The clocks are due to go back this weekend which, for sleep-deprived parents, means the chance of an extra hour in bed. But that’s on one condition: your toddler gets the memo.
Sleep expert Lucy Wolfe says the clock change in October is usually the most difficult one for parents as it links to early rising.
But while a lot of things related to young children’s sleep is completely out of our control – in fact, just this week a study found toddlers will drop their daytime naps when their brain has developed (see, completely out of our control) – there is one thing you can start doing from today to help ready your child for the clock change.
And hopefully, in the process, give yourself a bit of a lie-in come Sunday.
One of the key things to do is to start bedtime later by 15 minutes each night from the Wednesday before the clocks change to try and match the new time, says Wolfe, who has teamed up with toy brand Baby Annabell and founder of the Motherkind podcast, Zoe Blaskey, to talk all things toddlers.
Of course, there’s a chance this won’t work for some kids as sleep can be impacted by all kinds of factors. “From two plus, toddlers are met with huge transitions,” she says. “They are dropping naps, moving away from dummies and transitioning into a big bed – there are huge changes going on with sleep maturation.”
But it’s certainly worth a shot for the sake of an extra hour – or even, let’s face it, 10 minutes – in bed.
The sleep expert says helping children get to sleep is “like a marketing process” – it’s all about how we sell the sleep routine to them and explain everything to them.
Bedtime routines should be about 20 minutes long, suggests The Sleep Foundation, consisting of three to four quiet, soothing activities. This could be putting on pyjamas, brushing teeth and reading. The aim is to create a sense of familiarity and comfort.
Somewhat controversially, Wolfe suggests bath-time shouldn’t be part of the bedtime routine every night as it can actually wind children up, rather than help them wind down.
“Bath time isn’t always a relaxing experience, it can often be entertaining and not something we need to do every night, so we don’t need to commit it to the routine,” she says.
It goes without saying screen-time before bed is also a no-no, as is letting them sleep with pets (simply because old Fido might wake them up if they move about).
Instead, some things you can do to help your child relax include using low lighting, reading bedtime stories and even using dolls to role play the bedtime experience – help your toddler tuck their doll or teddy into their own little bed, for instance, to signal that everyone is going to sleep.
If your house can be a bit noisy after hours, it’s worth considering using a fan or white noise machine to drown out any noises that might wake your little one – particularly useful during firework season.
The temperature of the room should also be not too hot and not too cold. Experts recommend anywhere between 16-20 degrees Celsius.
Ultimately though, don’t stress about the upcoming clocks changing because it’s not really something you have any control over.
As Wolfe puts it: “It’s something that has to happen and it’s going to happen.”