Clocks changing - hints and tips
Arguably any parent with a young child will feel slightly apprehensive about the clocks changing in the Autumn! Especially if you’ve managed to perfect your little one’s sleep routine recently!! No one wants to be up at ‘new’ 5am that’s for sure!
Here are a couple of tips that could help you keep clock change impacts to a minimum:
For children who still nap, I’ve always found it helps to stagger the clock change over a few days. So instead of a full one hour change overnight, try easing yourselves in by moving nap time and bedtime by 15-20 minutes every day over 3-4 days. Then by the time the clocks switch, hopefully the change shouldn’t be so noticeable.
As babies become toddlers and pre-schoolers, here are a few clever gadgets that can help their understanding of when it is still night time and when it is ok to start the day:
Tommee Tippee Groclock Sleep Trainer Clock
This was the clock that we used with our now 8 year old son. It may take a little getting used to how to programme it but I’d say it’s definitely worth it. We found it clear for him to understand and from 2 years old it kept him settled in bed until the screen told him that it was morning time. There is a newer model but reading reviews this simpler version seems to be more popular with parents and caregivers in my opinion.
£39.99
Yoto Player (3rd Generation)
The Yoto player is another family favourite. We replaced our son’s Groclock with a Yoto player when he was around 5 years old. A wonderful bit of kit that we all love. Screen-free and very child friendly; even our 2 year old can work it! It has two day and night features; the design on the screen changes from a sunny image to a nighttime one, plus the night light changes colour to indicate when it is ok to wake up. You can even choose the colours!
The Yoto player is far more than a sleep aid however; it is a fantastic audio book player with radio and podcast features, as well as being a room thermometer too! Best of all it has no microphone, no camera and no ads. We’ll certainly be purchasing another one for our younger son soon.
£99.99 at Yoto
Maxi Cosi Soothe Light & Sound
Another multitasking product that will grow with your baby. The Soothe Light & Sound has so many features that can help babies and children with their sleep. It offers soothing lights, sounds and lullabies, as well as the all important ‘time to rise’ light feature helping young children to learn when it is ok to wake up. All these features can be accessed via the app too, meaning no more creeping into your child’s room in stealth mode to make any changes!
£69.99 at Maxi Cosi
(Prices correct at time of posting)