Any advice for helping a toddler get over jetlag?

[Itsychik]

2 days ago we returned home after being on vacation for 3 weeks in the U.S. (a 6-hour time difference with home). My DS is 3.5 years old and we've made this trip many times with him in the past (most recent was right before his 3rd birthday) and he's always adjusted really easily.

This time, however, he's having a much harder time. The first night he woke up every hour and was really grumpy and said he didn't want to sleep/wasn't tired (even though he had only slept a couple hours on the plane/back at home), and last night (2nd night) he fell asleep pretty quickly at his normal bedtime but then woke up at 12:30am and stayed awake till 5am, then woke up a few times and got up for the day at 7:15am! He slept a total of like 4 hours the whole night (he normally sleeps a solid 12 hours).

It's 2pm and he's been pretty active/hyper all day (he doesn't nap anymore and he's refusing to take one today as well) but I don't know whether having him stay awake until bedtime is going to mean he's so tired he'll sleep all night, or will backfire and cause him to wake up again...

Any advice?

Same question for babies, as my DD (10 months) is also having trouble adjusting! We were out 15 times with her last night!

Thanks in advance

 

[seoj]

It's a gamble for sure! Sorry I don't have any great input- but maybe (if possible) push his bedtime back a bit? so that when he does sleep, he'll hopefully sleep through? Although, yeah- it could backfire and he'd wake up sooner! Kind of hit or miss with my LO when he nap/bedtime schedule is off. We've found, over time, that driving her to sleep for her naps works very well! But for bedtime, it only messes her up and she'll wake up super early- then go back to sleep a bit later. But if we just push her bedtime back a bit, and get her settled IN her room, she'll sleep through fine. Obviously not at all the same- but a bit of a struggle each time we have to set the clocks forward or back!

Otherwise- I would just see how he's doing and when you feel he needs to go to bed each night- while working towards his normal bedtime again- and in time, it will sort out... although I know that's not the best answer.