The clocks go forward overnight this year for Daylight Savings – BST on Sat/Sun 28^th/29th March.  One concern due to the extra brightness is that your child may begin to resist going to sleep at bedtime, leading to resistance and sometimes, therefore a cycle of fatigue.

•  It can be helpful to this transition if your child is typically well rested in the run up to the time change. This may be helped by regular wake times all week, alongside regular bedtimes as well. If you child still requires a nap- generally up to age three, ensure that this is provided for and stay observant of mood and behaviours that may signal becoming over-activated and act on this.
• As it will now be brighter at bedtime and in the morning time, it may be important that you now have blackout blinds and curtains and can isolate light sources that may enter the room and have an adverse impact on sleep in general.
• A dark, warm, calm and sleep friendly environment can help with going to sleep with ease and may avoid unnecessary early rising due to light signally to the brain that it is time to wake up.
• Fortunately, the time change in the springtime may also be an opportunity for routine early risers to improve their wake time, which can be a relief to parents.

However, research suggests that firstly it will take time for the young body to adjust to the new timings, light effects and feeding dynamic.  Be patient with yourself and with them too. On average is may take up to a little over a week for children aged under 1 and 3-4 days for those aged 2-3, to get back to their original bed “timing”. The morning wake time may shift, but it is unlikely to be the full hour, meaning that less overall sleep is likely. Nighttime sleep for those aged under one may be shorter by up to 15 minutes in the month after the time change.

Time -Change Adjustments

You can adjust your child’s schedule earlier by 15 minutes every day from Wednesday 25^th March.  so that by Sunday you will already be on the new time on the clock.  This means waking them earlier, providing naps and meals earlier as the days go by.

However, I generally encourage that we  do nothing until the day of the change, make sure you either treat any wake before 6.30am “new time” (5.30am yesterday) as night time or wake your child by 08.30am “new time”(7.30am yesterday) that morning and then follow your daily routine, addressing meals, naps and bedtime as you always do, but offering a level of flexibility based on their cues and mood.  This may mean that everything you do on Sunday is later on the clock than it normally would be.  Or you may report that you land somewhere halfway between the old and new time.

Bedtime may require additional adjusting, either earlier or later as you navigate the first few days, but within 3-8 days their system will adjust, and your regular timetable will return. The time this takes is equally dependent on age and temperament as well.

Important for the rest of next week.

From Monday onwards treat any wake before 6 am “new time” as night-time and wake no later than 8am “new time”.  From Tuesday wake no later than 7.30am thereafter.

1. Bear in mind that we do not really want the time change to achieve anything, except that by the end of the week we are on the same time schedule that we have always been on prior to the spring forward.  If a later wake time emerges, this is a bonus and not a goal.
2. Attempting to the get time change to adjust bedtime later or create a later wake time, rarely has a positive result, often resulting in night-time activity and decreased nap durations by day. If it naturally emerges, that is ideal.
3. Remember by Tuesday onwards wake by 730am “new time” each day so that the internal body clock is not interrupted, distorting your nap and bedtime rhythm.  The return-to-work, nursery and school supports this within the first week.
4. Treat any disruptions with my stay-and-support approach as appropriate and be predictable so that you resolve the sleep difficulties that arise during this transition.
5. If necessary, add an extra 10-15 minutes to your current bedtime routine to help prepare your child adequately for sleep time.  Make sure that your bedtime routine happens in the bedroom and is focused on preparing your child for sleep, on connection and relationship.

Adults can help their own sleep profile by limiting their caffeine intake this weekend if possible and setting a reasonable wake time and initiate exposure to bright and natural light and movement within the first 30m-1h of getting up.  Adjusting bedtime and waketime earlier by 20m from Friday onwards can help the transition further. From Monday get up no later than 8am new time and then no earlier than 7,30am or the time that you need to be up by in general. Ensure that the bedroom is cool and dark enough to support sleep.  It can be helpful to use light and dark, stress releasing and nervous system regulatory activities by day, bedtime rituals and in some cases natural solutions such as lavender essential oils, chamomile teas and a lotion or spray at bedtime with unique sleep-inducing characteristics.

Lucy Wolfe is a Sleep Practitioner, Relationship Mentor, Post-Graduate Researcher (PhD), Author of The Baby Sleep Solution and All About the Baby Sleep Solution, creator of “Sleep Through”, a natural bed and body sleep spray and relaxing rub, and Mum of four. She runs a private sleep consulting practice where she provides knowledge, expertise, and valuable support to families around the world. See www.sleepmatters.ie |+35387 2683584 or lucy@sleepmatters.ie