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A sample day at 6 months
Woke at 7:00 am, naps around 9:00 am, 12:10 pm and 4:00 pm, bedtime 7:00 pm.
- When: Europe goes back on Sunday 25 October 2026, the US on Sunday 1 November 2026. In spring 2027 clocks go forward on 14 March (US) and 28 March (Europe).
- Two ways: shift naps and bedtime a few minutes a day toward the new time, starting about a week before (the AAP's suggestion), or just switch on the day. Kids usually adjust within about a week (AAP).
- Wake windows don't change. Only the clock time moves, so plan each day from the actual wake-up time.
- Under about 3 months: skip it. Newborn sleep follows feeds and cues, not the clock.
What actually happens
A baby's body clock runs on light and routine, not on your watch. When the clocks go back an hour, the baby keeps waking at the old time, which now reads an hour earlier: a 6:00 waker is up at 5:00, and bedtime comes an hour early by the clock. When the clocks go forward, it works the other way round, and the baby isn't sleepy at the new bedtime. For most babies this settles by itself. The AAP says kids usually adjust within about a week.
Option 1: shift gradually
The AAP suggests starting about a week before and nudging naps and bedtime a few minutes a day toward the new time. The AAP doesn't give a number of minutes; many sleep guides use 10 to 15 minutes a day, and adults' guidance from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine uses 15 to 20. When the clocks go back, you move everything a little later each day. When they go forward, a little earlier.
Here is the arithmetic for going back, 10 minutes a day, for a baby whose first nap is at 9:00 and bedtime at 7:30 pm. These are example times, not a prescription; use your own baby's.
| Day | Shift | First nap | Bedtime |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | +10 min | 9:10 | 7:40 pm |
| Day 2 | +20 min | 9:20 | 7:50 pm |
| Day 3 | +30 min | 9:30 | 8:00 pm |
| Day 4 | +40 min | 9:40 | 8:10 pm |
| Day 5 | +50 min | 9:50 | 8:20 pm |
| Day 6 | +60 min | 10:00 | 8:30 pm |
After the clocks change, 10:00 reads 9:00 and 8:30 pm reads 7:30 pm, which is where you started. At 15 minutes a day you get there in four days. Going forward, run the same table the other way: subtract the minutes instead of adding them. Let the morning follow by itself; don't hold back a baby who is awake.
Option 2: just switch
You don't have to shift anything. On the day, follow the new clock and expect about a week of an early waker. If you can, spend some time outside in daylight during the day: the AAP notes that natural light helps reset a child's internal clock after a time change. Don't turn a bad week into a project. If sleep is still off after a couple of weeks, or your baby seems unwell, mention it to your pediatrician.
Wake windows stay the same
A 5-month-old is still awake about 2 to 2½ hours between naps after the change; a 12-month-old still 3 to 4. The windows are lengths of time, so they don't move. What moves is the clock reading. That is why the planner above starts from this morning's real wake-up time and counts forward: one window, a nap, the next window, and so on, with the last window before bed the longest. Enter the time your baby actually woke up, on the new clock, and the plan takes care of the rest. The ranges are on the wake windows by age page.
Under 3 months
There's nothing to shift yet. A newborn's body clock isn't running, sleep follows feeds, and the day doesn't have a schedule. Feed on cue, watch the sleepy cues and let the clocks be. See newborn wake windows.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my baby wake an hour early after the clocks go back?
The body clock didn't change, only the clock on the wall. A baby who woke at 6:00 still wakes at the old 6:00, which now reads 5:00. It usually settles within about a week (AAP). Nudging naps and bedtime a little later each day, or simply waiting it out, both work.
Do I have to shift my baby's schedule gradually?
No. The AAP suggests starting about a week before and moving naps and bedtime a few minutes a day toward the new time, but that's a suggestion. Many families just switch on the day and ride out a week of adjustment.
How long does it take a baby to adjust to the time change?
Kids usually adjust within about a week (AAP). If your baby is still struggling after a couple of weeks, or seems unwell, talk to your pediatrician.
Do wake windows change when the clocks change?
No. A wake window is a length of time, so a 6-month-old is still awake roughly 2 to 3 hours at a stretch. Only the clock time of naps and bedtime moves. Plan from the actual wake-up time.
What about the clocks going forward in spring?
The same idea in reverse: nudge naps and bedtime a few minutes earlier each day, starting about a week before, or switch on the day and wait out the week. Evenings are the hard part: 7:30 pm on the new clock feels like 6:30 pm to the baby's body.
Sources
- HealthyChildren.org (AAP): Daylight Saving Time: Don't Lose Sleep Over It, last updated 31 October 2025: start about a week before, a few minutes a day toward the new time, kids usually adjust within about a week, natural light helps
- American Academy of Sleep Medicine: Daylight saving time advice: 15 or 20 minutes a night, for adults and teens
- Cleveland Clinic: Wake Windows by Age
Spotted a mistake or an outdated figure? Write to [email protected].