Daylight Savings Time

My boys' bedtime got substantially earlier when we switched from two naps to one. They were going to bed at 6:30 and waking up around 5:30-6:00. 6:00 is when I get them up (unless they are both happy and I want to stay in bed...) Anyways, I've been trying to push their bedtime later in preparation for the upcoming daylight savings. I really really don't want to deal with a 5:30 bedtime (I won't even see them when I get home from work in that situation) and a 4:30 wake - up (no explanation necessary I'm sure). Trouble is they wake up between 5:30-6:00 no matter when I put them to bed. The later I put them to bed, they just wake up crankier and more tired in the morning. I'm really stuck. Any suggestions?
Thanks

 

If I remember correctly (for some reason, I can never remember what happened the year before), they just adjust. When the meal times change, and their whole routine changes, they adjust to it. It might take a couple days...but they should get it. Just pushing their bedtime doesn't do it all, it's pushing their whole daily routine. :hug: I'm scared, too!

 

YIKES! I totally forgot about this and now I am scared. I like what pp said move the whole schedule though.

 

I have to tell you that some kids will wake up at one particular time no matter what you do. My kids have never woken up later than 6:30am all of their lives, which is why I have panda eyes which will never change.

Maybe a longer nap by about a half hour will take away the crankiness of less sleep during the night? You could try that (that is IF they are not very scheduled with their afternoon nap).

I'm sorry DST sucks and at the age your kids are, it takes a little more adjustment sometimes. I hope they settle down with it easily though.

QUOTE
it's pushing their whole daily routine.


ETA: ITA with the above quote.

 

I've never done anything to "adjust" to daylight savings (in either direction) -- I just do things at the same time (clock time) as always, and they shift their schedules within a couple of days. I'd just keep putting them to bed at the same time you normally do -- which, it sounds like, is pretty much as soon as you can do it after getting home from work anyway. I know there have been stages when I would have put mine to bed at 5:30 if I could have -- but since we don't get home from work/daycare until 5:45 (and then there's dinner, pajamas, etc.), 6:45 is the earliest we could ever manage it. We lived.

As far as the early waking, FWIW, mine started sleeping later around 18 months, and even later around 24 months. IIRC, the early waking was at its worst from about 9-15 months. So hopefully your boys will get better on that front soon. They will also get more used to being on one nap.

 

QUOTE(Minette @ Oct 16 2008, 05:29 PM) [snapback]1028668[/snapback]
I've never done anything to "adjust" to daylight savings (in either direction) -- I just do things at the same time (clock time) as always, and they shift their schedules within a couple of days. I'd just keep putting them to bed at the same time you normally do --


I don't do anything to adjust our schedule either. However, I always dread what could "possibly" happen. They seem to make the adjustment fine.

 

I've never adjusted anything for daylight savings time or when we switch back. ardon:

 

Wow. OK. But how do you get your kids to stay up for, what is to them, an extra hour. Also, how do you deal with the overtired situation. My boys just won't go down if they are overtired. Or do you just roll with it until they adjust?

 

when and how long are their nap(s)? you might consider adjusting nap schedule so they can stay up later.

 

This is a whole other post but, honestly, they could go back to sleep by 9:00 and have their nap then but then they won't take a second nap and that's waaaaay too long for them to go (I know because before we transitioned them, that's what they were doing - what a nightmare!). Right now they nap from 12:00-1:30ish. sometimes it's a little shorter. I always try to get them down by 12:00 or they (Ezra especially) gets overtired and then just won't go down at all (did I mention nightmare!) So I guess from what I'm hearing is just keep them on their naps at 12:00 and then their awake time between nap and bed won't be different. The awake time from morning to nap will though as they will be waking up earlier. I probably just need to stay consistent and realize I'm going to have 2 crabby babies for a week or so. The other kicker is that I have a temp nanny right now and will through the first week of November as my nanny has gone home for a month. My nanny is great with them and knows what to do with them but this other nanny doesn't know them so well.

I'm such a worry wart. I hate it when they are tired and so do they!

 

QUOTE(Momto2es @ Oct 16 2008, 07:19 PM) [snapback]1028868[/snapback]
Wow. OK. But how do you get your kids to stay up for, what is to them, an extra hour. Also, how do you deal with the overtired situation. My boys just won't go down if they are overtired. Or do you just roll with it until they adjust?


I guess I should clarify -- I may put them to bed earlier that first day after the change (since their bodies think it is 8 even though the clock says 7). And they do wake up early the next day. But from then on, I do things more or less on clock time. If they seem super-tired the second night, I'll still put them to bed early, and they may still wake up early. I might also tweak the naps a tad -- not necessarily according to any plan, but just if they seem really tired. But if all their meals and activities are happening on clock time, eventually (in just a few days) their sleep schedules will adjust to that.

 

As my Grandma would say "From your mouth to G-d's ear"

 

QUOTE(Minette @ Oct 16 2008, 01:33 PM) [snapback]1029006[/snapback]
I guess I should clarify -- I may put them to bed earlier that first day after the change (since their bodies think it is 8 even though the clock says 7). And they do wake up early the next day. But from then on, I do things more or less on clock time. If they seem super-tired the second night, I'll still put them to bed early, and they may still wake up early. I might also tweak the naps a tad -- not necessarily according to any plan, but just if they seem really tired. But if all their meals and activities are happening on clock time, eventually (in just a few days) their sleep schedules will adjust to that.

This is exactly our experience with both daylight savings and with travel time changes. We're a little more flexible with bedtime and wake time the first couple of days, but everything else happens by the clock, and they just adjust. It only takes a day or two, and they're right back on schedule.