Getting through the time change with baby

As parents, we always dread breaking the rhythm of our baby's life.

But when the change of season arrives and more particularly the change of time, it can be badly lived by baby and parents. We dread the spring time change even more, the one where we lose an hour of sleep... An hour so precious!

But with a baby, it is necessary to know how to keep a well-ordered rhythm of life in order not to disturb his habits and his cycle.

How to live the time change with a baby?

That's it, the fateful moment of the year is coming. We lose an hour! Until a few years ago, this didn't bother you that much, but nowadays, with a little baby under your roof, it's quite different.

Before the 6 months of baby, the time difference is not so disturbing for them. They have their own rhythm, which is not yet regulated by the sun's cycles as it is for older children.

When you are an adult, you get over the time change pretty well. For children it is another matter... As a general rule, they take 3 to 4 days to get into the right time zone. The ideal is to go gradually.

There is no magic formula for a good time change with a child, but there are some easy methods to put in place:

You should not force your child to eat at 7:00 pm if he was used to eating at 7:00 pm before. If you see that he is hungry, give him a small snack to wait. A compote, a small cookie or a piece of fruit can be enough. If he's still not hungry, it's okay, he'll come around. He doesn't necessarily need to eat large quantities. But always make sure you have a snack and water handy or in your diaper bag to keep him hydrated.

To make the time change easier for your baby, start a few days before the official time change. Gradually start shifting meal times, bath times, bed times... every day try to shift the clock by 15 minutes. For example, if you usually feed your baby at 6pm, shift your feeding time to 5:45pm the first day, then 5:30pm the second day, then 5:15pm the third day.... Until D-Day.

By starting this new rhythm slowly, three or four days before, the time change will be less noticeable.

As we often say, all children are different, what works for one may not work for another. The key is patience!