Time to "Spring Forward": Tips For Helping Your Baby With Daylight Savings

By Jill Campbell, Psy.D. One question that often comes up in The Pump Station & Nurtury's Mommy & Me classes this time of year is, "How do I help my baby adjust to daylight savings?" Every year around this time we prepare to move our clocks forward one hour (Sunday, March 13, 2016). While adults can usually adjust to this time shift pretty quickly, babies and toddlers often find the change a bit more challenging. Here are a few different ways to help your baby transition to daylight savings time: 1. Don't Change A Thing: If you are a parent that has been struggling with an "early riser," then by doing nothing, your baby or toddler will naturally be waking up an hour later! Simply move your clock ahead to the new time after your baby has gone to sleep on Saturday night. Your baby will wake up at their normal time Sunday morning, which will now be an hour later on the clock.  So if your baby was an early riser and consistently waking up at 5:30am, then your child will now wake up at 6:30am according to the new clock. Proceed with your normal daily routine according to the new clock. Meals and naptimes tend to go pretty smoothly with this method, but you may find that come nighttime, your baby or toddler isn't feeling so sleepy.  This is because if you are putting your child down at their "regular" bedtime (let's say 7:30pm), but 7:30pm tonight was 6:30pm just the night before. Therefore, you might need to be a little flexible with bedtime, maybe putting your child down somewhere in between the old clock and the new clock. Then for the next few nights, keep shifting bedtime up until you are at your child's regular bedtime according to the new clock. 2. Start to shift your baby's feeding and sleeping schedule slowly ahead of time. Starting six days before daylight savings, prepare ahead of time by moving feedings, naps and bedtime earlier by 10 minutes each day.  So if baby usually has her first feeding for the day at 7:30am, see if you can do that feeding at 7:20am.  If she refuses, don't force her, but you get the idea.  Just try to make the routine adjustments as the day goes on.  If her first nap of the day is typically at 9:30am, see if you can put her down closer to 9:20am.  These small time shifts should help your baby to go down a bit earlier at night without having a child that is just too awake for an earlier bedtime. If all goes well, then on Sunday morning after the time change, your baby will wake according to the new time.  So if baby typically woke up at 7am before the time change, she will now wake up at 7am according to the new clock.  Her feedings and sleep times should now be adjusted to the new time.  If you find it is still off a bit, (or if you did not start making these shifts so far in advance) just continue to shift in small time increments post time-change, until you are back on track. 3. Adjust the light: Try to give your child at least a half an hour of natural sunlight first thing after waking up in the morning. This should help your child's internal clock adjust to the time change faster.  In addition, blackout shades can be very helpful if there is still sunlight coming into your child's bedroom at nighttime or before wake-up time in the morning. 4. Don't Panic: Please remember that even if all this planning doesn't go quite according to schedule, simply by keeping to a steady daily routine, most children will naturally adjust to the time change within a week or so.

Jill's Favorite Products for Sleep

Sleep Classes & Services at The Pump Station & Nurtury® Sleep: Getting Your Newborn Off to a Good Start Ages: Newborn - 3 months with Jill Campbell, PsyD March 21 at 2pm in Hollywood Enroll... March 31st at 3pm in Santa Monica Enroll... Sleep: Your Growing Baby Ages: 4+ months with Jill Campbell, PsyD March 14th at 2pm in Hollywood Enroll... April 7th at 3pm in Santa Monica Enroll... April 18th at 2pm in Hollywood Enroll... Mommy & Me Groups - Topic discussed according to baby's stages. Sleep is a biggy! Click here for more info... To enroll or inquire about available groups please email Dinora@PumpStation.com (Santa Monica Location) or Norma@PumpStation.com (Hollywood Location). Make sure to mention your baby's birth date so we can find the group that is right for you. Sleep Consults available with Jill Campbell, PsyD. To setup a consult please email Jill@PumpStation.com Learn more...

The Benefits of Baby Wearing

Baby Wearing has been practiced for centuries all around the world; for many, it is and always has been an important part of life. Each culture developed a way for a mother to carry her baby while allowing her hands to be free to perform the necessary tasks of daily life. Today we have research to support that the traditional ways were likely the best ways. Research shows that Baby Wearing may support the development of Happier, Healthier, Smarter, Safer Babies, and happier parents! Here are some reasons why.... The gentle movement and closeness to a parent reminds a baby of being in the womb. The more babies are held, the less they cry. Crying raises the level of cortisol (a stress hormone) in the baby. A fussy, tired baby can be easily put to sleep when placed in a sling and taken for a walk. Babies who are worn may smile more and may have better social development with a better sense of self-esteem and independence. Baby wearing may decrease the risk of flat head syndrome that can result from too much time spent lying in a stroller, car seat, or crib. Baby wearing may lessen spitting up, colic, and reflux because of the upright position. Baby wearing allows the baby to be an active participant in the movement of parents, thus promoting better neurological development. Carried babies develop a strong and secure attachment to their moms and dads (grandparents and caregivers can also participate!). Learning to wear your baby has a definite learning curve, so please don't give up. It does take practice.

Sling Clinics Free Sling Clinics are offered in all locations once a week. In each clinic our experienced instructors will demonstrate a variety of slings and carriers such as:

So, leave your stroller and car-seat in the car and experience the joys and benefits of wearing your baby! Purchase a baby carrier online here... or find a wider selection in-store. Santa Monica 2415 Wilshire Blvd Santa Monica, CA 90403 Sling Clinics held Thursdays at 1pm No appointment necessary. Hollywood 1248 Vine Street Hollywood, CA 90038 Sling Clinics held Tuesdays at 3pm No appointment necessary.