On the night of 26th/27th October, the clocks will change and ‘fall’ back an hour. Cue the cosy evenings and snuggly blankets!
However, if you’re a parent, you may be feeling a little anxious about the upcoming clock change and how it may affect your little one’s sleep. For those early risers, they may be ready to wake up even earlier, meaning that you’re seeing a 4am on the clock rather than a 5am!
It may take your little one’s body clock a few days to adjust, so here are a few things we can do to help their body clocks prepare, as well as some options for preparing them for the day the clocks change:
Ensure they spend time outdoors getting lots of fresh air!
Making sure their meals and snack times follow the new time on the clock
Use blackout blinds (especially due to it being slightly lighter in the mornings for a while)
Staying consistent with their bedtime routine
Option 1:
Push your little one’s schedule a little later each day ahead of the change.
For example, if they go to bed at 7pm, push it to 7.15pm around three days before the clock change, then 7.30pm the next day, and 7.45pm on the third day. By the day of the clock change they will be up to speed on the new time!).
Remember to change your little one’s nap & mealtimes too! This option may be a good thing to do if your little one struggles with overtiredness or is sensitive to their routine being changed.
Option 2:
Make bedtime half an hour later, on the night before the clock change. If you have a toddler or a slightly older child, please be aware that this may not mean they wake up later, however, it is a good start to prepare their bodies for the upcoming time change!
Option 3:
You don’t have to do anything!
On the morning of the clock change you switch everything to the new time. This may work if your little one has a flexible routine, or making changes to the routine before the clock change feels too complicated for you.
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