Sleeping FAQ: 6-9 Months – Other

How do I keep my two 8 month boys in their routine when I emigrate to Australia?

I am immigrating to Australia at the end of the month. The time in Perth will be seven hours ahead of GMT. Harry, eight months, and Oliver, nearly three, are both in CLB routines. We leave the UK at 12.15pm and will arrive in Perth at 2pm the next day. How do I move them on to Perth time and how long might this take? Do I gradually move the routines forward by seven hours, or should I do it in one go? I have followed the routines since birth and don’t want anything to go wrong now.

Once you arrive in Perth, put the boys on to local time. It is unusual for small children to experience real jet lag as they still nap at regular intervals during the day. While on the flight the children may sleep more or less than usual, but don’t worry too much about this as you will be able to adjust their naps once you arrive.
If the boys have slept a lot on the plane, rather than trying to get them to bed at 7pm on the first night, make some adjustments. Both may need a short nap in the late afternoon, then follow their normal bedtime routine, but at a later time, possibly around 9/10pm.
Start the next day at 7/7.30am local time, even if the boys have woken in the night, and continue with your routine as normal. If the boys are tired from traveling, then make bath and bedtime 15 minutes earlier than normal. They will have a lot to adjust to, but it will help if their daily routine remains as near to normal as possible.
If they do wake in the night, or earlier than usual, settle them with a cuddle or a drink of water for the first couple of nights. Keep the daily routine on track, but if they continue to wake at night, begin to leave them for 10-20 minutes to settle themselves before going in. Within three or four days you should find that the boys have adjusted to local time completely and that their routine is back to normal. Have a good trip and may everything go well for you in Australia.