Help with the Time Change

I think that it will probably work itself out. I was going to suggest a later nap to help with a later bedtime at night, but you mentioned that he's already adjusted to going to sleep later. It's hard at that age, specially now that it's actually light out earlier because of the time change. Is his room dark enough in the morning?

R., I'm having the same problem with my 7 month old, only his normal waking time was 5:15-5:30 - sometimes 6:30, which I liked better (early, I know, but I work full time, so its actually a good time to start the day)...and now he's been waking up at 4 a.m. - ughhh! I basically just try to get him right back to sleep once he wakes up, but if he wants no part of it, then I just proceed with our regular mornings. Even though he's waking at 4am he's still going to bed about the same time, if not earlier as he did before - the time change has messed with his afternoon nap too. He tends to try and skip it and go right to all night sleep b/c he is just so tired at that point of the day...it FEELS like bedtime to me, so I'm sure it does to him too...but I've been trying to not let that happen. Anyway, when he wakes up early and doesn't go right back to sleep, I just go about the day - I change him, feed him, hang out with him quietly - kind of like I used to do when he was younger and didn't make it through the night. He's been SO TIRED when he wakes that early though, so he doesn't stay awake long. Thankfully he'll go back to sleep for another hour or so and then we get up and start our "normal" day after that. Hopefully he will just stop waking up that early and then going back to sleep and he will just sleep through! I think it will get better after a couple weeks (for a little while anyway) Another thing to consider - I know I've noticed this recently too with my son - is that he is gaining a lot more skills and he is becoming much more aware of things, so he is just REALLY more excited and curious about life. I think he really doesn't want to stop exploring it enough to sleep - which makes him overtired and which makes him more excited if he does wake up at all - think about the day before you go on a vacation or something - don't you get so excited that you can't really sleep and then you wake up early and are all ready to go - I feel like thats how my son is these days. So at 7 months, theres going to be a lot affecting his sleep pattern, just hang in there, be patient and let him do his thing - he'll adjust and drink lots of coffee - or be sure to sleep with him during the day if you can (I wish I could!) LOL!

oh i am going through the same thing. my son is a week shy of 5 months and he's going to bed at 5 pm and waking at 4 am...so i feel your pain, believe me! My husband and i are trying to stretch out his bedtime by 10 minutes or so a day and thats the advice i have been given by other moms. hey, at least you get to sleep till 6! Good Luck to you! D.

I think it'd be far easier for you to change your perspective then to try to "force" some kind of a shift in his biological clock. Clocks are so arbitrary, especially to 7-month-olds! My best advice is to adjust your schedule to his, and allow your schedules to slowly shift back to where they were.

Not that you asked about this, but I noticed that you're planning a move soon, and this may cause yet again another major shift or upheaval in his "schedule." Rather than looking to the clock or other arbitrary things in his life for constants, let him look to *you* to be the constant.

We had a brief period of time when my son was young when we were unsettled in our living situation. At that time, I realized that what he needed to internalize was that home was wherever *we* were. It was important to his little heart (and mine, too) that we created a sense of loving consistency wherever we were. Truly, home is where the heart is. We were able to be flexible about *everything* else. We took care of ourselves and moved through the changes beautifully.

But, I found it important to adjust myself to my son's needs, whatever they were. Me, being the more experienced of the two of us, could change more easily than my son could. So, the onus was on me to do the changing and adjusting for his sake. I was glad and honored to do it.

I hope this makes sense and is helpful. I know it's way more than you asked!

Same issue here with my 7-month old daughter. Start slowly. Shift everything by 10-15 minutes towards the "normal" time and he will adjust. It is tough because babies have no concept of time on a clock. Its just when they would get up and they don't understand that the time is different now. Just start slow and your schedule will follow the time before you know it! Good luck in the meantime!!

Hi R....I had the same issue with my almost 2 year old. At the moment we are living in Russia so we actually set our clocks back a few weeks ago and it took my son about 2 weeks to adjust. The same situation as you...he was going to bed at the same time and sleeping less at night...it just eventually worked itself out and I am happy once again waking up between 8:15 and 8:45! What a difference an hour makes, huh! hang in there. It should get back to normal soon.

I had trouble with my daughter too, 9 month old. seemed to have worked itself out within a few days.

Sorry to be a downer but I would have to suggest that you, being the grown up who understands what is going, does the adjusting. At 7 months he may very well have been changing his sleep pattern anyways. My daughter has done this many times and I am sure she will continue to. It's not ideal for me but I knew sleeping was one of many things I would never have my way again. LOL!

Sorry to say, everyone is right...1st of all, he's only 7 months old, and you're going to go through MANY more changes in sleep schedules, if I were you, I'd be thrilled that he's sleeping from the time you put him down until around 6 at this age! my daughter didn't stop waking me throughout the night (like 2-5 times EVERY night!) until about 4, maybe 5 months ago, and she's 19 months right now. and like your son, her sleeping schedule has also changed for the morning, but not so much the night. with her, the later she goes to bed, the earlier she wakes up (why she does is a mystery to me on that one!) but she usually goes to bed between 7:30-8:30...i prefer the happy medium of 8, but sometimes SHE refuses (and sometimes she's awake IN HER CRIB until about 10) but her normal routine was down at 8, up at 7 (or somewhere near there) now she's STILL going down around 8, but now she's waking up around 5...yeah, that's right 2 hrs earlier! and this started maybe 2, 3 weeks ago...so it had nothing to do with the change of time, most likely, it's the changes going on with the seasons...everything/everyone goes through a change with the changes of seasons. with her, i think it's because it's colder, and her body's wide awake in the morning (colder part of the day for us since his mother refuses to put heat on after she goes to sleep and by morning it's cold in the house) but still...it's the weather (at least i think...for my daughter). but like i said (and another mom) he's only 7 months old, he's going to change his sleeping habits oh so many times before he's set on a schedule. plus,you have to think about it...when the clocks change, it takes a bit for us to adjust to the time change, sometimes it takes us weeks for our bodies to fully get used to the change,it's much harder for a child (especially as young as yours) who doesn't look at the clock to say, "ok, it's only 6am, let me close my eyes until at least 7 before i bother getting up" it just doesn't happen like that. i would try to maybe go to sleep 1 hr earlier to make up for the hr earlier he wakes up. i know, sometimes it's much easier said then done, but sometimes YOU have to adjust around your child's schedule. ESPECIALLY as a SAHM...trust me, while you'll never be too thrilled with the changes in sleeping patterns (unless of course you're lucky enough for him to sleep through perfect times for you to get your rest) but at least you WILL get used to it. as much as i HATE my daughter being up at 5 because that means that my husband is still home, and INSISTS on coming in and talking to me so that i can't even close my eyes again while she sits in her crib for 1-2 hrs watching her dora and diego (or whatever at the moment) i still get up, complain, and take care of her the way i would if she were still getting up around 7/8...just like you will with your son, but after a few more changes, you'll be used to it and most likely by the time he's 1 1/2, you'll accept the fact that you will not have your normal sleep back until he's grown AND OUT OF THE HOUSE LOL...hang in there, it does get better.

Hi. I had the same problem with my son. Not with the time change, but he wanted to stay up a bit later. I read somewhere to change all times. Lunch, dinner, snacks, bath time... I started to move things about 15 minutes later than usual. And then after a while, I moved it another 15 minutes. So far it's worked out great and now I get an extra 1/2 hour to sleep in the morning. Good luck. Hope you find a solution that works for you both.