How Do I Adjust My Baby's Sleep After Daylight Saving Time Ends?

The clocks fell back an hour on Sunday, November 1, and for a lot of families that meant a baby who was wide awake and ready to start the day at 5 a.m. If that sounds like your house this week, take a breath. Your baby's body clock hasn't heard about the time change yet, and that's all that's happening. With a few small, steady adjustments, most babies settle into the new time within about a week.

Below are the questions parents ask us most during this week, along with the gentle answers we give the families we care for in Houston and Austin.

Why is my baby waking up an hour early since the time change?

Your baby's internal clock runs on patterns of light, darkness, feeding and sleep, and it doesn't change just because the clock on the wall did. If your baby used to wake at 6 a.m., her body still wants to wake at that same moment, which the clock now calls 5 a.m. The same thing happens at bedtime, so a baby who went down easily at 7 p.m. may start rubbing her eyes around 6 p.m. Nothing has gone wrong. Her body simply needs a little time to catch up.

Should I just keep my baby up an hour later tonight?

We don't recommend pushing a full hour all at once. A baby kept awake well past her usual sleepy time often becomes overtired, and an overtired baby tends to have a harder time falling asleep and staying asleep. You may end up with a later bedtime and the same early wake-up.

A gentler approach is to move bedtime later in small steps. Many pediatric sleep specialists suggest shifting by about 10 to 15 minutes every night or two until your baby's schedule lines up with the new clock time. For example, if bedtime was 7 p.m. before the change (which now feels like 8 p.m. to her body), you might aim for 6:15 tonight, 6:30 in a night or two, and keep inching forward from there.

How long does it take a baby to adjust to the time change?

Most babies adjust within about a week, and some sail through in just a few days. Babies who are sensitive to changes in routine, or who are also going through a growth spurt, teething or a new developmental leap, may take a little longer. If your baby is still waking very early after two weeks, it may be worth looking at her overall schedule and nap timing rather than the time change alone.

How do I adjust naps and feeding times after daylight saving time ends?

Move naps and meals along with bedtime. If you shift bedtime 15 minutes later, shift the first nap, the next feeds and the rest of the day's rhythm by roughly the same amount. Keeping the whole day moving together helps your baby's body clock follow along, instead of being pulled in different directions.

If your baby is breastfed or you're pumping on a schedule, you can let feeds drift gradually in the same way. There's no need to stretch a hungry baby to reach a new clock time. Feed her when she's hungry, and let the small daily shifts bring the timing along over the week.

My newborn doesn't have a schedule yet. Does the time change matter?

For a young newborn, it barely matters at all. Newborns sleep in short stretches around the clock and wake to feed often, so there isn't really a schedule for the time change to disrupt. Keep feeding on demand, follow your baby's cues, and enjoy one less thing to think about this week. What does help a newborn begin to sort out day from night is bright, natural light and normal household activity during the day, with dim, quiet, calm feeds at night.

Can light really help my baby adjust?

Yes, and it's one of the simplest tools you've got. Morning light tells the body it's time to be awake, and darkness in the evening tells it that sleep is coming. After the time change, try to get your baby into bright daylight in the morning, whether that's opening the curtains during breakfast or taking a short stroll. In the evening, dim the lights as bedtime gets close. Because the sun now rises earlier by the clock, blackout curtains or shades in your baby's room can help keep early light from waking her before she's ready.

What should I do when my baby wakes at 5 a.m. anyway?

Keep the room dark and quiet, and respond calmly, just as you'd do during the night. If she needs a feed, feed her and keep the lights low. If she's simply awake and content, you can give her a few minutes to see whether she drifts back to sleep. Try to wait until your goal wake-up time before opening the curtains and starting the day, so that the morning light arrives at the time you'd like her body to learn.

Is it safe to change how my baby sleeps to help her adjust?

The safe sleep basics stay exactly the same, time change or not. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends placing babies on their backs for every sleep, on a firm, flat surface made for infants, with no pillows, bumpers, blankets or soft toys in the sleep space, and room-sharing without bed-sharing. Adjust the timing as gently as you like, but keep the sleep space itself just as it's always been.

How do I take care of myself during a week like this?

This is the question we always come back to, because a 5 a.m. wake-up affects you as much as it affects your baby. If your baby's early mornings are leaving you running on empty, try to trade early shifts with your partner or a family member this week so each of you gets at least one morning to sleep in. Go to bed a little earlier yourself while your baby adjusts, and let the dishes wait if it means you get an extra half hour of rest. Your recovery depends on sleep too, and it deserves a place in the plan.

If you'd love an extra set of hands at night, our Overnight Newborn Care specialists can take care of the feeds, diaper changes and settling while you sleep, and they guide your baby toward healthy sleep foundations from the very first night with the MILK Sleep Method™. In the morning, you'll find notes on how your baby ate and slept, so you know exactly how the night went.

Keep reading on The MILK Journal

• Curious about how doula support works at home? Read Understanding Birth & Postpartum Doula Care.
• See how doulas affect maternal health during pregnancy and after birth.
• Learn why community support improves health outcomes for mothers and families.

Let's get your whole house sleeping again

If the time change has your family feeling more tired than usual, we'd love to help. Book a free consultation at milkdoulaco.com if you're in Houston, or visit milkdoulaco.com/austin if you're in Austin, where you can also call or text us at (512) 880-8845. We'll talk through your baby's sleep, your own rest and the kind of support that would help most. Now go drink your tea while it's still warm.

Sources

• American Academy of Pediatrics, HealthyChildren.org, "How to Keep Your Sleeping Baby Safe: AAP Policy Explained." https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/sleep/Pages/a-parents-guide-to-safe-sleep.aspx
• Swedish Health Services, "Don't let the end of daylight saving time disrupt your child's sleep." https://blog.swedish.org/lifestyle/dont-let-the-end-of-daylight-saving-time-disrupt-your-childs-sleep
• Blueberry Pediatrics, "Daylight Saving Time and Kids' Sleep: A Pediatrician's Guide to Both Time Changes." https://blueberrypediatrics.com/health-tips/daylight-saving-time-and-kids-sleep-a-pediatricians-guide
• Bayhealth, "End of Daylight Saving Time." https://www.bayhealth.org/community-wellness/blog/2022/november/end-of-daylight-saving-time