Traveling with Baby to a New Time Zone
I know it can feel stressful when you're traveling to a different time zone because you've worked so hard to get your baby on a schedule and now it's going to change. Don't worry I'll help you through it!
Over the years, I've learned that it's usually only worth it to change my baby's schedule IF we are traveling to an earlier time zone. Let me explain.
What to Do When You Travel East
If my baby is on a 7:00AM - 7:00PM schedule and we are traveling to the east coast where it's two hours later, my baby's new schedule would be 9:00AM - 9:00 PM, right? Think about it, wouldn't you enjoy staying up a little later with family and friends and sleeping in until 9:00 AM the next day? I know I would! So, if the time zone is just a few hours later, I keep my baby's schedule exactly how it is in my time zone. So, even if it's 9pm where I am, it feels like 7pm to my baby.
What to Do When You Travel West
However, if I'm traveling to a place that is 2 hours earlier, I do not want my baby to go to bed at 5:00PM and wake up at 5:00AM. So, a week leading up to the trip I start pushing my baby's schedule back by 15-20 minutes per nap/bedtime so that when we travel, my baby is on track. It looks like this:
Day 1: 7:15pm bedtime
Day 2: 7:30pm bedtime
Day 3: 7:45pm bedtime
Day 4: 8:00pm bedtime
Now you have two choices: Continue this process until you leave OR finish adjusting when you arrive. At this point, your baby's bedtime would be 6:00pm in your new location. You can stick to that and push it back as needed when you get there or keep pushing at home before you leave. Either way, know that your baby is going to adjust like a champ!
Not Change at All?
Keep in mind that if you're only going to be gone for a few days, it might not be worth changing at all. But, chances are you'll be there for a week or more, in which case I recommend adjusting their schedule for everyone's sake.
I know this is a lot, so refer to it as often as you need to! Just remember, if you're traveling east, keep it. If you're traveling west, change it.