Fall back 2026: how to shift your baby's naps and bedtime

What changes on Sunday

• At 2:00 AM on Sunday, November 1, clocks in most of the US fall back to 1:00 AM, so the hour from 1:00 to 2:00 AM happens twice. Hawaii, most of Arizona and the US territories don't change.
• A baby who usually wakes at 6:30 AM may wake at 5:30 by the new clock. For a while, a 7:00 PM bedtime will feel more like 8:00 to them.
• Young children tend to be early risers, and early risers often have a harder time with the fall change.
• Sunrise also comes an hour earlier by the clock, so the room gets light sooner.

Three ways to make the shift

Any of these is fine, and so is not planning ahead: if you can't prepare, the AAP says not to worry. It helps if your child isn't overtired going in.

Plan A: shift gradually, starting a few days before

In the 3 to 4 days before the change, move bedtime about 15 minutes later each day. Move naps by about the same amount, and start the morning a little later too, so the whole day shifts together. Your child may not sleep in later; moving bedtime matters most. By Saturday, bedtime is an hour later on the old clock, which is the usual time once the clocks fall back. With more time, you can take smaller steps: the AAP suggests starting about a week ahead and moving a few minutes each day.

Here's an example for a usual 7:00 PM bedtime:

If your child finds changes in routine hard, start earlier with smaller steps.

The weekend version: 30 minutes on Friday and Saturday

Put your child to bed 30 minutes later than usual on Friday and Saturday: 7:30 PM for a usual 7:00 PM bedtime. Move naps about 30 minutes later too, or less if your child gets overtired. On Sunday, go back to the usual bedtime on the new clock. It may take a couple of extra days to settle afterward.

Plan B: switch on the day

Change the clocks in your home after your child goes to bed on Saturday. On Sunday, run naps, bedtime and mealtimes on the new clock, and use the usual bedtime routine to cue sleep. Milk feeds stay on cue: feed your baby whenever they seem hungry, whatever the clock says. With a baby, watch for sleepy cues in the first few days. If your baby seems sleepy before the new nap time or bedtime, it's fine to go a little early, then move to the new times over a few days.

If your baby has feeding times or medicines on a schedule from your care team, ask them how to handle the change.

However you shift

Whichever you choose, most children settle within about a week.

Don't wait out the week if your child seems unwell. Call your pediatrician right away if a baby under 3 months has a temperature of 100.4°F (38.0°C) or higher, or if your child has a fever and is unusually drowsy, very fussy or having trouble breathing. Call 911 if your child can't breathe, has a seizure or loses consciousness.

If your baby wakes before the day starts

Earlier mornings are common for a few days. If your baby wakes before it's time to start the day, keep the room dim and quiet, and feed your baby if they're hungry. Start the day at your usual time on the new clock, then open the curtains or get outside (babies under 6 months stay in the shade).

By age

Under 3 months

A day-night sleep rhythm usually develops after about 2 months of age. Before then, babies wake at night to feed and follow their own pattern, so there's usually little to shift. Help your baby learn day from night instead: bright, playful days and dim, quiet nights. If your baby already has a fairly regular bedtime, the plans for older babies apply too.

Babies (3 to 12 months)

Shift naps and bedtime together, before the change (Plan A or the weekend version) or on Sunday (Plan B). Feed on cue as usual, whatever the clock says. You may see a few earlier mornings. Once it's time to start the day, open the curtains or get outside: daylight during the day helps the body clock adjust. Keep babies under 6 months out of direct sun, in the shade or under the stroller canopy.

Toddlers (1 to 3 years)

The same plans apply. Keep the bedtime routine in the same order, such as bath, book, bed, and only move when it starts. Blackout curtains help with the lighter mornings. For an older toddler, a clock that changes color at wake-up time can help show when it's time to get up. Keep the clock and its cord out of reach of the bed.

If your baby was born early, use their corrected age for these age groups.

Light, dark and routine

• Early morning: keep the room dark until it's time to start the day. Blackout curtains block the earlier sunrise. If you use blinds, choose cordless ones, and keep any cords well away from the crib or bed.
• Once the day starts: open the curtains or get outside. Daylight during the day helps the body clock adjust. Keep babies under 6 months out of direct sun, in the shade or under the stroller canopy.
• Evening: dim the lights. For toddlers, keep screens off for the last hour before bed.
• Routine: same steps, same order. Only the start time moves.

For your sitter or daycare

Copy this note and send it, or show it on your phone. No app needed.

Safe sleep doesn't change

For babies under 1, the basics stay the same, whatever the clock says. Place your baby on their back for every sleep, on a firm, flat surface in their own sleep space, with no pillows, blankets, bumpers or toys. If an early morning has you nodding off, put your baby down in their crib or bassinet first: falling asleep together on a couch or armchair is especially risky. If your baby falls asleep in the stroller, car seat or swing, move them to their crib or bassinet, on their back, as soon as you can.

Logging the change in Punn

Logging feeds, naps and diapers in Punn is free, with one hand. Your phone changes its clock by itself and Punn's times follow it, so there's nothing to change in the app. On the Home screen, "Last feed … ago" counts real time from when the last logged feed started, so it stays right through the repeated hour. Your partner joins free. With Punn+, a sitter or daycare joins as a caregiver and can log too.

With Punn+, the Nap & sleep predictor shows when the next nap is likely. Across the clock change:

• The next nap counts from your baby's last logged wake-up, in minutes awake, not clock times. After the change, it follows the wake-up you log on the new clock.
• What it has learned carries over. It learns your baby's wake windows (how long your baby stays awake between naps) in minutes, so the clock change doesn't reset them.
• Bedtime comes from your baby's usual time over the past week, if you log bedtimes. If you move bedtime, it catches up once the new bedtimes make up most of that week: about four nights if you log every night.
• In the first days after the change, go by your baby's sleepy cues over any predicted time. The predicted times can lag your plan. Nap times count from each logged wake-up and your baby's usual wake windows, so they won't move 15 minutes a day on their own. With a usual 7:00 PM bedtime and Plan A, the predicted bedtime stays about 7:00 PM during the shift week, reads about 7:15 PM from Sunday to Wednesday, and is back to 7:00 PM by Thursday.
• If the night isn't logged, Punn assumes the day started at 7:00 AM. On Sunday, it's worth logging the wake-up.
• It's a likely time, not a rule, and it gets sharper as you log.

Tip: if bedtime comes before 6 PM in the first days, choose Nighttime when you log it: Punn may have Nap selected for a sleep that starts before 6 PM.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

1. American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), HealthyChildren.org: "Daylight Saving Time: Don't Lose Sleep Over It" (updated Oct 31, 2025)
2. Connecticut Children's: "How to Prepare Kids for the End of Daylight Saving Time This November" (Sept 16, 2021)
3. Children's National Hospital: "How to adjust your child's sleep schedule for daylight saving time" (Oct 31, 2019)
4. Swedish Health Services, Seattle (Providence Swedish): "Don't let the end of daylight saving time disrupt your child's sleep" (Oct 11, 2016)
5. Craig Canapari, MD: "Avoiding Sleep Problems with Falling Back" (Oct 26, 2025)
6. NHS (UK): "Helping your baby to sleep" (NHS page, Jan 28, 2025)
7. Rivkees SA. "Developing circadian rhythmicity in infants." Pediatrics 2003;112(2):373–381
8. The Sleep Charity (UK): "Get Ready for Snoozy Sunday" (Oct 17, 2024)
9. AAP, HealthyChildren.org: "A Parent's Guide to Safe Sleep" (updated Sept 11, 2026), "Sun Safety" (updated Aug 9, 2024) and "Getting Your Baby to Sleep" (updated June 4, 2024)
10. AAP, HealthyChildren.org: "How Often and How Much Should Your Baby Eat?" (updated Apr 2, 2024) and "Corrected Age For Preemies" (updated Dec 10, 2018)
11. AAP, HealthyChildren.org: "Fever: When to Call the Pediatrician" (updated Dec 2, 2022) and "When Your Child Needs Emergency Medical Services" (updated Aug 18, 2025)
12. US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC): "Go Cordless" window-covering safety (Dec 18, 2018) and "Safe and Sound Zone" baby-monitor cord safety (Publication 5066)
13. NIST: "Daylight Saving Time (DST)" (updated Feb 9, 2026)