How to adjust your baby's sleep when the clocks change

The clocks change twice a year in the UK. Moving forward by an hour at 1am on the last Sunday in March and back by an hour at 2am on the last Sunday in October.

Gone are the days of the clock change meaning an extra hour of sleep, an extended night out or being able to skip a daily task because you lost an hour. As parents, it’s all about trying to save the precious bedtime routine you’ve worked so hard on.

To help parents prepare, we’ve teamed up with Jade Zammit, a qualified Baby and Toddler Sleep expert and founder of Jade Zammit Coaching, to share her advice on navigating the clock changes and keeping sleep on track.

Jade Zammit explained that “The biggest mistake parents make when the clocks go back is parents who already have early risers not getting to the root cause of what’s causing their baby or toddler to wake up early before the clocks go back. This is often the hardest part of the clock change; if you have a 5am riser, that can quickly become 4am.”

1. Going to bed overtired

Cortisol builds up during the day, and when naps are missed or there are too long gaps between their last nap and bedtime, this can make them overtired and can trigger night wakes and early morning wake ups. So, as parents, when we hope that making bedtime later will result in a later morning wake up time, it can make the situation worse and cause them to wake up earlier due to being overtired.

2. Having too much daytime sleep

On the flip side, it can often be that your child is having too much daytime sleep, causing them not to need as much sleep at night. If your child is taking a long time to fall asleep at night, this is a sign they are having too much daytime sleep and you should drop or cap a nap.

3. They rely on a sleep prop to settle

If your child is reliant on something to get to sleep and has early wake ups, this can make it harder for them to get back to sleep if they wake between 4am and 6am as there is less sleep pressure. Helping your child to self-settle without a sleep prop means they will be more likely to try to replicate this if they wake up early.

1. Stagger bedtime by 15 minutes starting four days before the clock change

This approach can work well for babies and toddlers who are sensitive to changes in their routine. Starting four days before the clocks change, move your child’s bedtime, naps and mealtimes 15 minutes later each day. By the time the clocks change, their routine will have been pushed back by around an hour, helping to make the transition more gradual.

2. Extend daytime naps to push bedtime later

This can work if your child is nearing a nap transition or is ready to stay awake for longer between sleeps. Gradually extending the time between naps can help move their sleep schedule later, making the transition to the new time easier. If your child still needs their usual naps, you could also consider allowing their daytime nap to be longer to help push bedtime later.

3. Split the difference by moving their schedule back by 30 minutes over two days

This can work well for toddlers and older children. Shift their schedule back by around 30 minutes on the day of the clock change, then adjust the remaining 30 minutes the following day.

4. Go ‘cold turkey’ and make the change on the day of the clock change

For older toddlers, you may prefer to make the full adjustment on the day the clocks change, putting them to bed an hour later. However, keep in mind that an hour can be a significant change for a young child, so watch out for signs that they are becoming overtired. A more gradual approach may work better for children who are particularly sensitive to changes in their routine.

5. Don’t forget to change mealtimes too

If you are gradually shifting your child’s sleep schedule, don’t forget to adjust their mealtimes too. Keeping their daily routine consistent can help their body adjust to the new timings.

Shortly after the clocks go back comes Bonfire Night, another sleep disruption for parents to contend with.

With fireworks, parties and lots of noise outside, getting your baby or toddler settled can be challenging.

Jade advises, “I always recommend some white noise or sound machines to help drown out the sounds of fireworks. Usually, the first three hours of sleep are their deepest, so you might find there is minimal disruption once they are asleep.

“However, if they are still awake at bedtime due to lots of noise, I’d recommend turning up the sound machine, or for older children, using a sleepy audio story to help keep their focus away from the noise.”

Jade Zammit, sleep expert and founder of Jade Zammit Coaching, explains, “As we welcome spring, we also welcome the changing of clocks. For parents, what does this mean? This can be the tougher clock change to plan because we are trying to get them to sleep earlier than usual in the lead-up to the clocks changing, and it is hard to make a little one sleep when they just are not ready for it.”

1. Bring forward bedtime, naps and mealtimes by 15 minutes

Move everything, including bedtime, naps and mealtimes, 15 minutes earlier each day in the lead-up to the clocks going forward.

“This works well for babies and those on multiple naps,” says Jade. “It is important to adjust mealtimes as well as sleep, as our body clocks are massively impacted by this. It can also take them up to a week to fully adjust, so give it some time too.”

2. Meet in the middle by moving their sleep schedule by 30 minutes

For toddlers, you could split the change over two days. Move your child’s naps, wake-up time and bedtime forward by 30 minutes on the day of the clock change, then make the remaining 30-minute adjustment the following day. This allows you to gradually move their sleep schedule rather than expecting them to adjust to a full hour straight away.

3. Consider shortening naps

If your baby or toddler is still napping, you may be able to use their daytime sleep to help with the transition. If appropriate for your child’s usual routine, shortening their naps can prevent them from getting too much daytime sleep, helping them build up enough sleep pressure to settle at their earlier bedtime.

4. Don’t do anything

Don’t panic if you don’t want to make any changes to your baby or toddler’s bedtime routine. You can leave things as they are and allow your child to adjust naturally. Remember, you can always make small tweaks to their routine on the other side of the clock change if you feel they need them.

One of the things people love most about the clocks going forward is the lighter spring and summer evenings. However, this can cause havoc for bedtime for parents of young children, as they can struggle to realise it’s time for bed because it’s still light outside.

1. Make sure their bedroom is always dark 

We all know how hard it is to get to sleep when it’s light outside, so one of the easiest ways to help your baby or toddler settle at night is to use a blackout blind or blackout curtain to keep the room dark.

2. Make the most of the lighter evenings

Longer daylight hours mean more opportunities to get outside before bedtime.

For babies, try an evening walk together, while toddlers may enjoy some outdoor play before starting their bedtime routine. Getting outside during the day and having plenty of opportunities for activity can help maintain a consistent day-and-night routine.

3. Keep them at the right temperature

As spring arrives and temperatures begin to rise, it’s important to make sure your baby or toddler is dressed appropriately for sleep. The recommended room temperature for a baby is around 16–20°C. At this temperature, a 2.5 tog sleeping bag, vest and sleepsuit may be suitable, depending on your baby and the specific clothing used. Every baby is different, so always check your baby regularly to make sure they are comfortable and not too hot or cold. A baby room thermometer should also be used to help you keep an eye on the temperature of their room.

4. Use a sleep aid if they wake up

Unfortunately, there’s no magic trick to stop your baby from waking when the evenings become lighter. If your child usually falls asleep with a sleep aid like white noise or a lullaby, then you can use this to try and resettle them.

If you're looking for baby sleep aids to improve your baby's sleep (and yours...), look no further, we have everything you need.