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Helping Your Child Adjust to Daylight Savings

help yur child sleep well when the clocks go forward March 2025

Helping Your Child Adjust to Daylight Savings

The clocks in the UK are springing forward by one hour at 1:00 am on Sunday, March 30th, 2025. While this means longer, brighter days to enjoy, it can also cause a bit of chaos when it comes to your child’s sleep routine.

Losing an hour of sleep might not bother us adults too much, but for babies and young children, it can throw everything off. They may not feel ready for sleep at bedtime, struggle to settle, and then be groggy and grumpy in the morning. Not ideal!

So, how can you make this transition as smooth as possible? Here are my top sleep tips to avoid bedtime battles and morning meltdowns when the clocks change.

Get Ahead of the Clock Change

A little preparation can go a long way in helping your child adjust. Try these simple steps in the week leading up to March 30th:

  • Shift Bedtime Gradually – Move your child’s bedtime earlier by 15 minutes every couple of days. This slow adjustment helps their body clock adapt without too much resistance.
  • Tweak Nap and Meal Times – Don’t forget to move naps and meal times forward too! Keeping everything in sync will make the bedtime shift feel more natural.
  • Wake Them Up Earlier – Just as bedtime is getting earlier, so should wake-up time. Waking them 15 minutes earlier each morning will help get their body used to the new schedule.

Creating a Calm, Sleepy Bedtime Routine

A familiar and soothing bedtime routine is your best friend when adjusting to the clock change-

Here’s what works well:

  • Wind Down Time – About an hour before bed, start slowing things down with a calming activity like reading, puzzles, or gentle play.
  • Bath Time – A warm bath can help signal that bedtime is coming, but keep it calm and relaxing – think spa, not splash zone!
  • Dim the Lights – Lowering the lights in the evening encourages the production of melatonin, the sleepy hormone. If you use a nightlight, go for a red or amber glow rather than a bright white one.
  • Story and Cuddles – A bedtime story and a snuggle are the perfect way to settle your little one before tucking them in.
  • Click here for more details on bedtime routines.

Helping Them Wake Up Happy

Mornings can be tricky after a clock change, so getting plenty of natural light early in the day is key:

  • Open the Curtains – Let the daylight flood in as soon as possible to help reset their body clock.
  • Have Breakfast in a Bright Spot – Eating in a well-lit area helps send the signal that it’s morning time.
  • Get Outside – A bit of fresh air and daylight first thing can work wonders for adjusting to the new wake-up time.

What If Your Child Is an Early Riser?

If your little one is a 5:00 am wake-up specialist, the clock change might actually work in your favour! Their usual 5:00 am start will suddenly become 6:00 am, meaning you might get a bit of a lie-in – a rare parenting win!

Enjoy the Longer Days!

Once the initial adjustment is out of the way, you can make the most of the lighter evenings. Getting outside for a bit of play before bed can help your child use up some energy and settle down more easily at night.

With a bit of planning and a consistent routine, your little one will be back on track in no time – and you can all enjoy the sunnier days ahead.

Written by Mandy Gurney, RGN RM DIPHV
Founder of Millpond Children’s Sleep Clinic

Updated March 2025

Clocks go forward Spring 2018

How to avoid bedtime battles and morning meltdowns when the clocks go forward next weekend

clocks go forward 2018

We can say goodbye to the cold dark winter, “hurrah”, and even though we lose an hours sleep that night, the benefits of the longer brighter days ahead more than make up for it!
So what impact will this clock change have on our sleep and is there anything we can do in advance to help us move seamlessly into our new time zone?

We will of course not be ready for sleep at our normal bedtime and find it takes longer to get to sleep than usual. Then when the morning comes along we will be tried and groggy and not ready to get up and start the day for another whole hour.

Some people’s body clocks can make the change quickly, but for others it is not so easy.

So for those of us that want to be proactive this is what you can do to help:

 

Our top tips to avoid bedtime battles and morning meltdowns when the clocks change…

 

  • This week in the lead up to the clock change start putting your little ones to bed 15 minutes earlier. Do this slowly, shifting the time every other day. The aim is to move their body clocks so they are falling asleep an hour earlier than before. And just as importantly you will also need to wake your child 15 minutes earlier in the morning!
    This will help to regulate their body clock and keep your plan on course.
  • But don’t just change the time you say goodnight to them, you will also need to move the start of their bedtime routine, nap times and just as importantly meal times. Eating and sleeping go hand in hand with regulating our circadian rhythms so it is vital you change meal times too.
  • Give clear consistent signals to your child that bedtime is coming with a focused winding down bedtime routine that includes a short bath, a quiet story, a cuddle and then into the cot. Keep the bedroom darkened to help produce the sleep hormone melatonin and just use a small nightlight to help you prepare your child for bed.
  • Light is the biggest influencing factor on our body clocks and directly impacts on the production of the sleep hormone melatonin, so as soon as you can in the morning get the family outside into the daylight, this will help suppress the sleep hormone and wake your little ones up.

But overall rejoice the fact that we’ve seen the back of winter for the next few months!!

Clocks Go Forward, Spring 2017

toddler-439112_1920

Get ready for the clocks going forward in March

The clocks spring forward on 26th March 2017 and at last the official British Summer time begins. We can say goodbye to the cold dark winter.  Although we lose an hour’s sleep the night the clocks change, the benefits of the longer brighter days ahead more than make up for it!

How will the clocks going forward impact on our sleep?

So what impact will this clock change have on our sleep and is there anything we can do in advance to help us move seamlessly into our new time zone? We will of course not be ready for sleep at our normal bedtime and lay in our beds for an hour unable to sleep. Then when the morning comes along we will be tried and groggy and not ready to get up and start the day for another whole hour. Some people’s body clocks can make the change quickly, but for others it is not so easy.

What do I need to do to prepare my children for the clock change?

Be proactive:  For about 2 weeks leading up to 26th March start putting your little ones to bed 15 minutes earlier.

Don’t rush:  Move your child’s bedtime slowly, shifting the time every 3 to 4 days. The aim is to move their body clocks so they are falling asleep an hour earlier than before.

Changes to bedtime:  Once you start to move the start  time of  your child’s bedtime routine, this will also change nap times and most importantly meal times too.

Time to wake up:  Don’t forget to adjust your child’s wake up time.  Wake your child 15 minutes earlier in the morning. This will help to regulate their body clock and keep your plan on course.

Bedtime routine:

Give clear consistent signals to your child that bedtime is coming with a focused winding down bedtime routine that includes a short bath, a quiet story, a cuddle and then into bed.

Keep the bedroom darkened to help produce the sleep hormone melatonin and just use a small nightlight to help you prepare your child for bed.

Most of all, look forward to warmer weather, sunny days and lighter evenings.

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