I’m thrilled to be hosting another webinar for parents and caregivers, this time on troubleshooting infant and toddler sleep challenges. I’ve pulled together the most common challenges I hear from families and created a tailored class to help address concerns with specific strategies centered in responsiveness. The webinar is open to all but is specifically designed for parents of 4-18 month olds.
your kiddo is waking a gazillion times a night and you’re at your wits’ end
you have enjoyed your current sleep setup but you’re ready for a change
your kiddo wakes up in the middle of the night ready to party and will NOT go back to sleep
We’ll cover:
what’s REALLY normal and what’s not with infant sleep
how to facilitate gentle transitions for your baby
surprising causes of abnormally frequent wakings
when night weaning may be appropriate
how to optimize your child’s sleep environment for maximum restfulness
how to support your OWN rest and well-being
…and much more!
As a holistic infant/family sleep specialist, I am an evangelist for supported infant sleep and optimizing whole family sleep and wellness. I believe that when families are provided with clear and realistic expectations on how infants sleep along with an understanding of the importance of nighttime nurture, as well as strategies to ensure their own rest, everyone can thrive.
What this is:
an evidence-based class on biological infant sleep
a safe and supportive space for parents to gather and ask questions
What this is not:
a class on sleep training
a guarantee your baby will sleep through the night (though we’ll cover why not!)
medical advice
The webinar is free to attend, but registration is required. By signing up, you agree to receive emails from Supported Sleep.
It feels like I was just writing this article for the fall back transition yesterday – but somehow, it’s already time to spring forward!
Normally, I dread this time change – but it does mean we’re getting close to the end of winter and the beginning of spring, and I consider that to be a good thing!
Let’s dive in to what Daylight Savings Time beginning means for us and our littles!
Here in Michigan (EST), sunrise is currently around 7am and sunset is around 6:30pm
After Daylight Savings Time begins (Sunday at 2am), sunrise will be around 8am and sunset around 7:30pm
Practically speaking, it will be darker later into the morning and stay light out later into the evening
What does this mean for our kiddos?
If you plan to keep them on the same schedule (same naptime and bedtime), this means we will be shortening the time between sunrise and naptime, and stretching the time between naptime and sunset.
Let’s talk about how to make the transition easier for little ones (and the whole family!).
There are two approaches you can take – intentionally shifting bedtime/naptime graaadually throughout the week, or letting it ride.
For families sticking to a consistent schedule around work, daycare, or other factors, the gradual approach can be helpful to try and mitigate stress and missed sleep. For families who have some flexibility around naptimes and bedtimes, letting it ride may be easier.
Gradual Approach
The gradual approach involves shifting naptime and bedtime by 10-15 minutes each day for a few days ahead of Daylight Savings Time.
If possible, it is recommended to move your entire daytime routine (meals, etc) to match for consistency.
It’s important to note that while this works beautifully for some kiddos, others don’t accept it as easily. A week is a short amount of time to make such a significant change to daily rhythms, so it is totally okay if it doesn’t go according to plan. Give it a try, but don’t stress if your child needs longer than a week to adjust.
Here’s a sample schedule for a child with a typical 12:00pm naptime and 7:30pm bedtime.
Sunday (overnight time change): 12:00pm naptime (feels like 11:00), 7:30pm bedtime (feels like 6:30)
Babies under 12 months are likely to be even more sensitive to time changes and will benefit from a gradual, responsive approach.
While waking up a sleeping child is never ideal, it may be helpful to nudge them awake 10-15 minutes earlier than usual each day. You can open the curtains slowly and play gentle music to encourage them to awaken on their own, or gently wake them up with physical touch if needed.
This is a great week to prioritize lots of high-energy activities, time outside, and bright morning sunshine in the early morning and early afternoon, and to minimize screen time and prioritize quiet time and dim light in the early evening. These strategies can help your kiddo fall asleep a bit earlier than usual and adjust to the new schedule.
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Let it Ride Approach
If making a gradual shift is too much planning for you, or you try it and find a few days in that it’s just not working, there’s no need to worry.
The “let it ride” approach (also known as going cold turkey) involves no advanced preparation, and assumes that the child will catch up to the new timing soon enough after the DST transition. It works a bit more easily with the fall DST shift, but most kids take to it just fine in the spring as well.
Sunday (overnight time change): 12:00pm naptime (feels like 11:00am), 7:30pm bedtime (feels like 6:30)
Here’s the catch – some kiddos may not be ready to nap and/or go to bed one hour earlier. It may take longer than usual to support them to sleep, or they may flat out refuse. If that happens, it’s totally fine! The morning routine taking place at its new (usual) time will serve to facilitate the transition.
Come Monday morning, if you are on a firm schedule, you will likely need to wake your child up an hour earlier than they are used to. Build in some extra time in your family’s morning routine to support a potentially cranky child or children with extra snuggles and plenty of time to get ready for the day without feeling rushed.
If you do not have a firm schedule, you may still wish to nudge your child awake 30-60 minutes earlier than usual in order to facilitate an earlier naptime and bedtime. There may be some irritability present during the day or even the week – and again, time outside, bright light and lots of connection are your best resources.
As always, for babies younger than 12 months, be sure to pay attention to their tired cues and don’t hesitate to offer a nap or sleep if they show signs of needing rest.
Whether you try to preempt the transition with a gradual shift or just let it ride, there are a number of ways you can work with your child’s biological rhythms to help things go more smoothly:
Use light to shape their schedule:
For a child struggling to wake up in the morning, incorporate light into their sleep space – light signals to the body that it’s daytime!
If you can, prioritize outside time in the morning and early afternoon – sunlight helps to regulate the body’s circadian rhythm
Using red light in the evening can help signal to the body that it’s time to wind down (white/blue light inhibits melatonin production, making it harder to fall or stay asleep)
If you’re not already using blackout blinds at night, ensuring a pitch-dark space at night is critical for facilitating optimal sleep.
Minimize evening screen time
To help a child be in tune with their circadian rhythm and be ready to wind down for sleep whenever you start bedtime, try to limit any screen time at least 2 hours before bed and 1 hour before a nap.
Maximize daytime activity
LOTS of activity and outside time, especially early in the day. Are there things you know help your child expel lots of energy and help them sleep extra well? A visit to the playground? Rough and tumble play? A visit with a friend? If you can try to prioritize one or more of these, it may help with the transition as well.
Be Gentle With Yourself
Remember that this is a big shift happening suddenly, and it can be hard on kids and adults alike. Be gentle with yourself, and with little ones who may have a hard time adjusting to the new timing.
If you’re trying the gradual shift plan and it’s just not working, it’s okay to abandon ship. They WILL adjust eventually – it may just take some more time!
Be prepared for big feelings. Kiddos who are really in tune to timing and rhythm may pick up on the changes and have a hard time at first. Watch out for overtiredness, and offer sleep when needed.
If your kiddo is in daycare, send extra love and good vibes to their care providers. As a former early childhood educator, the days after DST are especially challenging with a whole room full of kiddos struggling to adapt to the new schedule!
Prioritize your own rest and well-being – studies show that DST causes an increase in adult sleep disturbances, physical and mental health challenges, workplace injuries, and car accidents. Don’t hesitate to order carry-out, cancel plans to take a nap, or ask for help.
What other strategies have worked for you in adapting to DST?
If you’re expecting a little one, you’ve likely heard to expect some sleepless nights, but you may have a lot of unanswered questions about infant sleep that go beyond coping with sleep deprivation. How long does it take for a child to sleep through the night? What should you do if they’re still waking up frequently? Is cosleeping safe or dangerous? How can you prioritize your own rest and well-being?
This class will address these questions and many others that expecting parents have about infant sleep. This class is led by Jill of Supported Sleep, your local infant sleep specialist, and will cover the basics of biological infant sleep, guidelines for safe sleep, when night waking is normal vs. not normal, and strategies for getting enough rest as a caregiver to a brand new baby.
The webinar is free to attend, but registration is required. By signing up, you agree to receive emails from Supported Sleep.
Daylight Savings Time is almost here, and while the upcoming fall back is less unpleasant than spring forward, I think most of us are looking forward to the day when we finally do away with the stressful (and not at all helpful) abomination that is DST.
Since it’s hard enough to remember what the new timing translates to when you’re not a tired parent of one (or more) littles, here’s some helpful tips:
Here in Michigan, sunrise is currently around 8am and sunset is around 6pm
After Daylight Savings Time ends (Sunday at 2am), sunrise will be around 7am and sunset around 5pm
Practically speaking, it will be light out earlier in the morning and get dark earlier.
What does this mean for our kiddos?
If you plan to keep them on the same schedule (same naptime and bedtime), this means we will be stretching the time between sunrise and naptime, and shrinking the time between naptime and sunset.
Let’s talk about how to make the transition easier for little ones (and the whole family!).
There are two approaches you can take – intentionally shifting bedtime/naptime graaadually throughout the week, or letting it ride.
For families sticking to a consistent schedule around work, daycare, or other factors, the gradual approach can be helpful to try and mitigate stress and missed sleep. For families who have some flexibility around naptimes and bedtimes, letting it ride may be easier.
Gradual Approach
The gradual approach involves shifting naptime and bedtime by 10-15 minutes each day for a few days ahead of Daylight Savings Time.
If possible, it is recommended to move your entire daytime routine (meals, etc) to match for consistency.
It’s important to note that while this works beautifully for some kiddos, others don’t accept it as easily. A week is a short amount of time to make such a significant change to daily rhythms, so it is totally okay if it doesn’t go according to plan. Give it a try, but don’t stress if your child needs longer than a week to adjust.
Here’s a sample schedule for a child with a typical 12:00pm naptime and 7:30pm bedtime.
Sunday (overnight time change): 12:00pm naptime (feels like 1:00), 7:30pm bedtime (feels like 8:30)
Babies under 12 months are likely to be even more sensitive to time changes and will benefit from a gradual, responsive approach.
The nice thing about fall back DST is that shifting by 10-15 minutes each day usually should not lead to significant crankiness/overtiredness. However, if you notice tired cues in your child and feel they are really ready to sleep, it’s okay to follow their lead even if it doesn’t match the plan!
If your kiddo is still waking up at their usual wakeup time despite going to bed a bit later, that’s okay. It may take several days (or more) for them to start waking up later.
Let it Ride Approach
The “let it ride” approach (also known as going cold turkey) involves no advanced preparation, and assumes that the child’s body will catch up in due time after the DST transition.
Sunday (overnight time change): 12:00pm naptime (feels like 1:00), 7:30pm bedtime (feels like 8:30)
For the fall DST shift, this approach works just fine for most toddlers and older children. They may show signs of tiredness in the first few days following, but should adjust their schedule within a week or two. However, if your kiddo is having a hard time or crashing into naps or bedtime, you can always revert to a gradual approach after-the-fact and push them past their usual sleep time, but not all the way to a full hour beyond.
For babies younger than 12 months, pay attention to their tired cues and don’t hesitate to offer a nap or sleep if they show signs of needing rest.
Supporting the Transition
Whether you try to preempt the transition with a gradual shift or just let it ride, there are a number of ways you can work with your child’s biological rhythms to help things go more smoothly:
Use light to shape their schedule:
If your child is waking earlier in the morning than is ideal, keep the lights dim and the environment quiet. You can offer toys for independent play, read books, or do other low-key activities until “awake time” for the day.
When you’re ready to encourage your child to be awake, use lots of bright light to signal to their body that it’s daytime!
If you can, prioritize outside time in the morning and early afternoon – sunlight helps to regulate the body’s circadian rhythm
Using red light in the evening can help signal to the body that it’s time to wind down (white/blue light inhibits melatonin production, making it harder to fall or stay asleep)
If you’re not already using blackout blinds at night, ensuring a pitch-dark space at night is critical for facilitating optimal sleep.
Minimize evening screen time
To help a child be in tune with their circadian rhythm and be ready to wind down for sleep whenever you start bedtime, make sure to limit any screen time at least 2 hours before bed and 1 hour before a nap.
Maximize daytime activity
LOTS of activity and outside time, especially early in the day. Are there things you know help your child expel lots of energy and help them sleep extra well? A visit to the playground? Rough and tumble play? A visit with a friend? If you can try to prioritize one or more of these, it may help with the transition as well.
Be Gentle With Yourself
Remember that this is a big shift happening suddenly, and it can be hard on kids and adults alike. Be gentle with yourself, and with little ones who may have a hard time adjusting to the new timing.
If you’re trying the gradual shift plan and it’s just not working, it’s okay to abandon ship. They WILL adjust eventually – it may just take some more time!
Be prepared for big feelings. Kiddos who are really in tune to timing and rhythm may pick up on the changes and have a hard time at first. Watch out for overtiredness,
If your kiddo is in daycare, send extra love and good vibes to their care providers. As a former early childhood educator, the days after DST are especially challenging with a whole room full of kiddos struggling to adapt to the new schedule!
Prioritize your own rest and well-being – studies show that DST causes an increase in adult sleep disturbances, physical and mental health challenges, workplace injuries, and car accidents. Don’t hesitate to order carry-out, cancel plans to take a nap, or ask for help.
What other strategies have worked for you in adapting to DST?
I am frequently asked for names of practitioners who are supportive of safe cosleeping (either roomsharing or bedsharing), so I asked my network to help me compile a list!
Please note that inclusion in this list does NOT constitute an endorsement of a practitioner, nor guarantee that they are in fact cosleeping-friendly. This is a community-crowdsourced list so I have not personally vetted each practitioner nor have I verified their approach to cosleeping. It is merely a starting point for families and caregivers. Please take care to interview healthcare providers thoroughly for yourself!
Supported Sleep 