With the clocks due to go back an hour at the end of the month, most people will be looking forward to an extra hour in bed! (The clocks change on the 25th October 2015, btw!)
But if you have a baby or small child, you could find that these changes can have a negative impact on your schedule. If you have a baby who wakes at 7am now, chances are you are gearing yourself up for her to wake at 6am once the clocks have changed – or worse!
Here we have a few tips to help you transition well into winter time.
Babies
Start to put your baby to bed around 10 minutes later than normal around two weeks prior to the clocks changing. Continue to increase this by 10 minutes every other day, until they are going to sleep at roughly an hour later than their usual bedtime.
Sometimes it’ll take a while for this new routine to be established and accepted by your baby, and they will continue to wake up at the same time in the morning as before – don’t give up, keep with it!
Babies need lots of naps, so it is best to keep your routine as it was – however, if your baby usually wakes at 7am and naps again at 10am, but is sleeping through till 8am now, make sure you don’t put her down for a nap till 11am. Try to stick to three hours between naps.
As the clocks go back in the early hours of Sunday morning, make sure you have an action planned weekend! Plenty of long walks in the fresh air and lots of exercise and tummy time for her for example will ensure that she is tired out come the evening.
As parents, go to bed early! Make sure that one of you is prepared to get up with her if she wakes at 6am (which she will think is 7am!)
Be tolerant – adjusting to the clocks can take a few days to settle in, so it is important that you plan and prepare.
Toddlers and Young children
With younger children, you might find that you can explain to them about the clock change and get them excited about it – after all, it’s an extra hours sleep!
Put them to sleep a little later on the night of the clock change to encourage them to sleep till the normal time. Change their clock before you go to bed, so that when they wake up, the clock is on the right time.
Encourage them to stay in bed or their cot for a little while longer if they have still woken up early and plan a weekend full of activities that are sure to wear them out.
If these tips have been helpful to you, let us know in the comments!
