Tops tips From Lottie Hanes From Little dreams Consulting on Spring Clock Change: How to Help Your Child Adjust

When the clocks move forward in spring, we lose an hour of sleep. Naturally, many parents wonder how this might affect their little one’s routine. The good news is that with a few small adjustments, the transition can be smooth for both you and your child.

One thing to be aware of during the spring clock change is the lighter evenings. The extra daylight can sometimes make it harder for children to fall asleep or stay asleep. Keeping your child’s room as dark as possible can really help support their sleep routine.

A simple guide from Lottie Hanes at Little Dreams

To make things easier, here’s a simple guide from Lottie Hanes at Little Dreams based on your child’s age, with practical tips to help you adjust their routine when the clocks change.

For parents of early risers, this clock change can actually work in your favour. The later clock time may help shift those early morning wakeups a little later, something many parents welcome. If your child already has a well-established routine and you’re concerned about having to wake them, the tips below will help make the transition easier.

Older Children

For children who no longer nap during the day, adjusting to the clock change is usually a little easier.

A helpful approach is to “split the difference”. This simply means adjusting bedtime halfway between the old time and the new clock time.

For example, if your child usually goes to bed at 7:00pm, aim for 7:30pm on the day the clocks change.

Continue with this bedtime for around three nights to help their body clock adjust.

Some children may find this change a little tricky. If that’s the case, you could move bedtime more gradually by 15 minutes every couple of days instead.

Toddlers

Toddlers and babies over 13 months are usually on one nap per day, so both nap time and bedtime may need a small adjustment.

Using the “split the difference” method can work well here too.

For example:

• If your toddler normally naps at 12:30pm, try moving the nap slightly later to 1:00pm for the first few days after the clocks change.

  Because this means a slightly longer wake window, your little one may need a bit more support to get through the extra time. Fresh air, outdoor play, or a small natural snack can help bridge that gap.

For bedtime:

• If your toddler normally goes to bed at 7:00pm, try 7:30pm for the first three nights after the clock change.
  

Then gradually move things back:

• Night 4: Return to the usual 7:00pm bedtime

• Day 5: Move the nap back to the usual time
  

This gentle approach allows your toddler’s body clock to adjust without the change feeling too sudden.

Babies (4 Months+)

Clock changes can be a little trickier for babies, as they are often more sensitive to changes in their routine.

The key here is consistency. Try to keep their normal wake windows and daily routine as steady as possible.

For babies over 4 months, a gradual adjustment usually works best. Making small shifts over several days helps their internal clock adapt more comfortably.

For example, if your baby normally goes to bed at 7:00pm, you can slowly move bedtime earlier each night until you return to the usual schedule.

It might look like this:

• Sunday night: 7:45pm

• Monday night: 7:30pm

• Tuesday night: 7:15pm

• Wednesday night: Back to the usual 7:00pm bedtime
  

By the fourth night, most babies settle back into their normal routine with very little disruption to their sleep.

Newborn

If you have a newborn, the good news is that you don’t need to do anything at all.

Newborns generally aren’t following a structured routine yet, so the best approach is simply to continue responding to their needs and feeding or settling them as usual.

Need More Support?

If you have any questions about helping your child adjust to the spring clock change, feel free to reach out to Lottie at Little Dreams and to book a free 15-minute call where you can chat through your child’s sleep routine and how best to manage the transition.

Would you like our help?

And if you need our help in finding a fabulous, experienced nanny just like Lottie who will support you in your parenting journey, get in touch with us for an informal chat. We're here to support your family's transition every step of the way.