Queenslanders.
How’re your mornings going? Are you struggling to get your baby sleeping past 5 am? Is a wake up with a four in it becoming normal for you at the moment? Well, you are in excellent company. Many Queensland parents are complaining or frustrated with the early starts to their day at the moment. And to be honest with you, it is a really difficult, challenging time of year to try and get your little one to sleep until 6 am, especially if there’s any natural light coming into their room at all. In summer because Queensland doesn’t follow daylight savings dawn is about 4 am. Unless you can completely block out all the early morning sun, can keep the room from heating up and keep the noise of the birds at bay your little one is likely to get a surge of serotonin at this time making it difficult for them to stay asleep or go back to sleep if they have roused into a lighter sleep state. May I propose something for you? Just because Queensland doesn’t adhere to daylight savings doesn’t mean you have to follow suit. What if you adjusted to daylight savings in your own home? Now, I know that this is not possible for some parents, especially if you’re back at work. But consider this. If you embraced the early rising and decided to ‘pretend your baby is on daylight savings time that 5 am is now 6 am and mentally it’s a more sociable time to start your day. Rather than trying in vain to get your baby to six or seven, you can enjoy the beautiful early cooler mornings, maybe go for a walk, enjoy a sunrise with a coffee or perhaps get yourself organized a bit for the day. Most activities like swimming for little ones or mums group are usually timed for about 9/10 am and if your following daylight savings your baby will have already had a nap and be well-rested for this activity with enough time to enjoy the activity before heading home for their lunchtime nap. If you were to embrace daylight savings, you could enjoy earlier bedtimes for baby at 6 pm rather than 7 pm. The earlier bedtime for your little one may mean a little more you and your partner time at night; maybe you can enjoy dinner together at 6.30 pm instead of shovelling some food into you before bath and bedtime routine and giving yourself indigestion because you’ve eaten too quickly all because you have a tired baby that’s clingy and needs to get to bed or on the flip side not getting to eat dinner until 9 pm and then passing out with tiredness and a full tummy The time and the clock is just a number. And sometimes it is challenging to try and make your baby, adjust to a routine that resembles a 6.30/ 7am stand the 7pm finished your day.
By mentally moving your baby to daylight savings time. You may find yourself, enjoying all the benefits of daylight savings that the southern states.
Here’ s a sample of what this routine might look like for a 7 mths old
7 Months old Breastfed baby
5:00am Wake up Milk feed
6.15am Breakfast
Awake window 2 ¼ hours
* offer a Milk Top-up (BMTP) 15 mins before nap
7.15 am Nap (1.5- 2 hours) or 2 sleep cycles
9.00 am Wake up Milk feed
Awake window 2 ½ hours
* offer a Milk Top-up (MTP) 15 mins before nap
10.00 am Lunch
11.30 pm Nap (1.5- 2 hours) or 2 sleep cycles
1/1.30 pm Milk feed Awake window 1 ¾ – 2 hours
*offer a milk Top- up (MTP) 15 mins before nap
3.30 pm – 20 minutes Catnap
Wake Small Milk feed
4/4.30 pm Dinner
5.15 pm – Bath and Bedtime routine
Milk Feed /Bath / Get Dressed in bedroom / Milk feed/ Bedtime Routine
6.00 pm – Into Bed
