Daylight Savings – Moving the clocks back to AEST 2016
It’ s almost that time of year… the clocks move back; the days get shorter, cooler and darker.
Here are a few pointers for preparing for the moving the clocks from Daylight Savings (AEDT) back to Standard Time (AEST):
General Tips:
- Keep your regular day and night routine
- Maintain positive sleep associations
- Remember consistency is key
- Avoid any other unnecessary transitions over this time – eg. moving your child into a big kid bed or night weaning
Below is a step by step guide to transitioning your baby/toddler into the new time (Sunday April 3rd 2016). My recommendation is moving bedtime, nap times, and meal times 15 mins later over a few days. You also have the option of doing this more gradually (i.e. 10 mins later per day over 6 days), or cold turkey; however, the latter can be more disruptive for children and babies who are less adaptable.
| Date | Transition Steps | DLS Time | STD Time |
| Wednesday (30th March) | Usual sleep and feed times | 7:00pm | 6:00pm |
| Thursday (31st March) | Wake your baby up 15 minutes later in morning Move bedtime later by 30 min |
7:15am 7:30pm |
6:15am 6:30pm |
| Friday (1st April) | Wake your baby up 30 min later in morning Move bedtime later by 45 min |
7:30am 7:45pm |
6:30am 6:45pm |
| Saturday (2nd April) | Wake your baby up 45 min later Move bedtime later by 1 hour |
7:45am 8:00pm |
6:45am 7:00pm |
| Sunday (3rd April) | Regular waking time | 8:00am (doesn’t apply) | 7:00am |
- The above assumes a 7:00am to 7:00pm schedule. If your child is on a 7:30pm or 8:00pm to 7:30am or 8:00am schedule before this transition, the above steps need not apply.
- You will also need to move meal and nap times later each day by 15 minutes