The clocks go back on 25 October: how to plan your little one's sleep

Sep 30

4 min read

The clocks go back an hour at 2am on Sunday 25 October 2026. For most grown-ups, that's a lovely extra hour in bed. For littles, whose body clocks don't read the calendar, it usually means a 6am wake-up becomes a 5am wake-up overnight.

The short answer: start moving your little one's day later now, by 15 minutes each week. By the 25th, their body clock already matches the new time and nothing changes for them. If planning isn't your thing, you can leave it until Saturday 24th instead, but that's more of a gamble.

Here's how both options work.

Why the clocks going back affects your little one's sleep

Your little one's body clock is set by a few things: when they wake up, when they eat, when they see daylight and when they go to sleep. None of those know that the clock on the wall has changed.

So on Sunday morning, a baby who usually wakes at 6am will still wake when their body says it's 6am. The clock on the wall just says 5am. By teatime, they'll be tired an hour earlier than you're used to. It's not a sleep problem. It's just a timing problem, and timing problems can be planned for.

Option 1: leave it until the day before

You can do nothing until Saturday 24 October. Then:

Keep day sleep the same as usual, or even a little less. Absolutely no extra.
Push bedtime more than an hour later than normal.
Cross your fingers.

For some littles, that's enough to carry them to the new time. For others, it means a super tired little one on Saturday night and an early start on Sunday anyway. It's an option, and it's better than nothing,

Option 2: shift slowly (for the planners, and definitely the early risers!)

Starting this week, move everything 15 minutes later each week. That's get-up time, naps, meals and bedtime. Four small steps and you're there.

Here's what it looks like for a little one who usually wakes at 7am and goes to bed at 7pm:

From Wed 30 Sep: get up 7:15am, bedtime 7:15pm
From Wed 7 Oct: get up 7:30am, bedtime 7:30pm
From Wed 14 Oct: get up 7:45am, bedtime 7:45pm
From Wed 21 Oct: get up 8:00am, bedtime 8:00pm
Sun 25 Oct (new time): get up 7:00am, bedtime 7:00pm

On the Sunday the clocks go back, 8am on their body clock is 7am on yours, and you're back to your usual day without a single early start.

If you're reading this later in October, you can still do it. Just move 15 minutes every four or five days instead.

What if they wake before the new get-up time? Keep it calm and dim. Quiet voices, lights low, no big "good morning" yet. Start the day properly at the new time. Don't worry if it takes a few days to click.

Move meals and feeds too

Your little one's body clock isn't only set by sleep. It's also set by when they eat. If you move bedtime later but breakfast stays at 7am, you're sending mixed messages.

So move milk feeds and meals by the same 15 minutes as everything else. It's a small change that makes a real difference.

Use light to help

Light is one of the strongest signals for the body clock. Morning light tells the body the day has started, which brings on sleepiness earlier in the evening.

While you're shifting later:

Keep mornings dim for a little longer. Blackout blinds are your friend.
Save the big dose of daylight, like the walk to nursery or the park, for a bit later in the morning.
In the evening, don't rush to dim everything too early.

Later light helps their body release sleep hormones a little later, which makes a later bedtime come easier.

If your little one is already waking early, start there

If your little one is already up at 5am, the clocks going back will make it 4am. So it's worth working on early starts now, before the change.

A few things to look at:

Cut back day sleep. Too much sleep in the day eats into the night. Look at their sleep across the full 24 hours, not just the nights.
Make bedtime later. A bedtime that's too early is one of the most common reasons for an early start.
Think about the dummy. If your little one needs a dummy to fall asleep, they can wake early looking for it as their sleep gets lighter towards morning. It might be time to ditch it.
Be consistent. Whatever you change, stick with it for at least a week before deciding whether it's working.

Every little one is different, so if early mornings have been going on for a while, this is exactly the kind of thing I can help you get to the bottom of.

What if it doesn't go to plan?

That's fine. Most littles settle into the new time within a week or so. Keep mornings dim, keep nudging naps, meals and bedtime later, and try not to add extra day sleep to make up for an early start. Consistency is what gets you through.

Frequently asked questions

When do the clocks go back in 2026?

At 2am on Sunday 25 October 2026, the clocks go back one hour to 1am.

How long does it take a baby to adjust to the clocks going back?

If you shift slowly beforehand, there may be nothing to adjust to. If you don't, most littles settle within a week or so.

Should I change my toddler's sleep clock?

If you use a toddler clock that changes colour in the morning, move its wake-up time along with each 15-minute step. Then update the clock itself when the clocks go back.

Want some help?

If your little one's sleep was already a struggle before the clocks got involved, you don't have to work it out on your own. My 1:1 sleep support includes a plan built around your little one and your family, plus three weeks of WhatsApp support for both parents.

Book a free 15-minute sleep chat and let's talk it through.

Becca x