Fall Back – Prepare your baby/child for the clock change

Are you freaking out about the clocks going backwards at the end of the month?  

The end of British Summer Time (BST) is often thought of as a gift, because when the clocks go back, it gives us an extra hour in bed.

The bad news is of course that for many of you, this autumn time transition won’t be very welcome, as your baby will wake at the usual time and you will miss out on the extra hour.

Your baby who was once waking at 6am, will now be waking at 5am!  Great!!

So how will “Daylight Saving Time” affect you and your baby/child’s sleep schedule?

The small time change of 1 hour may take a few days to work though as it can affect your baby’s circadian rhythms (physical, mental and behavioural changes that follow a 24 hour cycle), setting them off track and throwing out their body clock.

For those children, I always think that it is best to be prepared!

Below are my top tips on how to transition from Thursday 22nd October!!

The Slow Approach

Spread the change in sleep times over the next 4 days by starting the bedtime routine 15 minutes late each day.

EG:- If a normal bedtime is 7pm

Day 1:- (Thursday) Bedtime  7.15pm

Day 2:- (Friday) Bedtime 7.30pm (mealtimes will be approx 15 mins later than normal)

Day 3:- (Saturday) Bedtime 7.45pm (mealtimes will be approx 30 mins later than normal)

Day 4:- (Sunday) Bedtime 7pm (mealtimes will be approx 45 mins later than normal)

If your child naps in the day then you must also begin to make each nap about 15 minutes later including mealtimes etc:-

All screens including the tv needs to be switched off at least one hour before the bedtime routine begins.

The No Hassle Approach

If your child is not overly sleep sensitive, they may slip into the new times with no issues whatsoever.

In this case you can just go straight into the “Cold Turkey” approach and put your child to bed one hour later than they went the day before.  You could do this on Saturday or Sunday night.

Any approach you take should be done calmly and without overly worrying. Whatever you do, be consistent and relaxed in order to transition your child through this “Daylight Savings” clock change with no fuss.

If you would like any guidance with your baby’s/child sleep habits, please feel free to book onto our next Sleep Clinic –  Monday 19th October. 11am – 12.30pm.

Alternatively please get in touch to chat about our online Sleepy Mums Club programme or a private sleep consultation visit to your home. https://www.birthability.co.uk/sleep-consultation/