Consider this your warning: In most places in the country, we begin Daylight Savings Time in the wee hours Sunday morning. And that, of course, means moving your clock one hour forward before you go to bed Saturday night.

For most people, this simply means one hour less sleep, but for a sleep deprived new mama, it could mean having a very unpredictable baby. That one hour is a big deal for baby! “It can be kind of like the baby has jet lag,” says Angelique Millette, a family sleep consultant in San Francisco. “They may be harder to put down at bedtime, or awake when they’re not supposed to be. When toddlers or older kids get off-schedule or their routines change, they may exhibit ‘testing’ behaviors.” Your child could be moody or cranky or act up, or need more naps.

Millette suggests starting early — tonight! — and putting baby down for bedtime about 10 minutes earlier each night, so that by the time you reach Sunday, baby’s going to bed one full hour earlier. (If you start a few days later, that’s okay — it will just take that many days longer to get baby completely adjusted.) And, hopefully, baby will be waking about an hour earlier. This can make the transition go much more smoothly, since it makes the change in bedtime and wake-time less abrupt for baby, and hopefully, makes the switch to the new routine less jarring.

Get more expert tips on dealing with the clock change.

How do you plan on getting your child ready for the start of Daylight Savings Time?

Plus, more from The Bump:

Baby Sleep Myths — Busted

Baby Sleep Schedules: What You Need to Know

Craziest Things Tired Moms Did

Tight on space or expecting twins and want them to sleep together? In this video, Christopher from Buy Buy Baby explains why the Stokke Sleepi is a such a great crib. It truly grows with your baby (or babies) from a small, bassinet-sized sleeping you can easily roll from room-to-room, to a crib, to a toddler bed for ages two to five. And it’s ideal for twin cosleeping. See it in action!

Buy the Stokke Sleepi at Buy Buy Baby or register for it here.

Plus, more from The Bump:

How to Buy a Crib

Top 10 Cribs

Best Travel Cribs and Playards

I’m usually so unprepared for clock changes when they happen in the fall and spring — and we spend what feels like weeks getting my son’s sleep schedule back on track. But this year I feel ready. Since my son’s been off school all week because of Hurricane Sandy (we’re all fine; his preschool is just pretty wet), I haven’t been sticking with the usual bedtime, and I’ve been letting him stay up a little later than usual. As a result, he’s been sleeping a little later in the mornings. Turns out, this is a good strategy for getting him prepped for when the clocks “fall back” early the morning of Sunday, November 4 (2 a.m.).

I talked to Angelique Millette, a family sleep consultant in San Francisco, and she said pushing baby’s bedtime about 10 minutes later each night for six days will get him used to going to bed an hour later. That’s perfect for the fall clock change.

Read more tips on getting your baby or toddler prepped and adjusted to the time change.

How do you plan to get baby used to the time change?

Plus, more from The Bump:

7 Baby Sleep Myths — Busted

Bedtime Routines to Help Baby Sleep Better

How Much Sleep Does Baby Need?

I really feel it would have been so much easier to have and raise a baby in simpler times. Today, it feels like having and raising a baby has become somewhat of a competition or a trendy, popularity contest. That might sound harsh, but hear me out:

Although all the new advances in medicine have been amazing — heck, I wouldn’t have my son right now if it weren’t for ICSI-IVF–but along with all the wonderful advances, many theories, ideas, and rules have been created. Last time I checked, most people survived just fine without all these new theories and rules. There are theories on pregnancy, childbirth, sleep methods, feeding, vaccinating and the list can go on and on. I nannied for a couple different families that both followed some sort of parenting theory and I, truthfully, figured I would as well because I saw what worked and/or what didn’t work. However, every child is different.

Currently, my husband and I do not follow any type of theory whatsoever:

I did not have a birth plan — well, my plan consisted of: ‘yes I want an epidural.’ Other than that, whatever was best for baby and myself is what would happen. I just didn’t really care how I brought our son into the world, as long as it didn’t hurt too badly (yeah, right!).

He is getting vaccinated — regardless of all the debate going on these days.

I did choose to breastfeed, but I was also lucky enough to have a little guy who is a quick learner, and we haven’t had any problems. In fact, he eats so well, he’s the average size of a seven- or eight-month-old at only four month. I hate how some mothers are made to feel like crap if they stop breastfeeding. I am a full-time working mom who pumps at work and feeds him myself when I’m home, but not everyone is able to do that. And, quite frankly, breastfeeding is not for everyone. Truth be told, I would like to stop now, but I won’t. I promised myself before we had our son that I would go for nine months, so five more months to go and I won’t feel bad about stopping.

Despite the recommendation to keep a newborn away from crowds, he was actually out at a graduation party at three-and-a-half weeks old. And he never got sick.

He had his first boat ride at six weeks — it was a pontoon and grandpa was driving extra slow

He only slept in our room for about a month, then it was on to his own room. (And I did not break the ‘no bumper’ rule.)

He started eating rice cereal at four months, against the big belief of waiting until six months. He loves it!

I just read so many forums, message boards, and blogs that mention so many different theories that it makes me wonder sometimes if I’m doing the right thing; if I’m being the best mom I can be. And, honestly, once Connor graced us with his presence, all intentions of following any theories went out the window. We are following the only theory we know best: ours. This may come from the fact that we, essentially, have a very easy baby. Aside from some acid reflux issues in the beginning, he does not fuss or cry much, he eats wonderfully and on a perfect schedule (perfect for my work schedule), sleeps beautifully, and is incredibly happy. All without following a single theory from a single expert. We are first time parents; we don’t know everything and we never will have all the answers, but I do know this, the only theory we’ll follow right now is our own by doing our best by our son to make sure he is brought up safely, comfortably, and happily. And, so far, I think we’re doing a great job.

Do you follow a specific parenting style or method? What parenting choices have you made that have been most important to you?

With the cold weather quickly approaching I’ve been thinking about how to dress my 10 month old son for bed. Last winter when he was still a teeny tiny baby, we layered on the clothes and swaddled him up to keep him warm at night. And let’s not forget our astronomically high heating bills.

Now that Harry is mobile, we can’t bundle him up as much this year. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends against using blankets in the crib until baby’s first birthday, and even if I were comfortable using them my son tosses and turns so much he’d fling them off in a matter of minutes.

In efforts to keep your heating bills down, I thought I’d quickly share what my son is going to wear to sleep this winter.

Sleep Sacks

We’ve used Halo Sleepsacks since bringing Harry home from the hospital. They are awesome! We stopped using them over the summer and now that Harry cruises around his crib in the morning they seem like a tripping hazard. Fortunately the good people at Halo thought of situations like these: sleepsacks with leg holes!

I ordered this fleece sleepsack last week. I ordered the 12-18 month size thinking it would fit Harry, who’s in the 90^th percentile for height. Be warned, it’s huge. As in a good five inches taller than my baby. I thought that would be problematic, but since his feet are exposed and he needs to wear socks anyways, I just tucked the leg cuffs into his socks. Harry’s worn cotton two-piece PJs underneath the sleepsack and it’s worked perfectly so far!

If tucking the leg cuffs into baby’s socks doesn’t work for you it would be very easy to fold them inside the sleepsack and secure with a few stitches that can be removed when baby is taller.

Fleece Pajamas

I remember sleeping in fleece PJs as a kid. I also remember being pinched with the zipper a few times… ouch! Luckily for today’s babies and toddlers most fleece PJs have an extra piece of fabric behind the zipper to protect their delicate skin.

Fleece PJs are a great option for winter because they’re incredibly warm without adding much bulk. I’ve been putting a short-sleeved onesie underneath the PJs for extra warmth, and as it gets colder out I might put long sleeves and socks on him.

Between our two options Harry will be sleeping in style this winter! And hopefully he’ll be nice and warm, too!

What are  you putting your baby to sleep in this winter?

Baby’s been up two times already tonight, and there she goes again. You consider letting her cry it out, but then you wonder, “Will she be scarred forever?”  A new study from the AAP says no — that letting baby cry every now and then won’t hurt her emotionally or ruin your relationship with her.

After a 2005 Infant Sleep Study suggested the cry-it-out method wouldn’t benefit children, a second study was conducted to see how sleep interventions — or lack thereof — affect children’s emotions and behaviors in the long run. During the five year follow up, known as the Kid Sleep Study, researchers evaluated the emotional health of 255 children from the original study.

When the children turned six, researchers conducted a 60-minute home-based observation of each child’s lifestyle. Afterwards, they distributed the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory and took post-sleep samples of cortisol (a hormone released as a response to stress) for further evaluation. All of these assessments were used to determine the child’s emotional state and the quality of their child-parent relationships.

In the end, researchers found no difference in emotional health or in parental relationships between children who received sleep intervention and those who were left to cry.

So should you do the “cry-it-out” technique or not? Unfortunately, there’s no right answer that works for every parent. As with most parenting styles, you have to go with what feels right to you.

Did you ever let your baby cry it out? Why or why not?

Plus more from The Bump:

When is Crying It Out Okay?

Cry It Out: Bad for Babies?

Help Baby Sleep Better

In the process of decorating baby’s nursery? Try this tip from user Surprise3rd, who posted on our 3rd Trimester message board.

Before you place the crib in the room, Surprise3rd suggests testing the set-up by cracking the door to baby’s room by about an inch and peeking in. “Whatever portion of the room you can see [from the door] is where you should put the crib,” she says. “That way, you can easily crack the door to check on them.”

Surprise3rd says that she didn’t do this right away with her first child, but “I ended up moving the crib, because as they get older, opening the door all the way and walking in to check on them can wake them up,” she says. “If you can just crack the door open to peek, they don’t even notice!”

Tell us, will you try this idea? What other tips do you have for checking on baby without waking them up? 

Plus, more parenting tips from The Bump:

How To Get Your Sick Tot to Eat

How To Keep Your Beach Baby Clean

How To Help Baby Enjoy Bath Time

Some people say “never wake a sleeping baby,” but some moms actually do this a lot. And that could be a result of postpartum depression. According to a new study from Penn State University published in Child Development, moms with depression symptoms were worried and anxious about their infants’ sleeping habits at night, and were more likely than moms with fewer or no symptoms to wake their babies and disturb them.

Pediatricians urge parents not to wake their baby if he’s sleeping peacefully, isn’t experiencing distress and doesn’t need a feeding. Experts note that parental depression or excessive worry, disrupts both baby and parents’ sleep and also can lead to problems in the parent-child relationship later on. So why are depressed moms more anxious about baby sleeping at night than other moms? Researchers believe that the mothers’ symptoms of depression are directly related to moms’ lack of confidence in parenting and their emotional state.

The findings were part of a larger analysis, Study of Infants’ Emergent Sleep Trajectories (SIESTA). In the larger study, researchers analyzed data from 45 infants (ranging in age from one to 24 months) and their parents over a week. The mothers kept a sleep diary and also completed two surveys, one about depressive symptoms and the other about moms’ worries about their infants waking up at night. Researchers also set up video cameras where baby slept, at the door to baby’s room and two additional cameras where parents would take their babies at night, to see if the moms’ self-reported behaviors matched up to their survey answers.

If you think you might have postpartum depression, it’s important to seek help immediately. Talk to your doctor asap.

What do you think of these findings? Do you wake your baby up at night? Or worry about baby’s sleeping safety at bedtime?

Plus, more from The Bump:

Postpartum Depression

Is it the Baby Blues or Postpartum Depression?

Treatments for Postpartum Depression

Every Wednesday, we’ll be featuring a fertility, pregnancy or parenting tip from real moms. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share, email community@thebump.com.

Having trouble getting baby to sleep? Try this tip from user Chemmom. She suggests placing a heating pad (on a low setting) in baby’s crib before bedtime. That way, “the bed is warm in the spot where I’m going to lay her down,” making it easier for baby to head off to dreamland. Chemmom says this trick also works if you need to take your little one out to feed in the middle of the night. Just make sure you unplug and remove the heating pad from the crib once baby is inside!

Get more sleep advice from the new moms on our Babies 0-3 Months message board.

What are your sleep tips? Did this trick work for you?

So is it okay for pregnant and breastfeeding moms to drink caffeine? Here’s the deal. A new study says that pregnant and breastfeeding moms aren’t messing with their babies’ sleep cycles by drinking caffeine. In the study published in Pediatrics, researchers looked at 885 infants born in 2004 in Brazil. Their findings showed that although women who drank a lot of caffeine had babies who were more restless at night, the difference was so small that it might have been due to other factors in the groups and not just caffeine intake.

Researchers asked the mothers about their babies’ sleeping habits right after birth and three months later. They found that 20 percent of moms drank a lot of caffeine (over 300 mg, which is about two to three  12-ounce cups), but while they don’t know why moms’ caffeine habits don’t have as big of an effect on their babies’ sleeping patterns as other things, they believe that some of these babies have developed a tolerance.

But before you grab a trenta at Starbucks, beware that some studies suggest drinking more than 300 mg of caffeine per day could put you at higher risk for miscarriage and baby at higher risk for birth defects. And one recent report suggests babies of moms who drink more than three cups of coffee per day while breastfeeding could become jittery and irritable.

Long story short? Have a cup or two, but stay away from a triple shot latte for a while.

Do you limit your caffeine intake? How many cups of coffee or tea do you drink a day?