I need some advice. I am taking my ten month old back to New England next month to visit relatives. I would like to keep her on her normal sleep and meal schedule, but there is a three hour time difference. Should I keep her awake until 10:00 at night because it is her normal bedtime here in AZ or put her to bed at 7:00 regardless of the time difference? I don't want to throw her off her normal schedule completely, but I have a feeling that it is going to be inevitable. I would really like to hear how other people have dealt with situations like this.
I did a lot of travelling
I did a lot of travelling with our son - especially in the first 2 years because he was still a free passenger on the plane ;-) And, yes, regardless of where I was at, I kept his schedule on Arizona time. It made his adjustment so much easier - especially during DST travel - when you are loosing 3 hours.
Before I left industry, I did a lot of travelling to the East Coast and would do whatever I could to keep the same eating/sleep schedule.
Good luck.
Mouse_tales is a discussion leader in the East Valley for arizonamoms.com. She is a business owner, community volunteer, and aspiring runner (whew!), who most enjoys her roles as wife & mom. Her children range in age from 4 to 13.
Thanks for your input! I
Thanks for your input! I will take your advice and keep her on her schedule.
I keep my son on AZ time as
I keep my son on AZ time as well when we travel because it is easier for him(and me) and keeps meltdowns at bay.
I'm actually thinking about
I'm actually thinking about this, not for a child, but for me. I may have to fly to Pennsylvania for work for about 7 days, and the customer is expecting that I'll be there 8am to 5pm. On my time, that's 5am. Subtract time to wake up, drink coffee, get ready, and the alarm is going to go off at 3:30 my time.
I'm going to get in East Coast shape. Go to bed a little earlier each night, and get up a little earlier in the morning, until I am able to smile and be chipper at 8:00 am EDT, while the rest of you are sleeping.
I also kept my children on
I also kept my children on AZ time. It wasn't too tough because my kids are a little older, and they just naturally stayed up later and Grandma and Grandpa's house. Although, when we finally got back home, took long naps and went to bed early. They were so worn out from the trip! But, at least I had more time to unpack!
Hobbymommy, 38, is a discussion leader from Mesa. She is a happy stay-at-home mommy to a 3-year-old daughter and a 2-year-old son.
We do the trip back East
We do the trip back East several times a year w/ the 3 hr. time difference. I actually always followed whatever time the clock said. Frankly, even though 7:30 was really only 4:30, the kids were exhausted from the traveling, didn't nap well on the plane (compared to at home in a crib/bed), so they went down anyway and go a solid 10-11 hours of sleep and were not cranky the next day.
We just followed the clock.
It worked for us. Everyone adjusted just fine.
Happy2BMommy, is a stay-at-home mom who just turned 40 (argh!) with a 6 yr. old daughter and a 4 yr. old son, and is a discussion leader for arizonamoms.com living in Scottsdale.
We have relatives on the
We have relatives on the East Coast that we visit and they visit us. So we've dealt with the 3 hour thing. I think it depends on how long you are going to be there. A few day or a week? My sister-in-law always puts her kids on the schedule based on where they are traveling to. So in other words the first night the kids do go to sleep a bit early...but each day thereafter a little later until they are sleeping the same as those on pacific time zone. For us however, when we travel to the East Coast - I tend to keep them on AZ time zone. Only because when we return home it is so hard to readjust them back. It typically takes a few days to do so. So, maybe they go to sleep a bit late on Eastern time & wake up late (eat late, etc.) oh well. Unless we have a whole day scheduled I don't change it. But that is just me.
LisaMommy is a 38 year old discussion leader for arizonamoms.com from the Paradise Valley/Scottsdale area. Her two boys are ages 7 months and 3 years old.
You may find that your
You may find that your daughter is going to be your best barometer of which schedule to maintain. There will be so much going on that she may be hard pressed to stick to the old routine. Watch her for clues; the mama always knows. Also, if it's just for a few days, you'll get her back into the routine quick enough when you return.
Karina Bland is raising her 9-year-old son in Tempe with a lot of love, humor and support from her friends and family. A longtime journalist covering child welfare and education issues for The Arizona Republic, she blogs about raising good kids.
I appreciate your advice. We
I appreciate your advice. We are staying for a whole week and in three different places. I will just have to read her cues. Thanks again!
Yes, keep her on AZ time.
Yes, keep her on AZ time. It's too hard and takes too many days to adjust to Eastern time and then turn around to adjust back. Everyone is much happier if you just enjoy the trip and don't look at the Eastern time. Keep in mind, her meals will probably be on AZ time so you may need extra snack to tie her over.
soccermom