Every year, without fail, my inbox fills up with the same message: ‘The clocks changed and my baby’s routine is a mess… Help!’

If that’s you right now, take a breath. Everything will be fine. This is completely normal, and it settles faster than you think.

After 24 years of working with families and supporting over 20,000 parents globally, I can tell you the end of daylight savings is one of the most talked-about sleep disruptions at this time of year, and it’s one of the easiest to manage. Honestly by the time the end of day-light savings comes round most babies are already starting to sleep in a little longer due to the natural shift in sunrise being a little later, And if you’re anything like me you’ve probably been wishing it finished weeks ago.

Why Does the Clock Change Affect Babies and Toddlers?

Ours and our baby’s bodies run on an internal 24-hour timer called the circadian rhythm. This internal clock is regulated by light, temperature, hunger cues, and routine — not just by the numbers on your clock.
When the clocks fall back one hour, your child’s body still believes it’s the old time. So when the clock reads 6:00 am, their body still thinks it’s 7:00 am and the adjustment to the new time takes time. Their internal clock can only shift by approximately 10–15 minutes per day on its own, which is why a sudden change rarely proves effective.
The good news? If you start gently nudging things a week before the change, by the time Sunday arrives, your little one is already most of the way there.

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Let’s Talk About the Thing You’re Most Worried About: Early Waking

The fear that drives most parents to search this topic is: ‘My child is going to start waking an hour earlier and how do I adjust the rest of the day so they don’t end up going to bed too early tonight?’

This is valid. And it’s exactly what will happen if you do nothing and flip the routine overnight.

But here’s the thing: the gradual approach I’m about to walk you through is specifically designed to prevent that. When you shift the routine incrementally in the days before the change, you’re essentially walking your child’s body clock towards the new time, so the Sunday switch is barely noticeable.

A real example: Last year a mum messaged me on the Sunday night the clocks changed. Her toddler had been up since 4:30am. She was exhausted and convinced it would continue. By Thursday of that same week, they were back to their usual 6:00 am wake. One week. That’s almost always all it takes — and that was without any preparation at all. With preparation, most families barely notice the shift.

                     5 Gentle Tips to Navigate the Transition

These are the strategies I’ve refined over more than two decades of working with families. They’re attachment-based, developmentally informed, and designed for real life — not perfect conditions.

1. Start Early — Don’t Wait for Sunday

Begin adjusting your child’s routine 7 days before the clock change. This gives you time to shift gradually rather than abruptly.

Why this works: As I mentioned above, the circadian rhythm shifts slowly — about 10–15 minutes per day is the body’s natural limit. By spreading the adjustment over a full week, you’re working with your child’s biology rather than against it. Think of it like slowly turning a dial, rather than flicking a switch.

2. Start With Bedtime — But Don’t Stop There

Begin shifting bedtime forward by 15–20 minutes every 2 days. If bedtime is usually 7:00pm, move it to 7:15pm for two nights, then 7:30pm, and so on.

What most parents miss: bedtime alone won’t be enough. Your child’s body clock is anchored to multiple rhythms throughout the day, including when they feel hungry, when sleep pressure builds, and when they feel naturally alert. If you only move bedtime, the rest of the day stays anchored to the old time — which creates conflict.

3. Shift the Whole Day — Naps, Meals, and Wake Time Too

Gradually push out nap times, morning wake time, and meal times by the same increments as bedtime. This keeps everything in alignment.

The science behind it: hunger cues are partly regulated by the circadian system — meaning your child’s body starts anticipating food at the same time each day based on their internal clock. Nap pressure (the urge to sleep) is also time-anchored. When you shift only one anchor point and leave others unchanged, you get a child who is tired but won’t nap, or hungry but won’t eat. Shifting everything together prevents this mismatch.

4. Use Light — Your Most Powerful Free Tool

Light is the primary signal your child’s brain uses to regulate the sleep hormone melatonin. Bright light suppresses melatonin (hello, alertness); darkness triggers its release (hello, sleepiness). You can use this deliberately.

In the mornings: keep the room dark past the old wake time using blackout blinds – this gently discourages early waking during the transition.

In the evenings: dim lights around the home 30–45 minutes before bed to begin cueing melatonin production. Avoid bright overhead lights and screens close to bedtime.

Blockout blinds are genuinely one of the most useful tools for this transition – and for sleep year-round. If your child’s room gets early morning light, this is the week to make that change. 

Using Blockout Blinds can help if your room is too light. You can check out my Sweet Dreams Portable Blockout Blinds HERE 

5. Hold the Routine — Consistency Is the Container

Throughout all of this, keep your settling ritual identical each night. The bath, the story, the song, the same sequence — whatever your version of the bedtime routine is.

Why consistency matters so much: routines aren’t just convenient for parents. For young children, a predictable sequence of events before sleep is a neurological signal that sleep is coming. Each step lowers cortisol (the stress hormone) and raises melatonin. When the routine is the same every night, the child’s nervous system begins to anticipate sleep before they’ve even hit the pillow.

During a disruption like a time change, that anchor becomes even more important. It says: even though some things feel different right now, this — this is the same. And that is enough to feel safe.

Age-by-Age Guide: What to Expect

Not all children respond to the time change the same way. Here’s a quick snapshot by age: