The clocks go forward this Sunday (30th March) and while losing an hour of sleep is frustrating enough, parents also have to deal with the havoc it can cause to their young children’s bedtime routines.

That’s why leading we’ve partnered with Jade Zammit, Sleep Coach at Beyond The Stars, to share expert advice on how and when to adjust baby and toddler bedtimes, so the clock change doesn’t ruin their routine. We’ve also revealed four essential tips to help babies and toddlers sleep soundly during the lighter spring nights.

Sleep expert shares four tips to adjust your baby’s bedtime for the clocks going forward

Jade Zammit, Sleep Coach at Beyond The Stars tells us "As we welcome Spring, we also welcome the changing of clocks this weekend. 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.”

Here, Jade shares four ways to help your child adjust to the new timings without causing much disruption:

1. Stagger bedtime, naps and mealtimes by 15 minutes 

Move everything including bedtime, naps and mealtimes 15 minutes forward each day in the lead-up to the clocks going forward. This works well for babies and those on multiple naps. 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

Move your child’s naps, wake-up time and bedtime by 30 minutes on the day of the clock change and again by 30 minutes the day after. This way you’re meeting in the middle rather than trying to move their sleep schedule by a whole hour on the day of the clock change. This works well for toddlers.

3. Cut naps short

If your baby or toddler is still napping, then you have an advantage. You can cap their naps to prevent them from sleeping too much during the day, making them more tired at night and more likely to want to go to sleep early.

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 then don’t. You can leave things as they are and let it sort itself out. Remember, you can always make tweaks on the other side.

If you are feeling uncertain about how to manage it, worrying about the early rises as a whole or how it might impact your already disconnected nights then get more help from Jade on her website Beyond The Stars.

How to help your baby sleep better in the lighter spring nights

With the clocks going forward, we all enjoy the longer, lighter evenings. However, for parents of babies and toddlers, this change can disrupt sleep routines.

The lighter nights can suppress melatonin production, the hormone responsible for regulating the body's sleep-wake cycle, making it harder for us to sleep.

Below, we've shared four tips to help keep your baby or toddler on a good sleep routine, even with the lighter evenings.

1. Keep the room dark when it’s still light outside

The most effective way to help your baby or toddler adjust is by keeping their room dark, even when it’s still bright outside. A blackout blind or blackout curtains will block out natural light and create an ideal sleep environment. If your child usually sleeps with a night light, you can still use it.

2. Make the most of the lighter evenings

Longer daylight hours mean more time outside, which can help tire your baby or toddler out before bed. For babies try an evening walk with your or outdoor playtime for toddlers.

3. Keep them at the right temperature

With spring comes warmer weather, so it’s important to dress your baby appropriately for sleep. The ideal room temperature for a baby is 16-20°C. At this temperature, they should wear a 2.5 tog sleep bag, vest and sleepsuit read our blog on how to dress a baby for sleep to download our printable baby sleep temperature chart. Use a baby room thermometer to monitor 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 up when the nights get lighter. However, a sleep aid can help them settle back to sleep. Look for cry-activated sleep aids that play soothing sounds such as lullabies, heartbeat noises or white noise to help calm them like our Penguin Sleep Aid with Cry Sensor.

To help your baby sleep better check out our baby sleep aids including our Penguin Sleep Aid with Cry Sensor, Penguin Colour Changing Night Light and Penguin Musical Cot Mobile.