Keep their sleep on track when the clocks change

During October, the clocks change, meaning we get an additional hour of sleep. Right?

As much as we’d appreciate the extra hour in bed, unfortunately, babies often don't get the memo! At 2am on Sunday, October 27th 2024 in Europe the clocks will change, meaning we gain an extra hour. Our Sleep Expert Imogen explains exactly what you can do to help adjust your baby for the winter solstice.

Option 1: Do nothing

“You don’t actually have to do anything if you don't want to! Your baby may naturally adjust to the clock change. There is no pressure; you may not even notice any impact on your family's sleep.

Option 2: Intervene before

If your child is over four months old, they will likely have a semi-established circadian rhythm, which means this technique will be effective for them. If they are younger, the clock change is unlikely to influence them.
 
If you thrive on consistency, this is a good method to implement. In the week leading up to the clock change, you may like to adjust your entire routine or pattern by 15 minutes.

Delay wake-up time, feeds, naps, and bedtime by 15 minutes. Do this gradually over a few days to help adjust your baby’s sleep so it’s less impacted by the hour change. For example, if your little one currently goes to bed at 8 p.m., you could shift this to 8:15 p.m. on the first night and so on until their entire schedule has shifted by an hour.

Here’s an example schedule for adjusting over a week, but you may want to start this two weeks earlier if you’d like more time to adapt to their sleep. Simply change the timing of sleep every four days instead of every two.

If the idea of doing this is totally overwhelming and stressful, don’t bother! Your child will adapt over time and you can try this post-clock change if you feel the need to.

What else do you need to change?

You will also want to make sure feeds happen a little later; exposure to daylight and darkness all correlate with your shifting schedule.

Keep the lights on bright for an extra 15 minutes in the evening. And the blinds shut for an extra 15 minutes in the morning, even if their typical wake-up hasn’t yet adjusted.

If you have an early riser, the clock change means instead of a 6 am wake you may experience a 5am wake up. Be sure to follow the steps above, adapting by 15 minutes until you reach a more manageable time for wakes. This will help to reprogram their body clock to avoid an extra early start.

Remember that disruption is usually temporary, and your baby will naturally adapt to the new time over a few days. Each child may adapt at a different pace to this shift and maintain business as usual. Go easy on yourself if things feel a little more exhausting than normal!”

For more sleep advice and tips, check out our Sleep Hub below.