Baby Jet Lag
July 3, 2010 10:00 AM Subscribe
Our 6-month-old daughter has jet lag following a 13-hour flight home from vacation. While on holiday she seemed to recover fairly quickly but since we've returned she has been up all night for days. Any ideas on how to get her regular sleep pattern (10pm-6am) back on track?
Bright sunshine like uauage suggested, especially right in the morning when she gets up. Also a much earlier bedtime (7-8) to help catch up on lost sleep and prevent overtiredness.
posted by werkzeuger at 11:47 AM on July 3, 2010
posted by werkzeuger at 11:47 AM on July 3, 2010
- Encourage extensive physical activity (going to the park etc) late in the afternoon, early evening so that she gets fatigued by bed time.
- Try to spend more sleep time with her until she gets re-acclimatized with her new environment (depending on whether her crib is in a different bedroom or in your bedroom); just to give her emotional comfort over the rapid change in scenery (sometimes that has impact too - although probably not at 6 months).
- Dont let her nap (what uauage) said.
Mostly (what we have found after we came back from a vacation in Asia) it just takes time. Be patient!.
posted by justlooking at 12:34 PM on July 3, 2010
- Try to spend more sleep time with her until she gets re-acclimatized with her new environment (depending on whether her crib is in a different bedroom or in your bedroom); just to give her emotional comfort over the rapid change in scenery (sometimes that has impact too - although probably not at 6 months).
- Dont let her nap (what uauage) said.
Mostly (what we have found after we came back from a vacation in Asia) it just takes time. Be patient!.
posted by justlooking at 12:34 PM on July 3, 2010
I feel your pain!
We fly between Europe and South America about once a year. As uauage said, the jet lag is much worse coming back to Europe (flying from west to east). My daughter needs about one day per every hour of time difference to adjust to the new timezone.
posted by juva at 12:34 PM on July 3, 2010
We fly between Europe and South America about once a year. As uauage said, the jet lag is much worse coming back to Europe (flying from west to east). My daughter needs about one day per every hour of time difference to adjust to the new timezone.
posted by juva at 12:34 PM on July 3, 2010
Babies sometimes go through phases of not sleeping well. At six months, there's a lot going on - teething, new solid foods, growth spurts, new motor skills. Sleep patterns often change. It may not have anything to do with jet lag. I have a nine month old who stopped sleeping through the night two weeks ago, and we haven't gone anywhere.
Don't cut out naps. A six-month old needs a couple of good naps during the day.
If she's in the middle of a growth spurt, an evening snack might help. Something with protein (cheese and yogurt have worked well for ours) could stick with her a little longer than fruits or vegetables. On the other hand, if you're feeding her in the evening now, she might be having trouble digesting it overnight.
Putting her to bed an hour or so earlier might help. She could be getting overtired by 10.
Mostly, just try to continue your bedtime routine, and get her up in the morning at the same time, regardless of how well she (or you) slept. Eventually, she'll get past whatever is causing her trouble.
posted by Dojie at 2:52 PM on July 3, 2010
Don't cut out naps. A six-month old needs a couple of good naps during the day.
If she's in the middle of a growth spurt, an evening snack might help. Something with protein (cheese and yogurt have worked well for ours) could stick with her a little longer than fruits or vegetables. On the other hand, if you're feeding her in the evening now, she might be having trouble digesting it overnight.
Putting her to bed an hour or so earlier might help. She could be getting overtired by 10.
Mostly, just try to continue your bedtime routine, and get her up in the morning at the same time, regardless of how well she (or you) slept. Eventually, she'll get past whatever is causing her trouble.
posted by Dojie at 2:52 PM on July 3, 2010
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posted by uauage at 10:20 AM on July 3, 2010 [2 favorites]