Concerns about time zone change and kids

[camdensmom]

We are going to Disneyland in 10 days. We'll be coming from the East Coast and I am hoping the long (6.5 hours) flight and the time zone difference between EST and PST don't make for a miserable trip with my 11 year old and twin 7 year olds. They all wake up around 6 each morning at home which will be 3 a.m. California time.

I went to Vegas for a 4 day conference a couple years ago and constantly found myself awake and ready for coffee by 3:30.

Any insight or tips for preparing for the time change? Will keeping them up late the days leading up to it help or will it make the overtired and cranky. Thanks in advance.

 

[HydroGuy]

We are going to Disneyland in 10 days. We'll be coming from the East Coast and I am hoping the long (6.5 hours) flight and the time zone difference between EST and PST don't make for a miserable trip with my 11 year old and twin 7 year olds. They all wake up around 6 each morning at home which will be 3 a.m. California time.

I went to Vegas for a 4 day conference a couple years ago and constantly found myself awake and ready for coffee by 3:30.

Any insight or tips for preparing for the time change? Will keeping them up late the days leading up to it help or will it make the overtired and cranky. Thanks in advance.

I will start with westerners like myself going east to WDW with kids. Been there, done that. My strategy? Let them sleep late the first morning to start adjusting to the time zone. Make the first day an especially easy day and make the second evening relaxing and not full of excitement to spin up emotions. Try to get back to the room early and try to get to sleep early. By day 2 we were all good and off to the races.

Since I have never attempted the reverse, I cannot say for sure. I would think you would go ahead and start early on the first day but maybe plan for a nap or rest in the afternoon with some long pool time. Then an exciting evening back at the parks to try to keep everyone awake a couple hours past normal bed time? My guess is this would work. I hope you get some other input to help!

 

[bdiddy]

I'm really worried about this too. We leave on the 18th, coming from Ohio. I'm not so much worried about my 13 year old daughter, she can adapt her sleeping schedule pretty well but my 11 yr old son is already an early riser.

Four years ago we drove to the Grand Canyon and back and stopped a bunch of places and it was awful with him waking up so early. It really affected a lot of aspects of our trip.

Our flight leaves at 7am and we'll have to get up at 4 so I'm hoping that he'll sleep on the plane for awhile. The other option is our plane gets in at 10:30 CA time and we are staying at an Airbnb so I'm thinking when we check in we can all take a nap. The only thing is he almost never naps even when he's exhausted so that is really an unknown.

I was toying with the idea of giving him a Dramamine which will knock him out for a few hours late afternoon. I really hate the idea of doing that but I'm really worried about his sleep being so off.

Last year we took a 2 hour ferry to camp on the Dry Tortugas and we had never been on a boat like that before and I was worried about us getting seasick so we all took a Dramamine and my husband and both kids conked out right away and slept almost the whole way there!

So while I really hate the idea of using medication for a reason like getting him to sleep I really am thinking about taking some with us and seeing how things go that day. Maybe I'll get lucky and he'll sleep for a long time on the plane.

I did read though that you should try to stay out in the sun when you can and are trying to stay awake in the evening because it helps your body stay more alert.

 

[mad hatter fan]

When my kids were little, if our schedule would allow it, I would adjust them by an hour toward CA time before we left. But I think I started a full two weeks before the trip. It did seem to help.

 

[bdiddy]

When my kids were little, if our schedule would allow it, I would adjust them by an hour toward CA time before we left. But I think I started a full two weeks before the trip. It did seem to help.

I've tried this many times with my son and unfortunately it never works. We can let him stay up until 1am and he still wakes up at 6am. It's crazy. His body is just wired to wake up then for some reason.

 

[SteveMP]

I travel to east coast and europe for work quite often. I try to catch a little nap or two on the flights and use the blackout curtains to get more sleep in the morning. Drink a lot of water before going to sleep. Staying hydrated at all times helps. Wake up, eat a little someting, then close the curtains to black the room out and everyone go back to sleep for an hour or two. Even if you just lay there and close your eyes, will help later on. But I isually have more trouble going east than i do with west.

 

[bumbershoot]

... my 11 yr old son is already an early riser.

Four years ago we drove to the Grand Canyon and back and stopped a bunch of places and it was awful with him waking up so early. It really affected a lot of aspects of our trip.

Well, he's older now, and hopefully can be told to stay quiet. Get him a book light or a paper white kindle and he can just read silently while you guys sleep.

The bonus of going east to west is, very specifically, the fact that you'll be up early! At Disneyland those early hours can be so important to get the day started well. If you have access to the early hours at a park, go. If you don't, go to the other park. Either way be early. Easterners get a cheat on this, like westerners going east can stay up late for fireworks and holiday parties earlier in their trips.

OP, can you talk to the 7 year olds so they don't mess up the family like this poster's son did 4 years ago?

(Says the person who cannot sleep on planes and whose son wakes in a panic while on planes and is a pain in the bum when he does...)

 

[mummabear]

Our kids do 3-5 hours each DL trip and up to 8 hours every WDW trip.
My best advice is to roll with it, relax, let them sleep when they need to because tired kids are crabby kids.
If they need to go back to your room and have some rest time do it.
Usually we find coming home harder.

 

[Mintycake]

Concerned about this too. My 7 yo is up between 645am and 7 15am consistently no matter when she goes to bed. I'm thinking we will have some very early mornings which we plan to use to our advantage but fear we will miss all the night time entertainment

 

[KatieCharlotte]

We went to California for the first time with an early riser seven-year-old. At home, it did not matter how late he stayed up -- he was awake at 6 a.m. For the first few days in Cali, he would be wide awake by 4 a.m. PST. It was interesting trying to patiently explain that the park we were going to (LEGOLAND) didn't open for six hours, and keep him quiet because the baby and preschooler ironically had quickly adjusted to PST and were sound asleep. He did slowly adjust as he stayed up later and later, and we managed to stay out until 10 p.m. one night. Now, he's a teenager and capable of sleeping until 9 a.m. I'm just worried about me, because now I'm the one who can't sleep past 7 a.m. My plan is to take advantage of early mornings at the start of the trip (there will be no whining about getting to the park ridiculously early!), take a break in the afternoons, and go back to the park in the early evenings to help us stay awake to a reasonable hour, and plan our two late nights for the end of the week when we've hopefully adjusted.

 

[mom2rtk]

We went to California for the first time with an early riser seven-year-old. At home, it did not matter how late he stayed up -- he was awake at 6 a.m. For the first few days in Cali, he would be wide awake by 4 a.m. PST. It was interesting trying to patiently explain that the park we were going to (LEGOLAND) didn't open for six hours, and keep him quiet because the baby and preschooler ironically had quickly adjusted to PST and were sound asleep. He did slowly adjust as he stayed up later and later, and we managed to stay out until 10 p.m. one night. Now, he's a teenager and capable of sleeping until 9 a.m. I'm just worried about me, because now I'm the one who can't sleep past 7 a.m. My plan is to take advantage of early mornings at the start of the trip (there will be no whining about getting to the park ridiculously early!), take a break in the afternoons, and go back to the park in the early evenings to help us stay awake to a reasonable hour, and plan our two late nights for the end of the week when we've hopefully adjusted.

That me at DLR! I wake at the same time regardless of what I do. It's a tough adjustment, but usually a couple long days on my feet will do me in.

One thing I do is try to put some quiet music on a play list and pop in some earbuds when I wake early. Sometimes it helps me get back to sleep. Next trip I'm adding a sound machine app to see if that might help.

 

[bdiddy]

Well, he's older now, and hopefully can be told to stay quiet. Get him a book light or a paper white kindle and he can just read silently while you guys sleep.

The bonus of going east to west is, very specifically, the fact that you'll be up early! At Disneyland those early hours can be so important to get the day started well. If you have access to the early hours at a park, go. If you don't, go to the other park. Either way be early. Easterners get a cheat on this, like westerners going east can stay up late for fireworks and holiday parties earlier in their trips.

OP, can you talk to the 7 year olds so they don't mess up the family like this poster's son did 4 years ago?

(Says the person who cannot sleep on planes and whose son wakes in a panic while on planes and is a pain in the bum when he does...)

That's the method we've been using for years in that when he wakes up at the crack of dawn, he's not allowed to leave his room until 7am. He turns on his lamp and reads quietly. But usually I hear the lamp click on so I know what time he's waking which is anywhere from just before 6am to just after.

I think the waking early will definitely be a benefit for getting to the parks early but I'm worried about him being done by 7pm or something and missing a lot of the nighttime stuff. Keeping my fingers crossed that it all works out!

 

[fly girl]

Tried the preplanning stay up late trick. Not successful in this house. Got up same time and just had a crabby kid.

Yes, you'll get up early. We all wake up around 4:30am and just relax a little bit in bed before starting the day.

We stay onsite (unsure of your plans, if you're close) and typically would go back to room midday for a nap. That makes a BIG difference and all of us are in better moods for the evening. Then you can go to bed a little later and get adjusted.

Midday naps!

 

[mom2rtk]

Tried the preplanning stay up late trick. Not successful in this house. Got up same time and just had a crabby kid.

Yes, you'll get up early. We all wake up around 4:30am and just relax a little bit in bed before starting the day.

We stay onsite (unsure of your plans, if you're close) and typically would go back to room midday for a nap. That makes a BIG difference and all of us are in better moods for the evening. Then you can go to bed a little later and get adjusted.

Midday naps!

I'm generally not big on midday naps. But at DLR getting up early plus the crowds in the parks typically have me open to it. I think that's a good approach to the issue.

 

[PurpleKomodo]

I have been starting to worry about this too. I feel like going west is harder than going east. We live in Central time so the difference is 2 hours. I was just thinking yesterday about how my kids (4 and almost 1) are going to be up at 4am that first day. I too have a kiddo who wakes up early no matter what time he goes to bed. I am more worried about the baby though, who wakes up usually around 6:30 Central and wants a bottle by 7:30. Take that back 2 hours and we are up at 4:30 and eating by 5:30. That is an early morning and throws his whole meal schedule for the day into a tailspin. Trying to relax and remember to go with the flow. But going with the flow is not a specialty of mine. If anyone has tips for the time change with a baby, who I can't explain it to, that would be great!!

 

[fly girl]

I'm generally not big on midday naps. But at DLR getting up early plus the crowds in the parks typically have me open to it. I think that's a good approach to the issue.

I'm with you. We never nap at WDW. But it really works for us at DLR with the time change. Since we get up for EMH or MM, we can get a lot done and don't feel like we are missing out -- except for larger crowds. Last month we pulled a FP for GRR on our way out. It was 2 hours later, so when we came back we got were ready to get right back in the thick of it.

Another bonus of DLR, helps that the hotels are right there. No bus ride. (Hallelujah!)

 

[mom2rtk]

I'm with you. We never nap at WDW. But it really works for us at DLR with the time change. Since we get up for EMH or MM, we can get a lot done and don't feel like we are missing out -- except for larger crowds. Last month we pulled a FP for GRR on our way out. It was 2 hours later, so when we came back we got were ready to get right back in the thick of it.

Another bonus of DLR, helps that the hotels are right there. No bus ride. (Hallelujah!)

The "no bus" thing makes all the difference to us. We never leave the parks at WDW but it's just not a big deal at DLR. We stay onsite because we're up early enough to do early entry every day anyway.

 

[Elima2015]

We travel quite a bit with our children and we just do our best to roll with the new time zone when we arrive. Prep ahead of time never works as they wake up at their normal early time regardless of when they go to bed. I have found heading west an easier adjustment - at least I find it easier to get a head start on the morning rather than a late one. An afternoon rest might be helpful the first day. Mine tend to rally at night with all the activity going on and then it seems we are quickly adjusted to the new time zone. Heading back home is always a much longer adjustment than going to vacation.

If anyone has tips for the time change with a baby, who I can't explain it to, that would be great!!

Having done this several times, my opinion is the same - do your best to just be in the new time zone. If he wakes very early, try to treat that more as a middle of the night feeding and back to sleep (though do not expect it). I have successfully squeeked out another 30-45 minutes a few times by pulling them into bed with me. And we have also been up and at 'em, dressed and ready to go, by 6 am because it didn't work. Mine have generally slept fairly well the first night as a result of being tired from the prior day's travel. Also, we try not to plan much activity that first day, if possible. If you have room in your schedule, this would be a great day for a character breakfast outside the park (not a park day) and walk through Downtown Disney followed by naps and playing in the hotel pool, or a beach day (there are some awesome beaches within 30 minutes). As for the meal schedule with an early wake-up, we try to have two morning snacks and then lunch at the normal time. Again - just forcing everyone on the new time zone. I'd also expect a mid morning stroller nap for your 1 year old and try to take a more restful nap in the hotel in the afternoon.

 

[Mintycake]

This ^^ sounds like good advice. We are leaving early from east coast (we will be up at 5am) and get to LAX by 10am local time. The plan is to go to hotel, eat lunch, and spend the day at the pool and head to bed early so we can hit the parks full on the next day (staying on site). We plan to get groceries delivered and have breakfast in our room. Then early lunch, leave parks and nap and/or pool. Then dinner and back to parks. How long do ppl allocate for naps/pool?

 

[planningjollyholiday]

Our trick is to stay up as late as possible with no naps on travel day. Sometimes it can be hard to stay up since everyone is sleepy, but you just have to suck it up and commit. My kids usually don't have much of a problem because they are so excited to be on vacation. The next day we still wake up a bit earlier than normal so we take an afternoon nap. By the end of that day our bodies have usually adapted. Just a note that we dont get jetlagged flying west, it's when we come home and fly east when we feel it bad.