Should I shift bedtime back an hour or two before school starts?

What the evidence says

Yes, it's a good idea to shift bedtime earlier before school starts, but doing it gradually works better than jumping straight to the new time. Pediatric experts suggest starting the adjustment about one to two weeks before the first day of school, easing your child into the new routine step by step.

A common approach used by sleep experts is called bedtime fading. You move bedtime about 15 minutes earlier every few days until you reach the target time. This gives your child's internal body clock time to adjust, instead of forcing them to fall asleep at a time their body isn't ready for yet.

It also helps to shift wake-up time along with bedtime, and to get your child up around the same time they'll need to for school, even before the term starts. Keeping the routine consistent, including on weekends, makes the new schedule stick faster.

For younger kids, this kind of gradual change tends to work well because their bedtimes are more flexible than teenagers'. Teens go through a natural shift in their body clock during puberty that makes falling asleep earlier harder, so patience and consistency matter even more for them, though research shows a parent-set, gradually earlier bedtime still increases how much sleep teens get.

Other good habits to add during this transition include cutting off screens at least an hour before bed, keeping the bedroom calm and dark, and avoiding caffeine in the evening. These support the shift and make it easier for your child's body to settle into the new sleep pattern before school starts.