This coming weekend the clocks go back which fills many parents with dread……that 6am wakeup call is now going to be 5am. The extra hour in bed is a thing of the past!

With a few days to go it gives you a chance to start to prepare for the time change. These are my top tips for managing the clock changes:

• Move bedtime, meal times and nap times forward 20 minutes on Thursday, Friday and Saturday night. This won’t necessarily have an immediate knock on effect in the mornings – it can take time but this gives you a tapered head start.
• Have an active weekend this weekend. Get outside early in the morning. This will help readjust your child’s body clock to the new time. It will also make sure everyone is nicely tired with all the fresh air!
• For young babies make sure the first morning feed is as close to the new time as possible and in a light environment.
• Evenings are darker which is perfect as bright light directly inhibits the production of melatonin “the sleep hormone”. Keep lighting low before bedtime.
• Don’t forget mornings will be lighter so make sure your blackout blinds are up. If you are reading this too late or haven’t had an opportunity to start stretching out bedtime then just take the same steps after Sunday. It is better to do it bit by bit rather than moving the whole hour which ultimately might give you an overtired child.

It takes a good week or even two to start seeing the results of moving a bedtime so don’t worry if it takes a little time.

Having a great bedtime routine  and a good daytime routine will make the clocks changing easier for both you and baby.

Get in touch if you have any questions: Contact Me.