How to Avoid 5am Wake-Ups When the Clocks Go Back
Do you remember when the clock change, meant an extra hour in bed 😅
If you have a baby it is the dreaded fear that your baby’s 6am may soon become 5am.
Don’t worry I have got you, in this blog post I am going to share a few options to help avoid this! And what to do, if your baby decides they still want to wake at 5!
When Do the Clocks Go Back?
In the UK, the clocks go back one hour on Sunday 25 October 2026, changing from 2am to 1am.
Your baby’s body clock may take a little longer to catch up. Initially, they might feel ready for naps, bedtime and the morning an hour earlier on the new clock.
Here’s how to help them adjust.
Option One - The Gradual Change
I want to keep this simple, 4 days before the clocks change, if you wake your baby wake them 15 minutes later, push all naps, feeds, meal times, and bedtime 15 minutes later. Repeat every day, so by the time the 26th October arrives, you have shifted their routine by one hour.
For example, a usual 7:30pm bedtime could gradually move towards 8:30pm before the change. Once the clocks go back, that becomes 7:30pm again.
Who is this best for?
If you have a baby that is sensitive to routine changes, the baby that does not go with the flow, who will wake more if bedtime is brought forwards, or they take a longer nap.
Or
Parents who love a strict routine, and want to keep it that way!
Option 2 - The Quick reset
Two days before the clock change push everything back by 30 minutes, wake up, naps, meal times, feeds, bedtime, and repeat the following day. If your baby still wakes at their normal time, you may need to stretch their wake window, to get them to their normal nap time.
If They Still Wake At 5AM 😰
Don’t worry, this is very normal, the circadian rhythm is clever, and for some the time they wake is set! it can be altered it will just take some tweaks!
Firstly let’s discuss what not to do, which is what most do, do!
❌ Don’t let them to take their nap too early! Common scenario baby wakes at 5am, they go down for a nap at 7:30am… Do not do this, all this will do, is see all naps, meals, and bedtime be earlier, and this will then reinforce more early wakes!
❌ Don’t take them out of the bedroom, exposure to natural daylight is the strongest influencer of the body clock, it tells your baby’s body when it is day and when it is night. When you take them out of the room, or put the lights on, this signals this is when I start the day, and can reinforce more early wake up’s!
❌ Don’t offer breakfast/meals, the time your baby eats is the second strongest influencer of the body clock, having an early breakfast does a few things. It tells your baby’s circadian rhythm this is day time, and it often sees lunch, dinner etc be earlier. This reinforces the early wakes.
❌ Don’t bring bedtime forward, early bedtime = early wake.
Next what to do, to break the early rising pattern
✅ Stay in their bedroom, treat this time as night time. Even if they do not go back to sleep, treat it as a night wake. When 6am arrives, open the curtains, and say good morning, we call this a dramatic wake up, which is very effective for resetting the circadian rhythm!
✅ If they are under 6 months, you may need to offer a 10 minute bridge nap. Before 7am try to get them to go back to sleep, but only allow a 10 minute nap, this is just to avoid an early nap! Stick to their normal nap times after this, and bedtime. For babies over 6 months, you need to try to stick to their normal naps and bedtime. They may be grumpy/tired, this is absolutely fine, it is temporary!
✅ Keep meal times strict, normal meal times, no early lunch, early dinner.
✅ Get your baby outside for lots of natural daylight, this will really help get their body clock reset!
