This blog is written by Lucy Woodward from our friends at Sweet Dreamers. Creators of the award-winning Ewan The Dream Sheep
On Sunday 25th October at 2am, the clocks are going back…. So that means an EXTRA HOUR in bed!
…Except, of course, if you’re the parent of a small child, and you’ve not prepared your little one for the big change. Your usual just about bearable 6am wakeup call could turn into a heavy-eyed 5am start!
Easing into a new routine
If you have read this in good time and you have a little while to prepare, we suggest putting little ones to bed 10 mins or so later over the week leading up to the clock change, so that by the time the clocks go back they are already nicely into the new routine.
Last-Minute Tips
If not and you have a matter of days to go, never fear, here are a few last-minute tips to help ease the transition:
- Keep your little bundles of joy up 20 minutes later tonight and then again tomorrow night and so on – that way you’re at least nearly halfway there!
- If they’re going up to bed later, remember to give them an extra snack during the early evening to help combat hunger, nobody can get to sleep on an empty stomach.
- Try to adjust your meal times over the weekend by shifting them 30 minutes or so later, as this can be a great help towards setting your little one’s body clock.
- Finally, try filling the weekend with lots of activity. Wrap up warm and go for a long woodland/beach walk, so that your little ones get lots of fresh air or take them to a park to let out some energy. Try to make sure you come home around 30 to 45 mins later than you normally would so that your whole routine is shifted back.
Don’t despair…. the good news is that although it’s a bit of a shock to the system (yours as well as your baby), it really shouldn’t take that long for you all to get back to your normal bedtime routine.
Good luck and sleep well!
Baa for now x
