Twice a year the clocks shift by an hour and it takes most children about a week to catch up. The spring change and the autumn change cause different problems and need slightly different handling. Here is a practical plan for each, whether you prepare in advance or fix it afterwards.
Twice a year the clocks move by an hour and children's sleep pays for it for about a week. You can smooth it out by shifting the schedule gradually, or ride it out in a few days using light and a firm routine. Neither is complicated; the main thing is to plan for it rather than be surprised.
An hour does not sound like much, but young children run on a tighter, more routine-dependent body clock than adults, and they have less flexibility to "push through" a bad night. Their internal clock is still set to the old time while the household, and often school or nursery, has jumped to the new one.
The two changes cause different problems. Moving clocks forward in spring means you lose an hour: 7pm suddenly reads as 8pm, so bedtime feels too early, your child is not tired, and the morning wake-up feels brutal. Moving clocks back in autumn means you gain an hour: your child now wakes at what the clock calls 6am but their body calls 7am, and they flag in the early evening.
This is the gentlest approach and works well for babies, toddlers and children who do not adapt easily.
For the four to seven nights before the change, move bedtime, wake-up, meals and naps earlier by 10 to 15 minutes every day or two. By the time the clocks change, your child is already close to the new time, so you barely notice it. Get bright light into the mornings and keep evenings dim to help pull the body clock earlier.
For the four to seven nights before, move everything later by 10 to 15 minutes every day or two. Keep mornings a little darker for that week and get plenty of afternoon and early-evening light, which nudges the body clock later. After the change, if your child still wakes early, hold the new bedtime and do not rush in before an acceptable "start of day" time.
If you forgot to prepare, or your child is generally adaptable, just switch straight to the new clock time and let their body catch up over three to seven days.
Light is the strongest lever you have. Morning light shifts the body clock earlier, which is what you want in spring. Evening light shifts it later, which helps in autumn. A dark bedroom in the early morning is worth more than any gadget.
Most children are fully back to normal within about a week of either change. If your child is still significantly off two weeks later, the clock change has probably uncovered a schedule that was already borderline, and it is worth resetting it properly.
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After a clock change, check the recommended bedtime for your child's age and wake-up time and aim for it.
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