How to establish a good baby sleep routine

Whilst the thought of springtime and sunnier days is extremely exciting for any parent who has been entertaining their baby indoors for the winter period, it also means that the clocks will be moving very soon! For some parents, this brings about confusion and anxiety over how best to deal with the shift in old time to new time, especially after having recently settled baby into a routine. If that is you – then we have got you!

First of all, let’s consider when this happens and set a little reminder for ourselves. The clocks officially SPRING forward (think lambs, chicks and daffodils!) on the 30^th March at 1am, which is essentially the middle of the night. You (and baby) will go to bed on Saturday evening, and wake up on Sunday in the new time. Most phones and digital devices will change themselves, but I always think it is nice to have an analogue watch or clock nearby that you haven’t changed, just so that you can double check 😊

What does this mean for sleep? Well the good news is that baby’s and toddlers are generally very adaptable to time shifts, so we don’t want you to be worrying too much! However there are various approaches you can choose and as time goes by, you will start seeing various ways of doing it popping up on socials and at times it can be confusing. Our biggest tip after 15 years of working with babies and sleep…choose which approach feels right for you, rather than what works for anyone else.

Here are the two main approaches to dealing with the clock change that you can opt for:

For those parents who prefer to feel in control, which admittedly isn’t always easy with a little person – this approach might well suit you best. By prepping in advance, you help your baby or toddler get used to the new time before the clocks actually change. This means starting to shift timings in their routine four days before it actually happens. So this would look like starting on the Wednesday prior to the clock change and on this day, making their usual nap times and feed times 15 minutes earlier. For example, if they usually go to bed at 7pm, putting them down at 6.45pm instead. By moving their feed and nap/bedtimes 15 minutes earlier each day (in the four day run up) it means that by the day the clocks change (Saturday night), you will be putting them to bed at 6pm – which in the new time the following day will actually be 7pm!  Therefore waking up on the Sunday with a baby who is already going by the new clock times, rather than the old clock.

For those parents who don’t have a routine, or who read the prepping times and can’t quite get their head around the numbers (trust me – I have been a sleep consultant for 15 years and I still have to double check myself on this every single year!), then you may want to go with the doing nothing approach. This means that you will simply just see what happens… If you have a baby who has been an easy sleeper and generally is not impacted by awake windows, or how long they are awake, then this option may actually suit you really well. By doing nothing, you’ll either find that they are just a little more tired on the Sunday as bedtime will “feel” like 8pm, even if they usually go down at 7pm, but otherwise there is no harm in waiting it out and seeing what happens. Much like with jet lag, after a few days things will likely just fall into place.

If neither of the above sounds attractive to you, then meet in the middle and opt for an earlier bedtime by 30 minutes the night before the clock change. As an example, 6.30pm bedtime rather than 7pm. The following day once the clocks have changed, this will be 7.30pm, and you can just opt to put them to bed that little bit later, or just shift it earlier by 30 minutes again so that you are back to your usual 7pm bedtime.

1.        When putting your little one down earlier before the clocks change, they may not be as tired as normal so encourage lots of physical activity like getting outside and crawling, walking or romping around. This is a great way to stimulate them and make them feel more sleepy, ready for that slight shift in bedtime. You could also shave 15 minutes off their final nap to just ensure that they are still as tired as usual.

2.        Natural light really helps to sync our body clocks and forms the basis of our circadian rhythm (a fancy term for our internal clocks). Getting out in the sunshine in the morning and late afternoon will always help your little one when it comes to sleep.

3.        Remember that as we move into spring, mornings become lighter! Whilst there is a short term period post clock change when it will feel as though early mornings are darker temporarily, we will soon be in bright 5am sunshine territory which is not conducive to your little one sleeping much past then. Black out blinds or curtains can be really helpful in those summer months to help ensure that they sleep for longer and you don’t end up with an early riser!

Baby sleep is of course a complex topic and there is so much more to it than simple clock change shifts, however with knowledge comes power and by understanding the various approaches to the clock change, you can decide which approach works best for you and your little one and feel empowered in your approach. We do hope you enjoy the spring sunshine!