, naps, and meal times. A written plan encourages follow-through and keeps everyone on the same page. (Use the chart below as a starting point.)

5) Be Consistent

Team up with all caregivers so timing and responses match. Consistency helps your child adjust faster.  Your daycare teachers and nannies will be happy to help.  

6) Keep Your Flexible Routines

The flexible routines you have around eating, sleeping, and playing will help your child know what to expect.  Your child is looking for predictable routines,  which allows you to tweak the timing of when these occur in your home. Flexible routines can make for a smoother transition overall. 

7) Use Your Consistent Response

If early wakings pop up, return to the same calm response you’ve been using. Some families may "shuffle" or use their sleep coaching methods to get back on track in the morning until the set wake time.

8) Be Available for Extra Connection

Kids often need a bit more TLC during changes and can feel disorganized.  Build in a few extra minutes of cuddle, play, or reading time.   They often sense that something is different without knowing exactly what it is. 

9) Practice Patience (for Them and You)

Change is work. Keep expectations realistic and focus on steady progress over a few days as everyone works on their patience muscle. 

10) Shift Your Mindset

Remind yourself, this is temporary. Lean on your parenting tools to manage stress or frustration. I personally use the mantra "Breathe LOVE" to reframe challenging moments. What mantra or tool helps you through tough transitions? Find more support in the free guide here.

Two Ways to Transition Sleep for Daylight Saving Time

Approach 1: Cold-Turkey “Just Do It” (Most Common)

On Sunday, switch everything—wake time, naps, meals, and bedtime—to Standard Time. If you have a younger baby, offer a brief bonus nap to prevent overtiredness before the new bedtime. This simple approach works well for many families and personality types.

Approach 2: Gradual Shift (Gentle, 4–6 Days)

For most children under 5 with typical bedtimes between 6:30–8:00 p.m., move the schedule 10–15 minutes earlier each day leading up to the change. Small shifts support the circadian rhythm and keep things consistent.  Since every child’s temperament varies, making small, incremental changes helps ease the transition and boosts consistency.

The chart uses 7pm as a typical bedtime.  Use the chart as a guide, adjusting bedtime, meals, and naps based on your child’s current schedule. This step-by-step approach makes the shift smoother for everyone in the household.

Little by Little

Rest assured, within a week or so, your family’s sleep routines will settle back into place, and everyone will be back on track!

If you’ve tried these tips and are still struggling with sleep habits, I’m here to help. Click here to schedule a time for us to talk and find personalized solutions that work for your family.

Seasonal Sleep & Safety Reminders: Fan Direction and Detector Checks

As you prepare for the fall time change, it’s the perfect moment to knock out a couple of quick home safety resets. Switch your ceiling fans to rotate clockwise to gently push warm air down during the colder months. Then check your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and replace the batteries so they’re ready to do their job — and so you’re not startled by a 2 a.m. “chirp” after the clocks change. These small seasonal habits make your home safer, more comfortable, and less disruptive to everyone’s sleep as you move into a new season.

Change is the only guarantee in parenting — and Daylight Saving Time is a perfect example.

When we “fall back,” adults may feel like we’ve gained an extra hour of sleep, but young children rarely adjust that easily- but they will.    The time shift can trigger overtiredness, early morning wake-ups, and crankier days. Instead of fearing the clock change, expect it and treat it as another predictable part of parenting. When you anchor back into the routines, tools, and strategies you already use to support your child’s sleep, the transition becomes smoother and less stressful.

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