Ahead of our clocks going forward on Sunday, The Children’s Sleep Charity offers some timely tips to

BRITISH Summer Time is about to begin, heralding lighter nights – and an hour’s less sleep when the clocks go forward on Sunday. While an hour less in bed is usually no more than an annoyance for adults, it can be hugely disruptive to children’s sleep patterns, and the younger they are, the less likely they are to understand why their slumber has been disrupted. The Sleep Council

which raises awareness of the importance of a good night’s sleep to your health, says children with good sleep routines tend to cope better with the changes to the clocks, as they know what to expect at the end of the day.

But while having a good bedtime routine can help, it’s still no guarantee that your child’s sleep isn’t going to be affected by the time change, and The Sleep Council warns it can take anything from a few days to a couple of weeks to get your child’s sleep patterns back in sync.

There are definitely things you can do, though, to make the change as easy as possible.

Vicki Dawson, CEO and founder of The Children’s Sleep Charity

which supports children with sleep issues, says: “When the clocks go forward, it can really affect some children’s sleep patterns.

“Others make the one hour transition without any problem at all.

“There are things you can do to plan for this and help your child to make a smooth transition to British Summer Time.”

Vicki gives the following 10 tips to help minimise the disruption to children’s sleep when the clocks change.

BE PREPARED

PLAN for the clock change and start to put children to bed 10 minutes earlier than usual, and wake them up 10 minutes earlier in the morning.

“Slowly shift the time each day, so by the time the clocks change your child has adjusted to the new bedtime,” advises Vicki.

BRING EVERYTHING IN LINE

IT’S NOT just your child’s bedtime that needs to be altered in the run-up to the clock change – it’s also important to bring mealtimes, bedtime routines and naps in line with the new timings by shifting each of them around 10 minutes earlier each day as well.

“By gently moving the routine by 10 minutes each day, by the time the clocks change your child should be going to sleep at their usual time,” says Vicki.

ROUTINE IS KEY

STICK to a routine as it helps to support your child’s biological clock. So do the same things in the same order each night – although the times may have to change