Baby developed new personality after holiday in OZ!!

[tanyac]

My five month old left the UK, a happy, settled 12 hours per night sleeper. During our 3 week stay in Australia he became very unwell with a gastro virus and ended up being admitted to hospital for three nights. Since we have returned to the UK he seems to have developed a whole new personality....he won't fall asleep on his own, he screams for hours rather than falling asleep when he's tired, he wakes three or more times per night!!, ..........any suggestions anyone.............I'm desperate!

tanyac, I found that until my son was 14 or 15 mo. I had to redo controlled crying after every trip to a different time zone (there were probably 6 or 7) during this period. It never took more than a night or two. I also had to redo the controlled crying after every bad cold. It sounds like you've had a double whammy, so it's not surprising you've had a setback/change in sleep habits.

You don't say how long it has lasted? When we return to Hong Kong from UK which is 7 or 8 hour time shift, it always takes about 4 or 5 broken nights. Our dd is awake for a couple of hours in the middle of the night.

From Oz with the time shift of 12 or more hours it probably takes longer. Seem to remember them saying it takes an hour a day for anyone to totally adjust.

If your baby has been ill too, then it is likely to be even worse. But from your description it sounds like classic jet lag.

The advice from our doctor is...
Wake him up at the normal time every day for at least 2 hours even if you had a broken night. To get back on schedule the wake up time is the most important.
Get outside into natural light as much as possible.
Follow your normal routine as much as possible - and make sure that he gets naps, but not too long.
Be prepared to give food/ drinks at unusual times if necessary.
If you have to get up in the middle of the night for a couple of hours - keep the room dim and curtains closed etc, even if baby is awake/playing.

IMHO, unless you've been back for weeks and weeks and your baby is still not settled, I wouldn't do controlled crying. If you are jet lagged you could feel hungry or just not tired in middle of night.

HTH. Good luck - you must be exhausted.

tanyac, it may not just be the jetlag effect. a friend of mine said her ds has never been the same since he went into hospital with an infection around 18mths old and had a canula placed in the back of his hand..he now freaks about anything like having his hair cut.