Space Coast Parent - March 2018

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Surviving Sleep in Spring Forward
JENNIE CLARKE
Raise your hand if you dread the
time change for one thing: you know it
will impact your child’s sleep. If you
raised your hand you are most
definitely not alone. I think many
parents fear the twice-a-year time
change because we know it can throw a
curveball into our child’s sleeping
patterns. Have no fear, I will prepare
you to “spring forward.”
Before we go on though, it is
important to understand why the time
change effects our children’s sleep. We
all as humans have an internal
biological clock. It is called our
circadian rhythms. There are times of
the day where our bodies prepare for
and get more restorative sleep than
other times of the day. Our kids develop
their internal biological clock right
around 4 months of age and from then
on, they obtain more restorative sleep
at specific times of the day. They sleep
better on this schedule.
When the clock changes our
children’s biological clock is not aware.
Your child will continue to sleep on the
schedule their body is used to. It is
important that we help them adjust to
the new time to help them stay well
rested.
Before parent life, spring forward
was my least favorite time of year
because it meant that I lost an hour of
sleep. As a parent, the spring time
change is my favorite of the two. The
reason; if your child normally sleeps
until 6a.m., they would sleep until
7a.m., because at 2a.m. our clocks
spring forward to 3a.m. That’s a good
deal, right?
While it is the better of the two time
changes it still may present a struggle
if we don’t prepare. How do you help
your child adjust to the new time?
There are a few ways you can do this.
You might choose one over the other,
depending on how well your child
sleeps:
1. Jump Right In
Especially in spring it is A-OK to
choose this option if you have a great
sleeper. What I mean by jump right in,
is just go about your day by the time on
the clock. Make no changes ahead of
time. For the spring time change, this
might mean waking your child at your
designated wake time, then just go on
with your day from there. It is as
simple as that.
2. Take It Slow
I like this option for kiddos who may
not be napping well, who wake in the
night or wake super early in the
morning. Move everything in your
child’s schedule by 15 min a day
starting three days ahead of time.
When we spring forward we move
everything 15 min backwards each day.
When you reach the day of the time
change you will be at the correct time.
If your little one is extra sleep
sensitive, you can even start a week
ahead and take it slower.
Bonus Tip: Consider your child’s
sleep environment. We are now moving
to the time of year where the days are
longer. You likely want your child to go
to bed before the sun sets, at this time
of year. If you don’t have black out
curtains – consider them. When our
kids, or even us as adults, go into a dark
place our natural sleep hormone,
melatonin, begins to produce in our
bodies. We want that good sleepy
hormone to kick in, even if it is light
outside. A dark sleeping environment is
key.
You may have struggled through
time changes in the past, but you don’t
have to. With a good plan, you can all
get through this unscathed. It may take
a few days for your child to adjust to
the new time, but they will.
Jennie Clarke
PHOTO PROVIDED
BY JENNIE CLARKE.
Jennie, a married mom of
two boys, is a Certified
Pediatric Sleep Consultant.
She also was a
sleep-deprived parent, at
one time. She became
certified as a Sleep
Consultant through the
Family Sleep Institute after
having worked with one
herself, for her first child.
After seeing astounding
results, Jennie decided to
share her new-found
passion about sleep with other families to
help others see the same successes that she
did. When she’s not chasing the boys around,
she is helping families to get the sleep that
they need through a personalized sleep plan.
Jennie provides the support that families need
to reach their sleep goals.
Jennie Clarke
Goodnightsleepsite.com
Facebook: Good Night Sleep Site Florida
Instagram: #goodnightsleepsiteflorida
321-209-5013
jennie@goodnightsleepsite.com
4 | Space Coast Parent MARCH 2018