Prevent the Clock Change Affecting Your Child’s Sleep Routine
Posted on 21st March 2023 at 10:31
Nowadays, the clocks going forward doesn’t really affect us as adults. Our phones and computers change automatically so we only need to change the clock on the mantelpiece after we realise that it’s an hour behind! However, your little one’s sleep routine can be totally messed up by losing an hour’s sleep. Here are 4 useful tips to make sure your child is affected as little as possible by the change on 26th March 2023.
1. New Bedtime
2 days before the clocks change try making bedtime 30 mins later. This way by the time you reach the clock change you’re already working to the new time!
2. New Bedtime = New Nap and Mealtimes
Changing your little one’s bedtime means you’ll also need to change their nap-times and mealtimes accordingly. Simply bring those forward by as much as you’re bringing the bedtime earlier each day to keep the consistency.
3. The Impact of Light
Light is important in maintaining our body clocks. During the day, make sure your child gets plenty of natural light, so their body understands that it’s daytime. This will help them wake up in the morning, too. As it gets lighter, it might be an idea to invest in some blackout blinds/curtains to help reproduce a darker environment and a night-time feel and ensure your little one can get to sleep. Your child’s bedroom should be a calm and peaceful place.
4. Up the exercise.
Play games with your child – this way they'll feel more physically ready for sleep. But don't totally wear them out as completely over-tired children can – strange as it sounds– actually be harder to get to sleep!
The key to a good bedtime routine is consistency so your usual routine should be maintained even when the times are altered slightly, don’t radically change anything, small changes work best. If your child struggles to change initially, they will settle down again after a few days when a good sleep routine is in place. In the meantime, if there are any changes that we need to be made aware of at nursery, please do let us know and we will do our best to accommodate them. We understand that this can be a stressful time for parents as they may feel a little lost when their child doesn’t sleep well.
According to the Sleep Charity spokesperson, "Children with good sleep routines tend to cope better with the changes in time as they know what to expect at the end of the day, even if the actual timings are slightly altered."
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