How often do clock changes throw you out as a grown adult? And we can tell the time. Just imagine how confusing it is to our little ones and their sleep routine.
There are many ways in which we can help our children but young babies are most definitely more sensitive to time, so a gradual approach may help. This works by adjusting your child’s bedtime by 15 minutes over 4 days before the clock change.
Normally the change happens in the early hours of a Sunday. So for example if your baby’s bedtime is 7pm:
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Wednesday night bedtime at 7.15pm.
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Thursday night bedtime at 7.30pm
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Friday night bedtime at 7.45pm
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Saturday night bedtime at 8pm. (The clocks will then change overnight).
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Sunday night bedtime is normal at 7pm.
There is most likely to be some disruption, but this is the way I find the most effective. If using this method, I would also adjust the other daily timings, so meal times, nap times and feeds.
For older children or those that are less sensitive to time then I would just go for the immediate switch. On Saturday night, I would try to keep them up a little later than normal but be aware, if you end up with a grumpy, overtired toddler or child then it can lead to night wakings or struggles in getting to sleep (but just go for it). If your child still has an afternoon nap, it may be worth adjusting that nap slightly later that day, to prevent overtiredness. There is always the chance that they are going to wake up at their normal time, which is an hour earlier than normal on the Sunday but it shouldn’t take too long before they get back into the routine. There is no reason though, if you think it would work to do the gradual approach with your older child that is absolutely fine.
There is one other approach that you could use which is the ‘half it’ method. This is simply the night before the change happens, often on the Saturday evening, put your child or baby to bed 30 minutes later, this does not necessarily mean they will wake up half an hour later but it will give a little tweak in preparation.
Getting regular fresh air and exercise is very important and will have an impact on getting you and your little ones to adapt.
The one thing to always remember, just because the timings may change. Keep everything else the same. The normal bedtime routine. Children’s way of telling the time is routine, which is why it is important to have a basic routine in your child’s life.
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