Quick answer: in the United States the clocks go back one hour on Sunday 1 November 2026, and most children adjust within about a week. The two approaches pediatric sources describe are a gradual shift in the week before, or a one-time switch that weekend, and both work best with a steady wake time and morning daylight.
Quick Fix / Summary
- Pick a method: shift bedtime in small steps during the week before, or change the clocks on Saturday night and move everything to the new time on Sunday
- Wake your child at the same time every day, and avoid sleeping in more than about an hour past the usual wake time
- Get 30 to 60 minutes of daylight soon after waking, and keep meals and naps on the new clock
- Protect naps and the gap between waking and bedtime, and do not cut or stretch naps during the change
- Expect up to a week or two of crankiness or early waking, and speak to your pediatrician if it drags on
Who This Is For
- You have a baby, toddler, preschooler or school-age child and the clocks are about to go back
- Your child already wakes early and you dread the extra hour of morning light
- You want to know whether to shift bedtime gradually or all at once
- You want to know what is different for younger kids, school-age kids and teens
- You want to know when a bad week is more than a normal adjustment
The Date: When Do the Clocks Go Back in 2026?
Clocks in most of the United States fall back on Sunday 1 November 2026, when 2 a.m. becomes 1 a.m. Here is how the timeline looks if you want to start early.
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| Sunday 25 October 2026 | A sensible start for a gradual shift (a full week before) |
| Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October | Move bedtime, naps and wake time a little later each day, in small steps |
| Saturday 31 October 2026 | Last night of the old clock. If you are using the one-time switch, change the clocks after your child is asleep |
| Sunday 1 November 2026 | Clocks go back. Get your child up at the new time and into daylight |
| Monday 2 November to about Sunday 8 November | Most children settle during this week, though some take longer |
Adults have their own routine for the change, and we cover it in our adult guide to daylight saving time and sleep. This article is only about children.
Why Falling Back Can Still Hurt a Child’s Sleep
Falling back is often described as the easier change, but not necessarily for young children. HealthyChildren.org, from the American Academy of Pediatrics says the fall change can cause younger kids to crash before bedtime and wake up earlier than usual. One likely reason is that a child’s body clock does not move with the wall clock, so a child who usually wakes at 6 a.m. may wake at what the new clock calls 5 a.m.
The adjustment is usually short. Both Connecticut Children’s and HealthyChildren.org say to expect about a week, and a pediatric psychologist quoted by Michigan Medicine says children who struggle usually adapt within a week or two.
Two Ways to Handle the Change
Connecticut Children’s describes two approaches. Neither is better for every child, so pick the one that suits your child’s temperament and your week.
Method 1: Shift gradually in the week before
Move bedtime later in small steps so that the final shift lands on the night the clocks change. Connecticut Children’s gives the example of an 8:00 p.m. bedtime moving to 8:15, 8:30, 8:45 and then 9:00 p.m., after which the 9:00 p.m. bedtime becomes 8:00 p.m. on the new clock. It says you can start earlier and use steps of 5 or 10 minutes, and that naps and wake-up times should shift too. Michigan Medicine quotes a pediatric psychologist who suggests 10 to 15 minutes every few days for children who struggle with change, starting up to a week ahead.
- Start up to a week before the change, using small steps of 5 to 15 minutes
- Move naps, meals, wake-up time and bedtime together, not just bedtime
- On the night of the change, the last bedtime step lines up with your child’s usual bedtime on the new clock
- If your child is coping badly, you could slow down and hold the current time for an extra day (our suggestion, not from the sources)
Method 2: Switch on the weekend
This is the one-time approach, and it suits children who cope well with change or families who ran out of time.
- On Saturday night, after your child is in bed, change the clocks in your home
- On Sunday morning, wake your child at the time they will need to get up on Monday
- Get them outside in daylight for 30 to 60 minutes and serve breakfast at the new time
- Keep all meals and naps on the new schedule through Sunday
- Put your child to bed at the usual bedtime on the new clock, with the normal routine
Connecticut Children’s expects about a week to adjust with this method and says to be patient if your child is moody during that time.
If you are not sure what bedtime suits your child’s age in the first place, the children’s bedtime calculator is a good starting point before you begin shifting.
What Changes by Age
Honest caveat first: none of the pediatric pages we read gives separate, step-by-step plans for each age. HealthyChildren.org gives separate advice for younger children, older children and teens without giving a step-by-step plan for each age (the age bands below, 5 to 12 and 12 to 18, are the ones its site menu uses), and Connecticut Children’s and Michigan Medicine give advice that applies to all children. We have kept to those groupings rather than invent finer steps.
Babies, toddlers and preschoolers
This is the group HealthyChildren.org has in mind when it says the fall change can make younger kids tired early in the evening and wake them earlier than usual. It does not give infant-specific advice or define the age range, so for a young baby, ask your pediatrician if you are unsure.
- Start about a week before the change and move naps and bedtime a few minutes a day, in the direction the clocks are moving (HealthyChildren.org)
- Keep the bedtime routine, such as brushing teeth, reading a book and getting into bed, because it signals that it is time to sleep (HealthyChildren.org)
- Keep naps if your child already takes them: Michigan Medicine’s source warns that depriving a child of a nap, or letting them nap longer during the change, can backfire
- Protect the time between waking and bedtime, which the same source calls the most important factor for protecting bedtime
If naps are already shifting, see when a child should stop napping. If you have a three-year-old whose sleep was already unsettled, our guide to 3-year-old sleep regression covers that stage.
School-age children (5 to 12)
HealthyChildren.org gives school-age children the same few-minutes-a-day approach, starting about a week before the change.
- Encourage a wind-down that starts a little earlier each night
- Serve dinner earlier, because eating close to bedtime can cause indigestion and make it harder to sleep
- Make time for activity during the day or late afternoon. Michigan Medicine’s source suggests wrapping up physical activity about 90 minutes before bedtime and says even a game of tag in the basement before supper can help when it gets dark early
Teens (12 to 18)
HealthyChildren.org says falling back can be easier on teens, because their internal clocks shift later during puberty. The spring change, when an hour is lost, is the harder one for them. Teens still need enough sleep: the AASM says teens should get eight to 10 hours. For why teenagers run late in the first place, see teenagers and sleep.
How much sleep each age needs
These are general sleep-need ranges from the CDC, which attributes them to published consensus statements. They are not about the clock change specifically, but they help you judge whether your child is getting enough while the schedule moves.
| Age group | Age | Recommended sleep |
|---|---|---|
| Infant | 4 to 12 months | 12 to 16 hours, including naps |
| Toddler | 1 to 2 years | 11 to 14 hours, including naps |
| Preschool | 3 to 5 years | 10 to 13 hours, including naps |
| School age | 6 to 12 years | 9 to 12 hours |
| Teen | 13 to 17 years | 8 to 10 hours |
Tips That Apply at Any Age
Use morning light
Connecticut Children’s and HealthyChildren.org both recommend using daylight to wake your child: put the bed near an uncovered window, or go outside for a walk or breakfast. There is a trade-off here. Michigan Medicine’s source suggests blackout curtains so a child can keep resting during the extra hour of morning light. Some families may try a middle path, keeping the room dark until the new wake-up time and then opening the curtains, though none of these sources tests that approach. For choices, see our guide to the best blackout curtains for sleep. If early waking is your main problem, read why a child wakes up so early.
Keep wake-up time steady
Connecticut Children’s advises waking your child around the same time every day, weekday or weekend, and says sleeping in more than about an hour past the weekday wake time makes Sunday night harder.
Keep it simple for a week
Michigan Medicine’s source suggests phasing in new morning or evening demands in a different week, and says that if your child is fading fast you may skip bedtime reading for a night or even two to avoid overtiredness. Cut screens before bed too: HealthyChildren.org says to put all screens away at least an hour before bedtime. Our guide on screen time and your child’s sleep has more.
Make the room comfortable
If your child is awake in the dark at an unfamiliar hour, a calm, familiar room can help. See our picks for the best nightlights for kids and the best sound machines for kids and toddlers if you are thinking of adding either to the bedtime routine.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Changing the clocks in the morning and expecting a normal day, instead of planning the Saturday night or the week before
- Skipping or stretching naps to force an earlier bedtime
- Letting your child sleep in a long time on the weekend, which makes Sunday night harder
- Shifting only bedtime and leaving meals, naps and wake time on the old clock
- Adding new demands, such as a new activity or a new school routine, in the same week
- Assuming a week of early waking means something is wrong, when it is the usual adjustment
For bedtime battles that last beyond the week, see why a child fights bedtime every night. For broader night waking, see why a child will not sleep through the night.
When to See a Doctor
A rough week after the clocks change is common. Talk with your child’s pediatrician if:
- Sleep problems continue well beyond a week or two after the change, which HealthyChildren.org suggests raising with your pediatrician (Michigan Medicine’s source says children who struggle usually settle within a week or two)
- Your child stays sleepy during the day, which Michigan Medicine’s source says may warrant a multidisciplinary sleep clinic
- Your child already has a diagnosed sleep, medical or developmental condition and the change makes it worse
- You are thinking about giving your child melatonin or any other sleep aid: ask your pediatrician first, because HealthyChildren.org advises talking to a pediatrician before using it
We do not give dosing advice on this site. If your child has loud snoring, pauses in breathing or other symptoms that worry you, mention them to your pediatrician whatever the time of year.
FAQ
When do the clocks go back in 2026 for kids’ sleep?
In the United States the clocks go back one hour on Sunday 1 November 2026. If you want a gradual shift, start up to a week earlier and use small steps.
How long does it take a child to adjust to the time change?
Connecticut Children’s and HealthyChildren.org both say about a week. A pediatric psychologist quoted by Michigan Medicine says children who struggle usually adapt within a week or two.
Should I shift my child’s bedtime gradually or all at once?
Either can work. Connecticut Children’s describes a gradual shift in the week before, with steps as small as 5 to 10 minutes, and a one-time switch on the weekend. A gradual shift may suit children who struggle with change, and the weekend switch can suit those who cope well.
Should I let my child sleep in after the clocks go back?
Not for long. Connecticut Children’s says sleeping in more than about an hour past the usual weekday wake time makes Sunday-night sleep harder, and advises a similar wake-up time every day.
Is falling back harder on young children or teenagers?
HealthyChildren.org says the fall change can make younger kids tired early in the evening and wake earlier, while falling back can be easier on teens, whose body clocks shift later during puberty.
Key Takeaways
Clocks go back on Sunday 1 November 2026. Children usually adjust within about a week, and you can either shift bedtime, naps and wake-up in small steps beforehand or switch everything on the weekend. Keep a steady wake time, get daylight in the morning, protect naps, and speak to your pediatrician if problems last beyond a week or two or your child stays sleepy in the day.
About this article
Written by the Sleep Fixes editorial team. We’re not medical professionals. We research each topic against primary sources and hold ourselves to being critical and thorough about what actually makes it onto the site.
This article draws on pages from HealthyChildren.org (American Academy of Pediatrics), Connecticut Children’s, Michigan Medicine, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the CDC. None of these pages gives a separate plan for every age, so we have not invented one.
It is not medical advice. If your child’s sleep problems are severe, persistent or worsening, consider consulting your pediatrician.