How do you handle Daylight Savings Time?

636 Views 11 Replies 7 Participants Last post by Shanghaimum, Nov 3, 2003

Kimba

Discussion Starter · Oct 14, 2003

I am already worried about the time change in a few weeks. Our 5-month-old wakes every morning at about 6 am. So with the time change she will be waking at 5 am. ACK! Putting her to bed later won't help -- doesn't matter what time she goes to sleep, she is up at 6 am. What is the best way to get her adjusted to the time difference? Or do I now have to get up at 5 am every day?????

Kimba

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MaggiesMom

· #2 · Oct 14, 2003

Ugh...we're in the same situation. Maggie (also 5 months) pretty much always wakes up at 6. And I, too, have been wondering how to handle this. I work 2nd shift and don't want to get only 4-5 hours of sleep a night.

So, let's bump this up and get some help!

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Geofizz

· #3 · Oct 14, 2003

Our daughter didn't notice either the shift to standard time (as a 2 mo old) or the shift to day light savings time (8? mo old). Her waking seems mostly dependent upon the amount of ambient light in the room. She wakes 15-20 minutes before dawn on a clear day and 15-20 after dawn on a rainy day.

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sadean

· #4 · Oct 14, 2003

We also found that ambient light was the crucial factor...time means nothing to a baby

We covered our bedroom windows with opaque coverings (blankets really) and it helped to coax (then) baby to sleep until a more decent hour (he would still wake at 5 am, but would go back to sleep because it was still dark).

He is now 3.5 and wakes consistantly at 6 am, comes and climbs into bed with me until my alarm goes off at 7 am and is up and running for the day.

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MaggiesMom

· #5 · Oct 16, 2003

I'd like to think that light was a key factor w/ Maggie, but she almost always wakes up when it is still dark....

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andreac

· #6 · Oct 17, 2003

Magiesmom - I'm in the same boat...I so hoped that as we moved into fall and it was darker in the mornings that Cole would sleep later...no such luck

He's a 6 am-er also...I am sooooo dreading daylight savings !!

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mum2sarah

· #7 · Oct 17, 2003

I don't know...I'm really dreading it, as my dd seems to be getting up earlier and earlier the past couple of weeks.

Only solution I can think of is to move to Arizona. They don't use daylight savings time there. Why can't all states recognize that it is basically a stupid and pointless ritual imposed upon us? I mean I never understood it. O.k. farmers want to optimize their daylight time, but changing the clocks doesn't change the amount of daylight we get. Just work the fields when it's light out and stop when it's dark--who cares what the clock says, right?

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MaggiesMom

· #8 · Oct 17, 2003

ITA about the clocks, and I would ignore them myself, if I could. Then it wouldn't matter what time she woke up, because I could just go to bed earlier! Unfortunately, I don't think I can convince the hospital I work at in the evenings that this is a good idea!

Keeping her up late doesn't really seem to be working, either. I was hoping that we could keep her up later and get her adjusted ahead of time, but she just gets up when she normally does. Crazy kid apparently doesn't understand that human need to sleep. (Well, at least I need to! )

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Shanghaimum

· #9 · Nov 3, 2003

I was just reading back and found this thread... I was wondering how all of you are doing and how your babies have adjusted. I have two little ones - an 8 week old dd and a 2 year old ds. My son used to happily wake shortly after six (in a great mood with loads of energy) - since the time change, he is waking up around 5:00 am in a miserable mood. We have blackout blinds and he is still going to sleep for the night at the same time. My dh and I are miserable - we are all exhausted. Anyway I was just hoping someone had positive news or some advice.

Thanks

Emma

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Kimba

Discussion Starter · #10 · Nov 3, 2003

Emma, I'm sorry I don't have any help for you. My DD actually adjusted pretty well on her own, without my help. The first few days she did wake up at 5 instead of 6, but I rocked her or nursed her for a few minutes and she drifted back off to sleep for another hour.

If your DS isn't able to sleep until 6 now, have you thought about moving his bedtime up an hour? Just an idea -- not sure if it would work or not.

Good luck!

Kimba

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MaggiesMom

· #11 · Nov 3, 2003

Funny, I was just going to ask how everyone else adjusted. Maggie just gets up whenever the heck she feels like it, which seems to be earlier than before, but we are gradually adjusting her a little better because her wake-up time (to eat and get changed for bed) is pushed back an hour because it is when I get home from work. But last week was a terrible sleep week for us anyway- she reached two or three developmental milestones all at once (two teeth, really crawling, and really pulling/ pushing up to standing/cruising) which makes for a cranky and restless 6 month old!!! And a cranky and tired Mommy!

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Shanghaimum

· #12 · Nov 3, 2003

We are actually trying an earlier bedtime tonight - his bedtime for the past year has been 8 pm (falls asleep by about 8:20). Tonight my dh put him to bed at 7:30 - we are going to see if he still wakes around 5, if he does, and he is still miserable, we will push his bedtime to 7:00.

Maggiesmum I just wanted to say that I think 6 months is a hard age - it is a wonderful time because they are learning so much, but it seems to be an age when a lot of babies start to wake frequently. Sending you good thoughts

Emma

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