Set up a child theme

Set up a child theme for Green Market Coffee before we make code changes. Create a new child-theme folder, add a style sheet that imports the parent and sets the theme name to Grainlight Child, and activate it. Confirm active theme on the site and that existing customizer settings carried over.

Before I create the child theme, make it easy for the client to accept. Explain in plain terms why we need a child theme, list three customizations we will protect by using it, and note any settings that will not transfer so I can pre-warn Priya and Tom.

I followed steps to create and activate Grainlight Child, but the site lost some header and color settings. Priya is on a call with the client in 30 minutes and I don’t know if those settings were overwritten or just hidden. What likely happened and what precise steps will restore the customizations or roll back to the parent theme without losing any client edits?

We keep making direct edits to parent themes and then lose them on updates, which causes repeated emergency migrations and client frustration. What single habit change will prevent this? Recommend a straightforward child-theme workflow and one checklist item so every developer remembers to create a child before editing.