Kids’ bedtime hack to avoid 5:00am wake up calls when the clocks go back

On Sunday, October 25th at 2:00am the clocks will go back an hour. So that gives you 10 days to prepare your little one's schedule for a smooth adjustment.

According to schooldays.ie, if you start pushing bedtime out by just 15 minutes every night or two in the days leading up to the change, it won't be so drastic to your little one's schedule.

For most, the extra hour in bed is a welcome change, but anyone with kids knows that it most likely won't be the case for them.

If your little one wakes religiously at 7:00am, they will continue to wake at what feels like their usual time. but after the clock change it will be 6:00am.

The reason why the change affects kids so much was explained by school days: "Children’s body clocks run on a steady rhythm set by light, meals and routine.

"When the clock changes, that rhythm doesn’t move with it. Children keep waking, getting hungry and getting tired at their usual body-clock time, which now arrives an hour early by the clock on the wall.

"For most children, this settles within about a week. If sleep problems carry on for more than two weeks, speak to your GP or public health nurse, or call HSE Live on 1800 700 700."

To effectively ease your little one into the hour change, you can shift bedtime gradually over a number of days so it doesn't feel like such a big change.

Sleep experts usually suggest this approach and say you should move bedtime later by 15 minutes every two days to make the change as seamless as possible.

That goes for mealtimes too, and you should continue to push the time out until you've reached he full hour mark.

You should also keep the bedtime routine as fixed as possible to their normal routine with bath, pyjamas, teeth, story and lights out all remaining the same.

This is so children know what to expect ahead of bedtime.

The HSE also recommends shutting off screens and TV an hour before bed and avoiding big meals, snacks or rough play.

Parents should be ready for a few early mornings straight after the change, but it is advised not to rush into starting the day earlier. Parents should keep the room dark and quiet and encourage their child to rest or play quietly for a little while.

Over a couple of days, their wake up time should begin to shift back to normal as bedtime falls into sync.

Try to keep naps and quiet time as steady and fixed to their normal schedule as much as you can in the few days that follow the hour change.

The HSE advises that children over the age of nine months avoid naps after 3:30pm to ensure that they are tired enough for bedtime.