Clock Changes This Autumn: How to Adjust your Baby's Sleep
October 16, 2024
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Here’s everything you need to prepare for the Clock Change this October
You’ve probably heard lots of people talk about this each year, heck there are even LOTS of memes on it too, yep I’m talking about the Daylight Savings Clock Change! Each year, twice a year, the clocks change, and this probably wasn’t too much of an issue pre-children; it often meant an extra hour in bed! But NOT when you become a parent. When you become a parent, it generally means you lose out! In March this year, it even meant us mums lost an hour on Mother’s Day, I mean come on! What kind of joke was that?!
So, what can you do to prepare this October? Well, there are a few different options in terms of how you approach the clocks changing, and this really depends on what kind of parent you are and the age and temperament of your little one.
If this is the first clock change as a parent and your baby is below 6 months, you don’t need to worry! Babies this young generally don’t have a fully matured circadian rhythm (especially 4 months or younger) and they are still likely to be napping a lot. So, the GOOD news is that the clock change likely won’t disturb them.
For older babies and toddlers, the first option is to get ahead a week or so before the clocks are due to change and begin to adjust your little one’s schedule. If your baby or toddler is fairly ‘clockwork’, and by that, I mean has regular sleep times, then I would suggest working backwards and adjusting their schedule. So, you would slowly push their naps and bedtime back by 15 minutes every 2-3 days, for a week or so, until Sunday 27th October. The idea is by the time it gets to the night of the clocks changing, your little one is already going to bed an hour earlier, so they should wake up at normal time the next morning. It’s also important to adjust any feeds/meals times in line with their new schedule as well.
This option can be stressful for some, especially if you have older children and/or a busy schedule. So please don’t worry if you can’t achieve this. It won’t necessarily guarantee that your little one will adjust any quicker than one who’s schedule hasn’t been changed.
The second option is to do nothing and wing it! Yep, WING IT! For those little ones who have different nap and bedtimes, you probably won’t see too much change. But, for those that may have a fairly set schedule, it may mean your little one wakes an hour earlier and is then ready for their nap an hour earlier and so on for a few days. But don’t stress, they will soon fall into the new schedule regardless, just like if you were to go abroad.
Charlotte Hillyard is a Sleep Consultant with Sleepy Lambs and she is passionate about helping mums to improve their little ones' sleep. Based in Essex, Charlotte helps mums via her 1-2-1 support package services, Sleep Clinic sessions and with the Mind charity on their local programme 'Mums Matter'.
Charlotte also runs a free Facebook support group called 'Sleepy Mummas Support Group', where she posts regular tips and tricks to help mums.
Charlotte can be contacted here:
Instagram: Charlotte_sleepylambs
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