Clocks spring forward, bedtime takes two steps back
As a parent of young children, you learn to live with a certain level of tiredness at all times. There is no returning to pre-kid energy levels, and that’s okay. Because you’re out of the newborn stage, the chaos has settled into a mostly predictable rhythm, and you’re leaning happily on the routine.
Ah, the routine. That most important sequence of events — bath, pyjamas, teeth, books, bed — that you cling to like a lamppost in a windstorm. The nightly rituals that have given you your evenings back and made mornings feel almost civilised again. Finally, sleep has returned. You may not start each day full of energy, but you’re not three-coffees-before-9-am levels of exhausted anymore either. You’re calling it a win. You’ve done it. Bedtime level: more or less completed.
Then comes the spring clock change. A perverse moving of the goalposts that threatens the routine you’ve worked so hard to establish.
To watch your hard-won routine unravel overnight is disheartening, to say the least. It’s normal to feel frustrated. Keep in mind that you’re not alone. Every spring, this small seasonal upheaval plays out in homes across the country. On that fateful Sunday in March, parents far and wide wake to the unmistakable sound of tiny footsteps approaching their bed…far, far too early.
But all is not lost.
Although there will be wobbles, preparing for the spring clock change and staying consistent with your bedtime routine can make a big difference.
It also helps to understand the circadian science at play. What exactly is happening to your child’s sleep when the clocks change? And most importantly, how can you help your child navigate the change without letting the routine fall apart?
Why it’s harder for children than for adults
Each spring, the clocks move forward by one hour. That may not seem like a significant enough change to make much of an impact, but to children, the spring clock change can feel incredibly disorienting. Why? Quite simply, it asks them to go to sleep before their bodies feel ready, and stay in bed longer than their internal clocks tell them to.
There are two main reasons why young children find the clock change more difficult than grown-ups:
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Children rely more on external cues for sleep.
Young children use signals from their environment to understand when sleep is coming. The sun begins to go down. The world gets quieter. The familiar bedtime routine begins. When the clocks suddenly move forward, those signals fall out of sync. Light still pours through their window. Sounds drift in from outside — traffic passing, people walking down the street, neighbours chatting in their gardens. The clock may say it’s time for bed, but their bodies won’t be fooled so easily.
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Children can’t push through tiredness like you can.
Adults can deal with a poor night’s sleep by reaching for another cup of coffee, giving themselves a little pep talk, and just powering through. Young children cannot override their body clocks in the same way. Their brains are still learning how to regulate sleep and wake cycles. When they are tired, they feel it fully, and they don’t have the biological or developmental tools to push past it.
For most families, adjusting to the spring clock change takes anywhere from a few days to a couple of weeks. During that time, you may notice bedtime resistance creeping back in, overtiredness in the evenings, and mornings that start earlier than usual.
As you manage bedtime during the spring clock change, keep in mind that your child’s struggles are the result of biology, not behaviour. They aren’t being willfully difficult or disobedient. They’re simply following their body’s internal rhythms.
And this is exactly where a familiar bedtime routine becomes so powerful. It provides predictable cues that tell your child it’s time for sleep, even when their internal clock is feeling slightly off.
Preparing for the spring clock change
If you want to get ahead of the disruption the spring clock change can cause, one option is to shift your child’s bedtime gradually in the days leading up to it. Some parents choose to do this, others simply deal with the change when it arrives. Both approaches are perfectly reasonable; children will adjust either way. But if you would like to soften the transition a little, the gradual shift strategy can help.
Try the gradual shift approach
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Starting a week in advance
About a week before the clocks change, begin nudging bedtime slightly later by 10 to 15 minutes each day. This way, by the time the clocks move forward, bedtime should already be close to the new schedule. -
Starting the night before
If you happen to be reading this the night before the clock change, don’t worry. It’s not too late to try a modified gradual shift. Pushing bedtime back by 20 to 30 minutes the evening before the change can still help ease the transition.
Let natural light do some of the work
Whether or not you choose to adjust bedtime gradually beforehand, one of the simplest ways to help your child’s body clock adjust is to make the most of morning light. Natural daylight is one of the strongest signals our circadian rhythms respond to. Opening the curtains soon after waking and spending some time outside in the morning helps reinforce the new schedule.
Use external cues to guide internal rhythms
When bedtime is anchored in the same sequence of cues each night, the clock change becomes something the routine absorbs rather than something that completely disrupts it. Zeepy’s consistent light sequence and bedtime stories podcast can help provide those cues, guiding children toward sleep even when the timing of the evening feels a bit off.
On the night: stay steady, keep it familiar
When the evening of the clock change arrives, it’s best not to overthink it. Keep the routine exactly as normal: same sequence, same cues, same calm energy. In the hour before bedtime, dim the lights, close the blackout blinds, and turn off all screens. Then, follow your routine just as you always do.
If the first night feels a little unsettled, that’s completely normal. A few wobbles won’t undo the habits you’ve built. A sleep trainer clock like Zeepy can help reinforce those habits, using light and sound to signal sleep and gently guide morning wake-ups while your child adjusts.
The rhythm will return
The spring clock change will almost certainly disrupt even the most meticulously managed bedtime routine. But the foundations are still there. A routine that has worked before will work again. With a little patience and consistency, your child’s internal clock will settle back into its rhythm.
If you’re looking for a little extra support during the transition, Zeepy helps reinforce the familiar cues that guide bedtime and morning routines.
Explore how Zeepy can help keep your bedtime routine steady all year round with sleep training clocks and bedtime podcasts.