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Adjusting your child to daylight savings

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On Sunday the 2nd of October (Saturday night), the majority of Australians will wind forward their clock to adjust for the beginning of daylight savings time.

Ah a  sign that summer is on its way! Those lazy evenings, long walks and twilight…oh sorry that was before 3 kids!

So this change can  mean a disruption to your baby and  young child’s sleep patterns.

“The why do I have to go to bed when it is daylight question?”.  Fair enough!

Newborn and younger babies  due to their immature circadian rhythms tend to not be affected, but the question each year for those new parents is how to transition smoothly without  any major sleep disruption?

My suggestion is slowly so now is the time to prepare!

Write down what time your child normally goes to bed, then put your child to bed 15 mins each night (or every second night).

So night 1 bedtime is 7pm (new time 8pm)

Night 2 bedtime is 645pm (new time 745pm)

Night 3 bedtime is 630pm (new time 730pm)

Night 4 bedtime is 615pm (new time is 715pm)

Night 5 bedtime is 6pm (new bedtime is 7pm)

In the five days leading up to October 2nd  shift your  baby or child’s sleep times by 15 minutes per day. It can be useful to apply this to naps as well as bedtime, to make it easier for them to last the extra time in the evening and not get too overtired.

Now we as parent’s can’t make our child go to sleep, so even if your baby stays awake, you are assisting and encouraging their little mind and body to relax, in preparation for the shift.

If you know your child is particularly sensitive to routine changes it can be helpful to start this process even earlier and only adjust by 15 minutes every two days.

Use your calendar to plan so you can ensure that you arrive at the correct ‘bedtime’ on the night that the clock is turned back.

What Else can Help? With the changes  that come as we move into summer these tips can help:

Temperature– check room temperature. It should stay stable at all sleep times. Recommended ideal is between 18-22 degree C and 40%-60% humidity. A room that’s too hot can be disruptive. In fact, research suggests that a hot sleeping environment leads to more wake time and lighter sleep at night, while awakenings multiply. Our body temperature drops to its lowest point between 4-5am in the morning. Often you do need to adjust your child’s sleep wear, or change to more natural fibres. 

Adequate exposure to daylight

A must for developing day/night routine, serotonin levels. Natural sunlight is a saviour when it comes to helping your child gently adjust their circadian rhythm (body clock). It’s important to try to spend at least an hour a day outside in broad daylight. For obvious reasons, sun protection is ultimate, so check your UV levels, and times of the day.

For day time sleeps: exposure to sunlight in the late afternoon has been shown to increase secretion of melatonin and better night sleeping overall. Consider playtime outside between 3-5pm-nap depending.

Electronic Fasting

Watch what time your child is exposed too devices to.  It can also be very helpful to restrict usage of devices that emit bright light (such as iPads, iPhones, television and computers) after sundown as these will  impact your toddler’s circadian rhythms as well. Consider banning the EMF at least 1-2hrs before light’s out.  If your child is experiencing bedtime resistance, then consider a few days without electronics completely.

Block Out Blinds

Winding the clocks forwards means that it will be daylight at bedtime. Portable Blockout or black out blinds are a brilliant “Must Have” if you don’t wish to put in permanent window furnishings.  They can also double as temperature controllers, with some brands, reducing the degrees by 2-3 C. Make sure your child’s bed is not near the window.  Stops wondering hands from double and triple checking if the sun has said good night!

Toddler Clocks

Another visual tool that your child can see when it is time to wake up, or time to be asleep. So many types on the market.

 AND FINALLY – Take a breath and be understanding!

It is normal for you and your child to feel the effects of the time change for as long as a week after the daylight savings time change. I call it the double ‘P”:  Patience and Preparation is the key :-).

 

[ARTICLE] Parents of Sunrise Babies Desperate for Daylight Saving: Gold Coast Bulletin, November 2014

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TIRED and stressed-out parents are calling for daylight saving in Queensland as baby experts are bombarded with increased cries for help over early risers.

And research shows that little Queenslanders lose 14 hours of much-needed sleep per week from November to February.

 

“Mothers are in a tailspin,” said Gold Coast-based infant sleep expert Amanda Bude, who advises hundreds of women in Australia and New Zealand through her business Groovy Babies.

“Kids who normally sleep until 7am are wide awake at 4.30am. I’m getting increased numbers of calls at dawn as children are struggling to adapt to longer hours of daylight and hotter weather.

[button shape=”square” size=”regular” float=”left” href=”http://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au/news/parents-of-sunrise-babies-desperate-for-daylight-saving/story-fnj94j0t-1227131276625/” target=”blank” info=”none” info_place=”top” info_trigger=”hover”]Read the Full Article[/button]

 

 

 

10 Tips to Survive Early Rising.

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Kid’s Finding it Hard to clock off? Night time temperatures increasing and sunlight streaming through the bedroom blinds?

YOUR BABY IS GETTING UP TO 1-2 HOURS LESS SLEEP or up to 14 HOURS LESS SLEEP a WEEK!

A simple change is season is enough to create extreme chaos in a previously well rested child, and with NO Daylight Savings in some Australian states, early rising can become a family sleep deprivation disaster.

Correcting sleep habits in a baby or toddler is easier than you think, and the outcome is one that will stay with you for years.

Here are 10 Tips to Prevent Early Morning Rising:

In order to stop early rising, you need to understand it. Here are the most common reasons for early rising:

1. Bedtime too late making baby overtired. When a child misses his bedtime window he tends to sleep less. Also, if baby is overtired at bedtime, he won’t be able to put himself back to sleep when he wakes at 5am. Doesn’t seem logical, but it’s true! This is why he goes down so easily at the moment, but is waking early. Check your child’s OVERALL sleep requirements.

2. Too big of a window between wake up from afternoon nap and bedtime (average window is 4 hours). Your child will end up going to bed overtired. A common example is if a child has too short a nap or one nap too early in the day, like 11am-1pm. If your child takes one nap and still wakes before 6am, don’t let him nap before noon or he will then be overtired at bedtime which will lead to early rising.

3. Make sure the room is dark! If too much light is coming into the baby’s room, buy blackout shades (also good for napping).

4. Make sure the room is quiet! If an external noise—garbage trucks, noisy birds, dad turning on the shower—is waking your baby, try putting a white noise machine/music or fan in his room.

5. Stop hunger. Making sure he eats more food during the day, dinner combines protein and carbs, and that your baby actually needs overnight feeds developmentally.

6. No early morning naps before 8am.

7. Going to bed to late- bed should be 6pm-8pm, age dependent.

8. Not napping enough through the day – use your chosen settling technique to extend naps or catnapping.

9. Staying up to long between end of afternoon nap and going to bed- check 4 hour max awake time for baby’s older than 11 months.
coffee and early morning wake ups10. Going to bed when past drowsy but awake mark, if to drowsy won’t know how to get back to sleep when more alert at 5am!

For More Information Email To amanda@groovybabies.com.au