Daylight saving time (spring edition): Helping your child adjust to the time change

Spring is on the horizon, and with it comes the start of daylight saving time. While many adults dread losing an hour of sleep, parents of little ones often feel an extra layer of stress—how will this affect their baby’s sleep? Will they start waking too early? Will bedtime become a battle?

The good news? With a little preparation and a few simple strategies, you can help your baby adjust smoothly to the time change. Whether you prefer to take a gradual, hands-on approach or a more laid-back, go-with-the-flow method, this blog will walk you through everything you need to know.

By keeping light exposure in mind, shifting sleep schedules as needed, and staying consistent, your baby will be back to sleeping well in no time. Let’s dive in!

The basics for navigating your baby’s sleep during the time change

Daylight is a powerful tool in regulating circadian rhythm (our internal body clock), which tells us when to sleep and when to wake. That’s why light exposure plays a key role in helping your baby transition to the new schedule.

Here’s what you can do to use light to your advantage during the time change:

• Use blackout curtains: Keep the room as dark as possible during sleep time to encourage your baby to sleep until the desired time in the morning as well as going to bed easily. Even a small amount of light can signal to their brain that it’s time to be awake, so using blackout curtains is imperative. With the clocks changing, it will slowly start to get brighter out earlier so you’ll want to address this now before it sneaks up on you and makes for a more difficult bedtime.

• Get outside in the morning: Exposure to natural sunlight (even just 10-15 minutes between 7-10 a.m.) helps reset the body clock and makes adjusting to the new schedule easier.

Apart from using light exposure as our friend, having a plan to manually shift your little one’s schedule is important too. Below you will read through 3 different approaches that I outline depending on your baby and your family situation. Find the one that works the best for you and go for it!

Along with adjusting your baby’s sleep schedule, it’s also important to shift their feeding schedule to match the new time. Since sleep and hunger cues are closely linked, feeding at consistent times will help reinforce the new schedule.

The gradual approach

If your baby is sensitive to schedule changes, or if you want to ease into the time shift, a gradual approach may be best. This method also works well for families who have control over their baby’s sleep schedule throughout the week.

With this approach, you’ll begin shifting your baby’s schedule four days before the time change by putting them to bed 15 minutes earlier each night and shifting naps and feeds accordingly.

Here’s what this looks like:

Thursday- Wake your baby 15 minutes earlier than usual. Pull the usual naps and feeds 15 minutes earlier all day as well. This should result in a bedtime that is roughly 15 minutes earlier than usual. 

For example: Baby usually gets out of the crib at 7:00am, but you’ll go in and wake them at 6:45am to get them out. Nap 1 usually starts at 10:00am but you’ll start naptime at 9:45am instead. Nap 2 usually starts at 3:00pm but you’ll start nap 2 at 2:45pm. Bedtime usually starts at 7:30pm but you’ll offer it earlier at 7:15pm.

Friday- Wake your baby 30 minutes earlier than usual. Pull the usual naps and feeds 30 minutes earlier all day as well. This should result in a bedtime that is roughly 30 minutes earlier than usual. 

For example: Baby usually gets out of the crib at 7:00am, but you’ll go in and wake them at 6:30am to get them out. Nap 1 usually starts at 10:00am but you’ll start naptime at 9:30am instead. Nap 2 usually starts at 3:00pm but you’ll start nap 2 at 2:30pm. Bedtime usually starts at 7:30pm but you’ll offer it earlier at 7:00pm.

Saturday- Wake your baby 45 minutes earlier than usual. Pull the usual naps and feeds 45 minutes earlier all day as well. This should result in a bedtime that is roughly 45 minutes earlier than usual. 

For example: Baby usually gets out of the crib at 7:00am, but you’ll go in and wake them at 6:15am to get them out. Nap 1 usually starts at 10:00am but you’ll start naptime at 9:15am instead. Nap 2 usually starts at 3:00pm but you’ll start nap 2 at 2:15pm. Bedtime usually starts at 7:30pm but you’ll offer it earlier at 6:45pm.

Sunday- Keep your baby in their dark sleep space until their usual time- according to the clock. This will feel like 60 minutes earlier than usual to their body but will be back to their “typical” time on the new clock. Then you’ll continue your day with your usual schedule from before. This should result in typical nap and feeding times- according to the clock- as well as a typical bedtime. 

For example: Baby usually gets out of the crib at 7:00am, so you’ll wait until 7:00am (new time) to wake them. Nap 1 usually starts at 10:00am so you’ll start nap 1 at 10:00am. Nap 2 usually starts at 3:00pm so you’ll start nap 2 at 3:00pm. Bedtime usually starts at 7:30pm so you’ll offer bedtime at 7:30pm.

Congratulations- you’ve adjusted! Now you just need to stay steady with this schedule while their body continues to adjust over the next week or so.

The weekend approach

If you don’t have flexibility throughout the week or prefer a slightly quicker transition, the weekend approach is a great alternative. This method works well for babies who are less sensitive to schedule changes.

With this approach, you’ll begin adjusting your baby’s schedule one day before the time change, shifting everything 30 minutes earlier that day.

Here’s what this looks like:

Saturday- Wake your child 30 minutes earlier than usual. Pull the usual naps and feeds 30 minutes earlier all day as well. This should result in a bedtime that is roughly 30 minutes earlier than usual. 

For example: Child usually gets out of crib at 6:30am, so you’ll wake them at 6:00am. Nap 1 usually starts at 9am so you’ll put them down at 9:00am instead. Nap 2 usually starts at 12:30pm so you’ll start their second nap at 12:00pm. Nap 3 usually starts at 4:30pm so you’ll put them down for nap 3 at 4:00pm. Bedtime usually starts at 7:45pm but you’ll put your child down at 7:15pm instead.

Sunday- Wake your child at their usual time- according to the clock. This will feel like 60 minutes earlier than usual to their body. Then you’ll continue your day with your usual schedule from before. This should result in typical nap and feeding times- according to the clock- as well as a typical bedtime. 

For example: Child usually gets out of crib at 6:30am, so you’ll get them out at 6:30am (new time). Nap 1 usually starts at 9am so you’ll put them down at 9am for nap 1. Nap 2 usually starts at 12:30pm so you’ll put them down at 12:30pm to start nap 2. Nap 3 usually starts at 4:30pm so you’ll start nap 3 at 4:30pm like usual. Bedtime usually starts at 7:45pm so you’ll aim for 7:45pm.

You did it! Now just remain consistent with this schedule while their body continues to adjust over the next week or so.

The "do nothing" approach

If you’re a laid-back parent (or if you forgot about the time change until the last minute—no judgment!), you can also take the do nothing approach. This method works best for toddlers and older babies who are naturally flexible with sleep.

With this approach, you won’t make any changes before the time change. Instead, you’ll simply wake your baby at their usual time according to the new clock on Sunday morning and follow your regular schedule from there.

For example:

Sunday- Wake your baby at their usual time- according to the clock. This will feel like 60 minutes earlier than usual to their body but will be their “typical” time on the new clock. Then you’ll continue your day with your usual schedule from before. This should result in typical nap and feeding times- according to the clock- as well as a typical bedtime. 

For example: Baby usually gets out of the crib at 7:00am, so you’ll get them up at 7:00am (new time). Nap 1 usually starts at 10:00am so you’ll start nap 1 at 10:00am. Nap 2 usually starts at 3:00pm so you’ll start nap 2 at 3:00pm. Bedtime usually starts at 7:30pm so you’ll offer bedtime at 7:30pm.

This approach requires no preparation and works best for older babies and toddlers who adapt easily to changes in routine. Some babies may take a few days to fully adjust, but as long as you stay consistent, they’ll get there!

Final thoughts

Adjusting to the spring time change doesn’t have to be stressful! Whether you prefer to ease into the new schedule gradually, make a weekend adjustment, or take a laid-back approach, the key is consistency and using light exposure strategically to reset your baby’s internal clock.

Give your baby (and yourself!) grace—some babies adjust within a day or two, while others may take a week or more. The most important thing is to stay steady with the new schedule.

And if you find that sleep challenges go beyond the time change and you're considering working on independent sleep skills, I’m here to help! Book a free 15 minute discovery call, and we’ll create a plan to get your whole family sleeping soundly—no matter what time the clock says.