How do you help a 10 month old baby adjust to a 3 hr time cahnge while on a week long vacation and then readjusting to home?
My family went to a 5 hr ahead location. They had the kids stay up a bit later each couple days so that they were already adjusted to the new time zone by the time they got there.
C. -
On my yahoo home page today there is a feature on jet lag. Thought maybe it would be worth looking at.
C.
Where are you going? If you are going west to east, I probably wouldn't worry too much about it. Just accept the idea (which might not be totally unpleasant) of your son sleeping later in the morning and staying up later at night. Then coming home will be much easier too. If you are going east to west, then waking up for the day at 7:00 am actually means 4:00 am, and probably not the time you are wanting to start your day. I would try the same methods that you might do for yourself. TRY being the operative word. Try to keep them up a little later at night beginning 3 or 4 days before you go. And use some room blackout stuff on the windows to keep them in bed sleeping later in the morning. If there is any movement at all with the waking up time, then you can adjust the nap and feeding times accordingly. I never was able to get my babies to sleep late in the morning, no matter WHAT I did... and generally speaking, keeping them up later at night did NOT help them sleep later in the morning. So I would give some serious thought to whether you want to adjust their sleeping habits for just the one week. If your little boy is on a good sleep schedule, you might just want to try to manage "on the fly" while you are gone. Then when you get home go right back to your "normal" schedule... It will probably only take a day or two to get back on it. It's not like you will be gone for a month or something they would totally adjust to.
Best wishes to you... traveling 3 times zones with two small kids will be quite an adventure!
You may not like this suggestion, but I would try to keep the schedule you are on during your vacation. Your son does not understand the concept of time so he may receive breakfast at 5 am during your vacation but it will keep him on track. If that is an impossible task then you have no choice but to take the time when you return to get him on track little by little.
I had that experience at 3 months and I know how difficult it is. I reflect now on that time and wish that I hadn't fought it by trying to get my daughter to adapt. I wish I had relaxed and go with my child. I did find that taking her outside on walks calmed her (and myself). Good luck and God bless you for being a good mom.
Hello,
Been there, done that with three and six hour time changes more than a few times and kids at six and ten months to teens. BE PATIENT. Expect two or three days transition time. Don't over schedule. Plan some quiet time each day and think ahead about how he can either sleep through or rest before events. Bring a comfy stroller if you can and let him nap there if he needs it. You might want a mosquito net for the stroller, just in case.
The rule for adults is to stay up the first day and let yourself sleep late the first morning. Kids can't really rationalize that but they will adjust as best they can. Most little ones are pretty flexible. Vacations are so exciting and everyone is happier when well rested. Feeding them plenty of whole foods during the day and no refined carbohydrates in the evening helps them rest better at night. Pack some nuts for snacks on the trip. A spoonful of peanut butter and a glass of milk in the evening (if they're reluctant to eat what's served) can also be helpful.
Have as much fun as you can, and remember rest is recreational.
L. D., mom of three, happy traveler
You keep them on their same schedule/routine that you have at home within that time zone; it will be hard the 1st couple of days and you'll have to keep them up, but babies adapt pretty quickly to new routines and they should get it quickly enough. If bedtime is 8:00pm here then you do bedtime when it's 8:00pm in the Pacific time zone... Good luck to you, traveling is always a stressful situation!
We took our son to Vegas (he was 3 months at the time) and he adjusted just fine on his own. It took a day, maybe two, but he adjusted due to the sun going up and down. It was the same when we got back; he took his cues from the daylight/night. Just keep the same routine when his comes to getting ready for bed at night and he'll put two and two together. He'll do great! Good luck!
