articles

ZZZZZZ's during PCS

Maintain Your Sleep Schedules

By Jen Zajac, founder of Helping Your Child Sleep and Military Spouse June 1, 2011
Children thrive on routine and structure; however, most military families are required to make multiple moves across the country and the world. Moving can be quite disruptive to a little one’s sleep schedule and things can get out of hand very quickly, leaving you with a melting-down, cranky, overtired toddler while you are in the midst of searching for diapers and your little one’s favorite pajamas.

There are some things that you can do to ease the transition for your very young children and help
them remain well-rested at the same time.
  • Try not to let your child know that you are feeling stressed about your upcoming move. During the transition, remain calm and confident.
The reason why I place this at the top of my recommendations is that when parents are
insecure, child not only picks up the parents’ insecurities, but the parents also tend to become
inconsistent because they mistakenly believe their child loses his ability to fall asleep
independently due to the move. This is how many bad habits are created, and bad habits are
much harder to undo compared to getting back into a routine after just a few days of an off-
schedule due to a long move and traveling.
  • Familiarize your child with the new home
If you are moving somewhere close by, take the child to visit the house frequently before the
move, and show her her new room. Be positive and upbeat about it.  If you are not moving close by, try and show the child pictures of the new house and her new bedroom. Talk to your child and explain what will be happening. Even children as young as 10-12 months old understand about 80% of what an adult communicates.
  • Allow your child to be a part of the moving process

Move the child’s non-essential items in first (e.g. shelving, changing table, toys) and allow him to see you organize it in the bedroom as he hangs out with you and gets familiar with his new room. If he is old enough, allow him to set up books on the bookcase or arrange his stuffed animals the way he likes. The last thing to do is set up the bed and bedding. Let your child see you do this.

  • Try a nap first

When naptime approaches, conduct your usual routine (darken the room, do some brief rocking in a rocking chair/cuddles etc) and simply her put her down awake with confidence and expect her to sleep. She may take some time to go to sleep and the nap may be short due to the distractions of the new place. This should be minimized as she’s had the opportunity to become familiar with the new home beforehand.

  • Back to bed with confidence

For bedtime, follow your usual routine and remain confident, matter-of-fact, and positive.  Just in case there are night awakenings, (probably more due to the excitement or due to being slightly off-schedule than due to the actual move) do not panic but calmly stick to your “back to bed” plan. Younger toddlers and babies will not be afraid of their new environment unless the parent somehow conditions them to be afraid.

  • Getting back on track

Unless the child is severely overtired due to a sleep schedule that has been out of sync with his natural sleep rhythm, you should not anticipate any major sleep disturbances. If there are disruptions in your child’s sleep schedule, prioritize getting the child back on track during the next day or so. If you remain consistent with your child’s routine and sleep schedule, sleep should get back to normal within 24-48 hours without creating any habits that you may later regret.

Jen Zajac, MSW, LICSW, is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Child Sleep Consultant as well as a proud military spouse and mom. She is the founder of Helping Your Child Sleep, a consultation service that provides customized recommendations to parents with children who have difficulty falling or staying asleep. Visit her website at www.HelpingYourChildSleep.com