The clocks will go back on 29th October 2023. For those without small children, the clock change signals a blissful extra hour in bed, or perhaps a lazy morning with a paper and a mug of coffee while you enjoy the extra hour in your day. But if you’re a parent of a baby or toddler you may be shuddering at the thought. Does that mean that my 6am wake up is going to turn into a 5am wake up?! It’s definitely got a few of you feeling very nervous, but fear not, there are things you can do to manage the Autumn clock change.
Which approach should I take?
There are two approaches to this, and also a set of things that it’s a good idea to do either way. So first, decide whether you’re going to tackle the clock change in one go, or whether you want to do it gradually over about four days. As a general rule, the younger or more sensitive your child is, the more you’ll want to lean towards the four-day option. If you’ve got a persistent early riser then I’d also recommend going for the gradual approach.
The gradual approach
With this approach, you’re going to start prepping for the clock change on the Wednesday night. Keep all the same elements in your bedtime routine, but you’re going to start it 15 minutes later, meaning bedtime happens 15 minutes later than usual. So if a normal bedtime for you is 7:00pm, then bedtime on Wednesday is at 7:15pm. Do the same for the next three nights, each day moving your routine back by 15 minutes, so Thursday is 7:30pm, Friday is 7:45pm and Saturday is 8:00pm. On Sunday, your 8:00pm bedtime will have magically become a 7:00pm bedtime again as the clocks will have moved back an hour and you can continue with your 7:00pm routine just as you used to.
You also have to shift the start of your day at the other end too. So whatever time represents an acceptable time to open the curtains and get your little one out of their cot or bed, you’re going to move that back by 15 mins each day from Thursday morning to Sunday morning too. For a 7:00pm bedtime, I’d normally say that 6:00am is an acceptable time to let the light in and start the day. So on Thursday you wouldn’t get your little one up before 6:15am, 6:30am on Friday, 6:45am on Saturday. And on Sunday the clocks will have gone back, so it’ll say 6:00am on your bedside clock or phone at what would otherwise have been 7:00am, so go ahead and return to your normal 6:00am wake ups from Sunday morning. (Remember, if your child is getting up earlier than this you should treat it in the same way that you would do in the middle of the night and either re-settle them, or leave them to settle themselves – you don’t want to cement early wakings by getting their body clock used to getting up and eating or playing at this time of day.)
This gradual routine, with a 15 minute shift each day provides the most gentle approach to the Autumn clock change. If you have a very young or sensitive baby, consider nudging the last nap back by 10-15 minutes each day too, just so you’re not stretching out that last wake before bedtime too much.
The all-in-one approach
Can’t commit to four days of gradual routine shift? Or have a little one that a bit more able to go with the flow when it comes to sleep? In that case you can do the clock change in one go. The Autumn clock change (fall back) is a slightly trickier one to do in one go than the spring one is, but it’s still possible. Here’s how you’ll do it.
On Saturday you’ll push the last nap of the day back by 30 mins, stretching their wake window a little bit, and then push bedtime back by 1hr from your normal bedtime. Say your child is on a two-nap schedule, with naps around 10:00am and 2:30pm and bedtime at 7:00pm. On the Saturday of the clock change your little one will now be put down for their naps at 10:00am and 3:00pm, with bedtime at 8:00pm.
By the morning the clocks will have changed, so you’ll keep to your normal window for starting the day, which will likely be between 6:00am and 7:00am. If your little one wake before that, try to resettle them or leave them to resettle themselves until it gets to 6:00am. It might take a couple of days for their body clock to fully adjust to the new time in the mornings, but you’ll quickly be back on your normal 7:00am to 7:00pm routine.
Things to do whichever approach you choose
Whether you’ve gone for a gradual approach or an all-in-one jump, these things will be helpful to do on the Sunday.
Get outdoors – daylight and fresh air are both helpful in allowing your body clock to adjust to the new timings.
Use blackout blinds – with the mornings becoming lighter again with the clock change, it’s important to install a good blackout blind to stop that light from creeping in too early.
Plan an engaging activity for Sunday afternoon – they might be feeling a bit tired from the clock change, so plan something interesting to take them through to bedtime.
Keep your routine the same – consistent bedtime routines provide little ones with consistent sleep cues, so keep the elements of your routine the same while they’re adjusting to the new timings.
Respond to their needs – if they’re looking exhausted, then let them go to bed a bit earlier and use the gradual plan to then slowly move bedtime back to where it should be over the next few days. It’s better to take a few days to adjust than to have a grumpy baby or toddler who wants to be up at 5am!
Good luck!
Wishing you a smooth clock change and (just possibly) an extra hour in bed…
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