Change of Clocks: Affects on Baby's Sleep

The recent change in the clocks has probably had an impact, for many parents, on how to keep their baby's sleep schedule and routine consistent. If your baby is naturally an "early riser", the chances are that the clocks going back has meant that your baby's wake up time may have changed from 5:30am to 4:30am!! As a working mum, who might have to get up and manage the demands of motherhood with those of being professionally competent and productive at work, starting your day at 4:30am will be a challenge; starting your day at 4:30am after a night of broken sleep or playing musical beds with your toddler, will probably be even harder.

Here are some ideas of how you might make that transition a little easier when the clocks go back:

• Try to start the day at a similar time each morning (even if all you want to do is stay in bed) and stick to your baby's normal routine for daytime naps and feeds / mealtimes; babies thrive on structure and routines.
• Make sure that the bedtime regime and rituals remain the same so that baby recognises the sleep "cues" at bedtime and feels confident that he / she understands what is happening.
• Think about adjusting to the new time for bed gradually; bringing the time forward by 10 or 15 minutes earlier than usual each night over a few nights.
• Allowing baby to have plenty of physical activity and lots of natural light during the day helps with the appropriate levels of melatonin production (our natural sleep hormone that promotes baby's quality of sleep).
• Try not to set your expectations too high and look after your own needs; making sure you get plenty of rest (when you can) and taking a break to have some "me time" is crucial.