Clocks Going Back with Kids: How to Help Your Child’s Sleep Adjust

You’ll know the drill: the clocks go back, you’re looking forward to an extra hour in bed, and your child has other plans. They’re up and ready to start the day, and when you look over at the clock, it’s only 5 am. You pull the duvet a little higher and hope they’ll settle, but you’ll be lucky if they do.

One bad night is recoverable. A fortnight of 5 am starts is a different matter. Reassuringly, most children settle within about a week, and there are two ways to help them get there. We’ll walk through both, so you can pick the one that suits your child’s age and temperament. 

What actually happens when the clocks go back

When the clocks go back an hour, nothing changes for your child’s body clock. It carries on exactly as it was. What changes is the number on the clock in the hall, which is suddenly an hour behind where their body thinks it should be.

The practical result is early waking. A child who reliably surfaced at 6 am now surfaces at 5 am, because 5 am is their 6 am. At the other end of the day, bedtime arrives an hour before their body feels ready for it. 

The autumn change is usually the gentler of the two, because gaining an hour is easier to absorb than losing one. Our guide to Clocks Going Back: How the Time Change Affects Your Sleep has the full explanation, and Why You Might Be Feeling Sleepier in Autumn looks at what the darker months do to the rest of us.

The two methods, and how to choose

There are two reasonable approaches here, and neither is better than the other. The right one depends on how your child handles change.

Method 1: shift gradually (start the week before)

If your child is thrown by even small changes to their routine, easing into the new time is worth the effort. Start around a week before the clocks go back, moving bedtime, naps and meals 10–15 minutes later every night or two.

So a 7 pm bedtime becomes 7.15 pm, then 7.30 pm, and on from there. Move the whole day together rather than stretching the evening while everything else stays put — naps and meals are part of the same rhythm. By Sunday, the routine should sit close to the new time.

This suits children who are sensitive to changes in routine, and babies whose days are built around a predictable nap schedule. It also gives you a week to watch how your child responds, and slow down if they’re struggling.

Treat the timings as a guide, not a target. If your child is clearly tired, a smaller shift is better than pushing on to a later bedtime.

Method 2: hold the routine and let them adjust

If your child takes things in their stride, you can leave the routine exactly where it is. Breakfast, naps and bedtime stay at their usual clock times on Sunday, and their body clock catches up in its own time.

Expect some early waking, and some earlier tiredness, for the first few days. Keep the daily pattern reasonably consistent and allow a little flexibility where your child needs it. Many children settle within about a week, though some take longer.

This is often the easier option for older children, for children who cope well with change, and for families who would rather not run a week-long project alongside everything else. There’s no preparation — just a few unsettled mornings.

Which should I pick?

Go gradual if small changes in timing tend to throw your child off, or if their nap schedule needs careful handling. Hold the routine if your child is adaptable, or if a week of planning would add more stress to your household than a few early mornings would.

Age by age

What works depends a good deal on how old your child is. Here’s what to expect at each stage.

Under 12 months

If your baby already has a settled bedtime, you can either shift it gradually or let them find the new timing afterwards. Either way, follow their tiredness cues and keep the familiar parts of the routine in place. For younger babies whose sleep is still irregular, there’s no need to impose a fixed bedtime just because the clocks have changed.

The Lullaby Trust recommends keeping the room between 16 and 20°C, with light bedding or a lightweight, well-fitting baby sleep bag. They advise against duvets and quilts for babies to help prevent overheating.

A cellular blanket is one example of light bedding — the kind with an open weave of small holes, usually cotton. The weave traps pockets of air for warmth while still letting air move through, and it’s easy to add or take away a layer as the room changes.

Babies under 12 months shouldn’t have a duvet or a pillow. Our guide to When Can Children Sleep With Pillows and Duvets? covers when that changes.

Toddlers (1–3)

The hardest group, and the one most likely to cost you sleep. They can’t tell the time, but they know perfectly well when they’re awake. At this age, consistency of routine matters more than the exact timing of it.

A sleep training clock can help — the kind that uses pictures and colours to show when it’s time to sleep and when it’s time to get up. You set the morning time, and the display changes when it arrives. It gives a toddler something they can understand, though it won’t necessarily stop them waking early.

Pre-school and primary (4–8)

Old enough to be told what’s happening, which is a strategy in itself. Explain that the clocks have changed and that mornings will feel odd for a few days. Either method works at this age, and most parents find holding the routine is less effort.

Older children and teens

Teens generally sort themselves out. The bigger issue for older children isn’t the hour itself — it’s that darker mornings make getting up harder for the rest of the term.

The early-waking problem

If your child usually wakes at 6 am, that becomes 5 am when the clocks go back. Their body clock needs time to catch up, and a few consistent habits help it get there faster.

Keep a steady start to the day. Try not to let 5 am become the new time for breakfast, bright lights and play, or you’ll teach the early start rather than unlearn it. Pick a realistic morning start time and keep things dim and quiet before it. Offer comfort, a feed or a nappy change as needed — the aim is a calm room, not a strict one.

Get outside after breakfast. NHS guidance on children’s sleep advises making sure your child gets natural light every day, and that morning light is best. So once the day has properly started, open the curtains and get out if you can. The nursery run counts. So does ten minutes in the garden.

Keep dawn out of the bedroom. After the autumn change, daylight arrives an hour earlier by the clock. NHS advice suggests blocking out as much light as possible with blackout curtains or blinds. Check the edges too — a gap down one side of a blind undoes most of the work.

Give it time. Early waking usually eases within a week or so, though some children take longer. Keep the routine steady rather than changing tactics every morning. A slow adjustment is normal, not a sign that anything’s wrong.

The bedroom environment

When the clocks go back, it’s worth checking the room as well as the routine. The heating usually comes on around the same week, so a bedroom can be warmer than it was a fortnight ago even as the weather outside turns.

Check the temperature

The Lullaby Trust recommends 16–20°C for babies. Use a room thermometer rather than guessing, and check again once the heating has been running for an evening. Feel their chest or the back of their neck — hot or sweaty skin means fewer layers. Cool hands and feet are normal, and not a reason to add one.

Manage the light

Darker evenings are useful: dim the lights an hour before bed and let the room stay dark overnight. Mornings are the problem. Daylight now arrives earlier by the clock, so blackout blinds or heavier curtains earn their place in autumn. Open them when you’re ready for the day to start, not before.

Reconsider the bedding

For older children, breathable bedding that lets heat and moisture escape is what stops a warm room from turning into a restless night. Choose warmth and weight to suit the room’s actual temperature, rather than reaching for something thicker because it’s October.

For babies, keep to a well-fitting sleep bag or light bedding, and follow the temperature guidance on whatever you’re using. Pillows, duvets and bulky bedding stay out of the sleep space.

Our Panda Kids™ collection is made for exactly this — breathable bamboo, soft on sensitive skin, with each piece sized for its stage:

• Baby Memory Foam Bamboo Pillow — from age 1
• Toddler Bamboo Pillow — from age 2
• Kids Memory Foam Bamboo Pillow — from age 4
• Kids 100% Bamboo Bedding Set — for older children
• Kids Cloud Bamboo Duvet — once your child is ready for a duvet
  

Under 12 months, none of these: a well-fitting baby sleep bag or light bedding is what you want, with no pillow and no duvet.

For tog, our Children’s TOG Rating & Buying Guide works through it by age and room temperature. And worth saying before you buy anything: if the heating is on, you may not need heavier bedding at all.

What about the spring clock change?

When the clocks go forward in March, the same two methods apply in reverse. You can shift bedtime, meals and naps earlier across the week before, or hold your usual routine and let your child adjust afterwards.

Losing an hour is generally the harder of the two, because bedtime arrives before anyone feels ready for it. Allow a little more patience in spring than you needed in autumn.

So what’s the best way to handle it?

Mostly it comes down to the week after the change rather than the change itself. A consistent start to the day, daylight in the morning, and a dark room until you’re ready for everyone to be up — keep those three steady and most children land on the new time within about a week. Some take longer, and that’s normal too.

It’s worth a look at the room while you’re at it. The heating tends to come on the same week the clocks change, which is easy to miss when all your attention is on the routine.

FAQ

1. What time should I put my baby to bed when the clocks go back?

Aim for their usual bedtime by the clock. If bedtime is normally 7 pm, keep it at 7 pm after the change. Your baby may well be sleepy an hour earlier at first, so it’s fine to offer an earlier bedtime for a few days and work gradually back.

2. How long does it take a child to adjust to the clock change?

Expect a few days. Some children take around a week to settle, and a few take longer. Keep routines familiar and allow some flexibility while your child is tired.

3. Should I wake my baby early to adjust their schedule?

Usually there’s no need. When the clocks go back, most babies wake earlier than usual anyway. When the clocks go forward, you can move their morning wake-up earlier in small steps if you need to get back to a set schedule, leaving enough time for sleep.

4. Why is my toddler waking at 5 am after the clocks changed?

Because 5 am feels like 6 am to their body clock. If they usually woke at 6 am, they’re still waking at the same biological time. The clock has moved, and they haven’t yet.

5. Is the autumn or spring clock change harder for children?

Spring is generally harder, because children lose an hour and bedtime arrives before their body is ready for sleep. Autumn is easier at bedtime but often brings earlier waking. Either way, expect a few disrupted days.