So, you’ve finally got your little one into a good sleep routine then – boom … the clocks change.

On March 31st, the annual spring clock change will take place. Ushering in British Summer Time, and the promise of warmer days and lighter evenings, is something that most people look forward to. However, this simple change can cause havoc with our bodies (shockingly, there’s usually an increase in heart attacks and strokes the day after this the change), along with our baby or toddler’s sleep and nap routine.

At Turtle Tots, we understand how frustrating this can be for parents, no matter how old their children are. One minute, you may have a lovely routine sorted and know exactly when your child will be awake and ready for feeding, napping and enjoying their activities such as swimming lessons. Next, you are all out of sync, and not sure when your baby will be awake or asleep, or ready for anything.

To help you navigate this tricky period, we’ve teamed up with our good friends at Little Dreams Consulting to get the low down on how to manage your newborn, baby, toddler or older child’s transition into their summer sleeping pattern. Here’s what they have to say…

 

A GUIDE FOR MANAGING THE SPRING CLOCK CHANGE – JENNA WILSON, FOUNDER OF LITTLE DREAMS CONSULTING

If your little one is an early riser, who favours a 5am wake up, you don’t need to take any action at all. Simply stick to your little one’s current body clock – this means that the clocks change but their body clock won’t and 5am magically becomes 6am! Hooray!

However, if your current routine works for you, and you don’t want your timings to change, we have a guide for how to manage the upcoming clock change, depending upon the age of your little one…

 

Newborns:

Because these little ones have not developed sleep cycles or melatonin, you’ll find their sleep is quite unpredictable. If you have a newborn, simply jump to the new time on Sunday night as if you were traveling to a new time zone. Just allow them to fall asleep independently, as much as you can.

 

Infants (between 4-12 months):

For little ones of this age, we need to change their internal body clock a little more gradually. They will be having between 2-4 naps per day depending on how old they are, so move nap time by 15 minutes each day until they are on their ‘usual’ nap time by Thursday.

You should also do the same for bedtime, if their bedtime is normally 7pm then move bedtime 15 minutes earlier each night until you reach their normal time. So, on Sunday night you would put them down at 7.45pm (‘new springtime time’), next night at 7.30pm and so on. By the fourth night you should be back to their ‘normal’ time of 7pm.

 

Toddlers (1 and older):

These little ones will still be taking naps, but you don’t need to do anything until Sunday nap time. If they have two naps, put them down for their first nap 30 minutes earlier than normal. For example, if they usually nap at 9.30am you would put them down at 10am (‘spring time’) instead and do the same for the afternoon nap.

At bedtime if you usually put them down at 7pm, move this by 30mins and put them down at 7.30pm (‘springtime’). Do this for 3 nights after the time change and then on the 4th night put them to bed at the normal time of 7pm. You can then move nap times back to normal on day 5. Again, it may take a week or so for them to adjust but try not to get involved too much after you have put your little one into their cot. It may take a little longer for them to fall asleep as they’re technically going to bed 30 minutes earlier, but if they are happy, just leave them to it and they will naturally adjust.

 

Older children:

For children who are no longer napping we would advise you ‘split the difference’ between the old time and the new time. You don’t have to do anything until Sunday (after you’ve pretended you’ve had a lie in!) so start on Sunday night (first night of the change). Put your child to bed 30 minutes ‘later’ than they would usually go to bed – as an example, if their usual bedtime was 7pm you would put them to bed at 7.30pm (new ‘springtime’) instead. Do this for 3 nights and then on the 4th night put them to bed at the normal time – 7pm.

 

For all little ones (and us adults!):

Bear in mind that the clock change will bring lighter evenings to start with. This won’t be much of an issue for us as adults, as we go to bed later, but your little one may be going to bed when it is lighter outside. With this in mind, we recommend you make your child’s bedroom as dark as possible to limit any sunlight coming into their room which could make it difficult for them to fall/stay asleep.

Ideally a little one’s sleeping environment should be 10/10 for darkness until they become a toddler when they may need a little night light if they are scared of the dark. Using something like a blackout blind or even blackout card/material over the window can be really helpful to block any residual light.

Most importantly, daylight is the best regulator of our circadian rhythms (or body clock) so make sure you get outside on the Sunday to use the daylight – and dare we say sunshine with crossed fingers! – to help your body clock adjust.

Keep in mind: It can take about a week for children and babies to adjust to a new time – our body clocks will take their own sweet time – and some children can take up to a month. Be patient and remain consistent and it will happen! Persevere and try not to get involved too much after you have put your little one to bed. It may take a little longer for them to fall asleep but, if they are happy, just leave them to it and they will naturally adjust.

If you are having any trouble with any aspect of your child’s sleep, please do get in touch with Little Dreams Consulting – we would love to help you all get a better night’s sleep.