Navigating Daylight Savings (Back 1hr)

When daylight saving ends and the clocks go back one hour, it can throw off your baby’s routine. But also you may put effort into adjusting routines in the lead up to daylight saving only to find it doesn’t make much difference to your child. Below I share my advice and what suits particular age groups.

What was previously a 6:30pm bedtime can suddenly feel like 5:30pm to your baby’s body clock, which can often lead to earlier bedtimes and early wake ups for a few days while their body adjusts.

For some families the change is barely noticeable, while for others it can feel like it disrupts the routine you’ve worked hard to establish.

For babies who are in a more structured routine, there are two main ways you can approach the change.

Gradually adjusting your baby’s routine

One option is to slowly adjust your baby’s routine in the days leading up to the clock change.

Around five days before daylight saving, you can begin shifting your baby’s routine by 15 minutes each day. This includes their awake times, naps, meals and bedtime.

For example, if your baby normally wakes around 7am and goes to bed around 6:30pm, the adjustment could look something like this:

5 days before the clock change
Wake: 7:15am
Bedtime: 6:45pm

4 days before
Wake: 7:30am
Bedtime: 7:00pm

3 days before
Wake: 7:45am
Bedtime: 7:15pm

2 days before
Wake: 8:00am
Bedtime: 7:30pm

1 day before
Wake: 8:00am
Bedtime: 7:30pm

By the time the clocks go back, your baby’s body clock will already be adjusted and their routine should feel quite similar on the new time.

Some families like this approach because it gives them a bit more control and helps keep routines predictable.

The “cold turkey” approach

The other option is to simply stick with your normal routine and adjust on the day the clocks change.

This means waking your baby at their usual time according to the new clock and continuing with naps and bedtime as you normally would.

While this can feel like a bigger shift at first, many babies adjust quite quickly within a few days.

Consistency with awake windows, naps and bedtime will help their body clock settle into the new timing.

What if you have a newborn?

If you have a newborn, you are actually unlikely to notice the change very much at all.

When your baby isn’t yet in a structured routine, making adjustments ahead of daylight saving can feel overwhelming and often unrealistic.

Newborn sleep is naturally unpredictable and their “routine” is often based around feeding and sleep cues rather than fixed times. This stage is already quite flexible, so trying to prepare for a clock change isn’t usually necessary.

If this is you, it is completely normal to simply continue responding to your baby’s needs and cues as you normally would.

Older babies may not need adjustments either

If your little one is around 8–9 months old and onwards, and they manage their awake windows well, it may also not be necessary to make adjustments ahead of the clock change.

Babies from this age can generally cope quite well if one day their sleep is a little off. Even if they accidentally skip a nap or have a shorter sleep day, they can often bounce back easily and find their rhythm again the following day.

When daycare is involved

If your little one attends daycare, gradually adjusting routines leading up to daylight saving may not always be possible.

Educators are caring for multiple children throughout the day and may not be able to adjust routines in small increments when they are managing a full room of children.

In these situations it may be easier to simply allow your baby to adjust naturally once the clocks change.

At the end of the day, do what works best for you and your family.

You may put effort into adjusting routines in the lead up to daylight saving only to find it doesn’t make much difference to your child.

Your baby may wake unexpectedly from your new plan, or not respond in the way you expected.

Or you may feel more comfortable having a plan in place ahead of time and preparing for the change.

Both approaches are completely okay.

With patience and consistency, most babies adjust to the new time within a few days and find their rhythm again.