It’s that time again! Winter is fast approaching  and this not only means the fun of Halloween, Fireworks and Christmas, but also the dreaded clock change! Noooooooo! This is something that so many of our clients and parent friends worry about, particularly when they have spent so long getting their little people into wonderful sleep and routine patterns only for it to be all thrown up into the air by the clocks going backwards.

Panic not! Children and babies in particular are very adaptable and seem to adapt very well to changes in the body clock as long as they are managed and, if needed, adjusted gently. There are a few schools of thought when it comes to HOW to support your child with this so here are our top 3 strategies you can use in the coming days….

1.  Slowly does it: If your child is under 2 and/or sensitive to change of routine, then this option could be for you as you will slowly be adjusting your child’s schedule a few days before the clock change. We moving bedtime (and naps and meals if relevant) later by 15  minutes starting from Wednesday 27th October. Here is what these days may look like if you have a 7-7 schedule (please just adjust based on your timings if different):

Wednesday 27th October- 7.15pm bedtime

Thursday 28th October- 7.30pm bedtime

Friday 29th October- 7.45 bedtime

Saturday 30th October- 8pm bedtime

Sunday 31st October- Back to 7am bedtime

The hope is that your child will also wake up 15 minutes later however, this is determined by their internal clock so may not happen. If it doesn’t, try to keep them in their room and in ‘night time mode’ 15 minutes longer to match their sleep time. To keep everything on track, ensure that you also offer naps and food 15 minutes later on these days too! By Sunday evening, you should be back on track with no further adjustments needed.

2.  Do nothing: Yes, you heard us right! If your child is over 2 or not particularly sensitive to change, this option may be for you. Immediately follow the new time once the clock change. You may get some early waking if you go for this option as, if your child historically goes to bed at 7pm, they may wake at 6am on the day of the clock change but this should only take 3 / 4 wake ups for your child to adjust and wake ups to go back to their normal time.

3.  Finally, you could split the difference:  This works well if you have slightly older children that need some help adjusting. You do nothing up to the clock change and then, on the day, you move everything forward by 30 minutes. For the first 3 days after the clock change, move naps, meal times and bedtimes forward by 30 minutes.

 e.g. Nap at 9- becomes 9.30am

        Lunch at 11.30 becomes lunch at 12

        Afternoon nap at 12.30 becomes nap at 1pm

        Bedtime at 7 becomes bedtime at 7.30

This method gives your child’s internal clock a chance to catch up with the change. By day 3 or 4 you should be able to ease back into your ‘normal’ schedule or routine with minimal stress!

For more advice, get in touch here, or head to our Instagram page for more top tips or to drop us a quick message.

C& E xxx