Moving to a new time zone - need advice

[armcan1103]

Hi - I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this, but my situation is this:

We are moving in about 6 weeks from Texas to California (2 hours earlier) and I want to try to alter my 13 mo's sleep schedule so she won't be waking up at 4:30 AM everyday! Currently, she starts her day at about 6:30 AM, which is about an hour earlier than she used to, but I've given up on fixing that problem. A few weeks back I thought she was ready for the 2-1 switch but now I'm not so sure because she seems so tired at nap time. A typical day right now is this:

6:30 Wake
7:00 Breakfast
9:30/10 Snack
10:30/11 Nap (40 min - I don't wake her, she does that on her own and always has)
12/12:30 Lunch
2/2:30 Snack
3:00 Nap (usually 40 min, occasionally 60 min)
5/5:30 Dinner
6/6:30 Milk, then bedtime routine
7/7:30 Bed & asleep

I've considered just creeping her bedtime later, but I am afraid she would just keep waking at 630AM and become overtired - on the few occasions that her bedtime has been later, she has not slept ANY later, sometimes waking earlier. A little over a month ago we went to California to look for a house, so we were there for five days and she woke up at her normal Houston time everyday! Then that meant 530 AM, but now that would mean 4:30 and that is so not cool... And this was in a darkened hotel suite, so the bedroom was to the back, away from the hotel noise. Moving is going to be hard anyway, so if there is a way to have one less problem, I am all for it! I don't really see how to fix this, though, so please share your suggestions!

TIA!

Candy

[Layla]

Hi Candy,

I wouldn't be pushing the bedtime cause as you said, that would only lead to overtiredness and an earlier wake up. If you want to push her day forward, you would start with the morning nap. So try adding 15mins to her A time every 3-4 days & push the pm nap and bedtime with it.

I think though that her pm nap at the moment is quiet late and that could be the reason she is only taking a 40min nap. Try pm nap 3hrs after the morning nap (3.5 the most) and you might find that she will sleep a little longer.

So aim for something like this:
6:30 - wake
10am - morning nap (40min nap)
2pm - afternoon nap (1.5hrs)
7-7.30 - bedtime

It can take about 2 weeks for their internal clocks to adjust.

hth
Layla

[armcan1103]

That is helpful - Thank you, Layla! We will work in that direction and hopefully it will get us where we need to go. I had never considered that approach. Again, Thanks.  

[armcan1103]

Thank you, Stacy! I have been having a hard time with this (combined with 2-1 issues, almost walking, new words, my first separation from her), and have been thinking of throwing in the towel. You have made me feel much better about that decision! I just keep trying to focus on a month or six weeks from now when hopefully she will have adjusted herself... Thanks!

Candy