travelling with baby jet lag

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Managing Baby Jet Lag (Things To Do Before and After the Flight)

Ashley Onadele

Senior Content Contributor

123 Published Articles

Countries Visited: 15 U.S. States Visited: 10

Table of Contents

What is jet lag, how baby jet lag is different, tips to help avoid baby jet lag, how to get your baby over baby jet lag, final thoughts.

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Traveling by any mode of transportation with a baby is hard enough. But traveling with a baby that’s suffering from jet lag is downright terrible.

If you’re a parent, you already know what it means to have an overtired or cranky baby on your hands. 

But all is not lost. Just like there are tips for adults to battle jet lag, there are things that you can do before and after your flight to help your baby fight it too .

In this article, you’ll learn what jet lag is, how it affects a baby, and tips for avoiding and managing baby jet lag.

Jet lag or jet lag disorder is the inability to sleep after traveling between different time zones. This generally happens when traveling 2 or more time zones away from where you started in a relatively short amount of time.

Since this sort of super movement is really only possible through plane travel, the term jet lag seems only fitting.

Jet lag normally lasts a few days, depending on the individual and the time difference between the time zone they flew to and the one they left. People suffering from jet lag tend to have a hard time falling asleep at what might be their normal bedtime or wake up in the middle of the night and remain wide awake for a long period of time.

Being unable to sleep is just as bad as it sounds, especially for babies, but adults can deal with jet lag in different ways than babies can. For example, adults and older kids can push themselves to stay up despite their tiredness in hopes of getting back on the right schedule. Babies, however, sleep and wake when they want to despite our most valiant efforts to get them on a schedule.

Hot Tip: Jet lag is worse when traveling east because the body has less time to adjust to fewer hours in the day (because we lose hours when traveling east). When traveling from east to west, on the other hand, the body has an easier time adjusting thanks to more time before the sun sets.

Babies with jet lag endure the same dysregulated sleep pattern and notion of time as adults, albeit in smaller bodies and without the capabilities to understand what’s going on.

For especially young babies who haven’t yet found their rhythm with a sleep schedule, jet lag may not be much of an issue for them . But for those who have a successful sleep routine at home, you can expect there will be some form of disruption in the form of baby jet lag, especially when traveling west to east.

Luckily, baby jet lag tends to last a shorter amount of time than it does for adults , which can go on for weeks in some cases depending on the individual.

While infant jet lag is difficult to prevent entirely, we offer some tips for helping you and your baby deal with jet lag.

You can assist your infant in avoiding jet lag or, at the very least, minimize its discomfort in 2 specific ways:

1. Get Your Baby on the New Time Zone Before You Fly

One way to combat jet lag in your little one is to get your baby acclimated to the new time zone even before you leave home.

To do this, you’ll need to make small changes to your baby’s sleep and wake times incrementally until your departure date . Ideally, you’ll start to do this a few weeks before your scheduled flight.

Move your baby’s bedtime and naptimes in the direction of where you’re going by 20 minutes at a time. That means that if you’re gaining time by traveling east to west, try putting your baby to sleep 20 minutes later and waking them up 20 minutes later than usual.

Alternatively, if you’ll be losing time by traveling west to east, then you would move their schedule in the opposite direction meaning that sleep would start 20 minutes earlier and end 20 minutes earlier.

This is not a foolproof method for avoiding jet lag in your baby, but even if you don’t totally alter your baby’s schedule, you’ll likely have less jet lag-related stress at the beginning of your trip.

2. What To Do on the Plane

We’ve already outlined some tips for flying with a baby or lap child  that should make the travel day a little easier. And some of these tips can also help with baby jet lag.

The first is to travel with a well-rested baby . This can sometimes be out of your control, especially if you have an early morning flight or a flight that requires you to be in transit to or from the airport during nap times. But a rested baby is usually a happy baby and that’s the first step in minimizing the effects of baby jet lag.

Speaking of nap times, try to fly during nap times whenever possible taking into account possible delays and time taxing the runway. Just because a flight is scheduled to depart at noon doesn’t necessarily mean that it will be off the ground and you’ll be settled in enough — i.e. no ears popping, feeding time is over, etc. — to put baby your baby to sleep.

And lastly, on especially long or overnight flights, try not to let your baby sleep longer than they would at home . Instead, try to get them on a sleep schedule even before you land by considering the current time at your destination.

Bottom Line: These tips won’t guarantee that your baby won’t suffer from baby jet lag, but they should help shorten the time your baby needs to readjust to the new time zone.

Despite your best efforts, baby jet lag can still occur. If, after traveling, your baby is waking up in the middle of the night more than usual, has a hard time falling asleep, or is particularly moody or sleepy, then they probably have jet lag.

Luckily, your baby will probably get over their jet lag even sooner than you will. Here are some tips to help your baby get over jet lag:

What To Do on the First Night

The first night your child has jet lag, he or she will probably wake up in the middle of the night and stay awake. Even though it’s still late at night and there’s no sun out, they’ll be so awake that they’ll think it’s time to play or start a new day.

You should expect this to happen, so when it does, try these things to get your baby back to sleep:

• Keep the lights dim . Keeping the lights low lets the baby know that it’s not time to get up yet.
• Avoid bright screens in your baby’s face . Bright screens will overstimulate your baby and get them even more riled up than they already are.
• Keep your voice down . Whispering should also signal that it isn’t time to wake up yet.
• Feed your baby if you have to . Whether or not your baby usually has a midnight bottle, you may want to give them a warm bottle to help them back to sleep. This is entirely optional as cutting out the middle-of-the-night feeding is hard to go back to once you’re past it. If eating solid foods, try something with protein instead of anything high in sugar.
• Try soft toys and books : Soft toys that don’t make much noise or reading a book to your baby are alternatives to a tablet or television.

Your baby should eventually go back to sleep but remember to be patient through the first night.

Hot Tip: If the time difference between where you are going and where you are coming from is 3 hours or less, you may not have to worry as much about baby jet lag or getting the baby on a new schedule to match the new time zone.

Start the Second Day Strong

Day 2 will likely also be challenging but not as hard as the travel day and first night . How hard it is will depend on how far you’ve traveled and whether you flew from west to east or vice versa. After the first night, you’ll want to follow your regular home routine as much as possible starting right when you wake up.

Encourage your baby to wake up at their normal time and get your day started, whatever that looks like. On vacation, you might have plans to visit a children’s museum or other attraction that will keep your baby engaged. Another great activity is time spent outdoors in the sun either at a park or sightseeing.

The goal is to give your baby a reason to be sleepy at the right times . Age-appropriate activities are a great way to do this. For nap time, don’t let your baby sleep longer than they would at home. Remember, the goal is to get them adjusted to your current time zone by following their home routine as closely as possible.

At bedtime, stick to the same routine as you do at home in order to signal to your baby that it’s time to sleep. Baths help to soothe and relax babies for restful sleep , as does reading a book or listening to music. You’ll want to replicate whatever you do at home when you’re traveling, especially on this second day.

There will almost certainly be some obstacles to overcome on the second night, but that’s alright since you’re making progress.

Get Your Routine Down by Day 3

Hopefully, your baby got a more restful sleep on night 2 than they probably did on the first night. After a solid night of sleep, the strategy for your third day away from home is to follow your routine even more closely.

For whatever reason — jet lag, getting used to a new environment, etc. — you may not have been as on top of your routine on day 2 as you would have been if you were at home. On day 3, you should establish a sleep pattern and routine .

Dinner time, sleep time, and playtime should all be as near to normal as possible by day 3. Your baby’s jet lag should be considerably minimized starting on this day.

Bottom Line: Expect it to take about 3 days for your baby to begin to recover from baby jet lag. The time could be more or less depending on how far you’ve traveled from home.

Even babies can experience jet lag, just like adults and older kids. The upside is that they often have less severe jet lag, which allows for a quicker recovery. With the aid of these suggestions, you should be able to reduce the symptoms of jet lag on your baby and start enjoying your holiday sooner.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can babies get jet lag.

Babies and toddlers can get jet lag but it usually only lasts a few days. Younger babies that don’t yet have a dependable sleep schedule are usually less affected by time zone changes.

How do you get rid of jet lag in babies?

Stick as closely as you can to your routine starting on day 2 of baby jet lag. Spending time outdoors in the sun helps to acclimate them to the time of day, and playing is a great way to burn extra energy before sleep times.

Should you let a jet-lagged baby sleep in?

When dealing with a jet-lagged baby, you’ll want to get them back on their sleep schedule eventually, but it’s okay to let your baby rest the first day of jet lag. After that, you’ll want to work your way up to the same or a similar sleep schedule like the one they have at home.

Do I wake up a jet-lagged baby?

Your baby should begin to get back to their normal sleep schedule beginning on day 2 of jet lag. In this case, you’ll want to gently encourage your baby to sleep or wake up at their usual times, taking the size of the time change into consideration.

How do I get my baby back on schedule after travel?

After travel, you’ll follow the same steps to get rid of baby jet lag that you did when you arrived at your destination. It may take a few days to get your baby back on schedule after travel.

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About Ashley Onadele

Ashley discovered a love for travel in college that’s continued as her family has grown. She loves showing parents how they can take their families on trips using points and has contributed to numerous publications and podcasts.

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Medical review policy, latest update:, how long does jet lag last in babies, how do i help my baby with jet lag get back on schedule, how can i prevent baby jet lag, read this next.

Travel with babies and toddlers is both exciting and a bit exhausting, but the jet lag that comes with it can definitely be managed. With enough time to adjust, your little one will be sleeping just fine and you can shift your focus to the fun-filled trip you’ve planned. 

What to Expect the First Year , 3rd edition, Heidi Murkoff. WhatToExpect.com, How to Help Babies and Toddlers Adjust to Daylight Saving Time (and Back Again!) , September 2020. WhatToExpect.com, Getting Baby on a Sleep Schedule , May 2022. WhatToExpect.com, Toddler Naptime Guide and Schedules , May 2022. WhatToExpect.com, 11 Reasons Your Baby Won't Sleep and How to Cope , November 2020. WhatToExpect.com, How to Get Your Baby to Sleep Anywhere , September 2020. WhatToExpect.com, How to Establish a Bedtime Routine for Your Baby , May 2022. WhatToExpect.com, Signs of an Overtired Baby , February 2022. American Academy of Pediatrics, Travel Safety Tips , August 2018. American Academy of Pediatrics, Getting Your Baby to Sleep , July 2018. American Academy of Pediatrics, Healthy Sleep Habits: How Many Hours Does Your Child Need? , November 2020. American Academy of Pediatrics, Sleeping Through the Night , September 2013. Mayo Clinic, Jet Lag Disorder , October 2020. Sleep.org, Circadian Rhythm and Your Body Clock , February 2022.  

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Dealing with Jet Lag in Babies, Toddlers and Kids

When you travel to far flung destinations you may have to deal with the dreaded jet lag in babies, toddlers or your kids. While this can be annoying for adults, it gets a little more complicated with baby travel.

We are frequently asked how to avoid jet lag in infants, baby, toddlers and kids. It’s most travelling parents worst nightmare, so we’ve tried to put together our best jet lag tips and advice.

We have certainly flown to far flung destinations with our kids, both as babies and toddlers and had to deal with baby jet lag fairly often.

More recently we added twins to our brood so that has been another interesting layer when traveling.

We’ve done the dreaded Europe to Oceania (11 hour time difference!) in one hit a couple of times. However, it should not be something that you get stressed about.

That said, there is no perfect cure to beat jet lag and sometimes you and your kids will just have to adjust but here’s what you can do to make it easier.

I want to start off with positive vibes here, I’ve had some of my best travel experiences with my kids BECAUSE of jet lag. We’ve seen some epic sunrises in beautiful destinations because they were up and at it in the middle of the night, so we decided to make the most of it.

Whilst that’s fine on the outbound trip, I appreciate it’s a pain in the ass when you are on the return home to reality, possibly back to work!

ABOUT JET LAG IN BABIES, TODDLERS AND KIDS

What is jet lag.

Table of Contents

Lets jump into the basics here, what exactly is jet lag? We have something called a circadian rhythm aka body clock, that controls biochemical, physiological and behavioral processes in our body.

These processes control a number of things such as sleep and appetite. Passing through daylight and darkness at times when our body is not used to it, de-synchronises us!

As a result we are awake and feeling hungry at different times. A number of hormonal changes take place to get us use to the new environment. There are a few things we can do to help ourselves and the little ones along.

One important thing to remember is flying east is harder than flying west. We don’t have as long to adjust to the new environment since the timezone is ahead.

Flying west is generally easier as there are more hours in the day to recover. Keep this in mind when choosing a flight time.

BABIES AND JET LAG

A jet lagged baby or newborn can actually be the easiest to set back on the right schedule. They nap so much during the day it’s not such a big deal to change their routine.

You may have even done it before as many babies deal with day/night confusion in their early months anyways!

HOW TO PREVENT TODDLER AND BABY JET LAG

Choosing a flight to reduce jet lag in babies.

I often feel the most painless way to fly long haul with a baby or toddler is during the night. It’s less work for us as parents to keep them entertained for hours on end.

The most seamless way to join a new time zone is to arrive somewhat rested, albeit with slightly broken sleep on a plane.

Booking a night flight is the first step to combating jet lag! As we know, the lights are off on night flights and they are generally a lot quieter, meaning when you wake up, you can get on with it.

Think about sleep when you are choosing your seat, ask at check-in for any spare seats to be allocated to your little one, especially if they don’t have their own seat. More about sleeping on the plane in a moment!

Travel tips on flying with a baby here!

If you are travelling a mammoth distance, for example from London to Auckland, I highly recommend a stopover. Some airlines give you a free stopover, yes that’s right, including a nice hotel for the night. Passing through multiple time zones worsens the effects of jet lag.

All of the usual airport hubs have a tonne of things designed for people passing through. From airport butterfly gardens in Singapore , to watching animals roam in the park across the road in Nairobi , it’s always been worth the rest.

Two massive flights back to back is pushing little ones too much in my honest opinion. I’ve tried both ways and I certainly feel a stopover is a kinder way of doing it.

ADJUST THEIR SCHEDULE EARLY TO AVOID BABY JET LAG

If you’ve followed Travel Mad Mum for a while, you will know I’m a big fan of preparation. I firmly believe that family travel does not have to be stressful.

I think that everything from the flight, to the trip itself is just so much easier with a plan. As your trip gets closer you can start preparing by adjusting their routine slightly a few days before your flight.

Try making bed time a little earlier or later depending on where you are heading. You won’t be able to change their routine completely but changing it little by little will help minimise kids/baby jet lag and make the transition to the new time zone easier once you get there.

Think about trying to move your own sleep routine as well. The hardest part in my opinion is trying to keep ourselves awake in order to help your kids do the same. If we end up falling asleep, they of course will too. It’s a process the whole family have to do together.

AVOIDING JET LAG – SLEEP TIPS

We like to make sure our kids are dressed in PJ’s for a night flight, this helps them wind down and feel comfortable. If you are flying with a baby we like to bring a shade that goes over the bassinet which eliminates distractions, helping them sleep better.

Of course, for this to work you need to make sure your flying time makes sense for their routine taking into account the time change.

Shop for a JetKids BedBox here.

If all else fails, I find having my carrier is the best option for cuddles and hopefully sleep. I use the i-angel carrier as it lasts from 7 lbs to 44lbs. It’s my number one piece of baby paraphernalia.

HOW TO DEAL WITH BABY AND TODDLER JET LAG

If the preventative measures don’t work, we’ve still got you covered. Here’s the best way to recover from jet lag in kids once you’ve got it.

MELATONIN FOR JET LAG

Melatonin is a natural sleep aid that some people give their kids to try and make them sleepy at the right time. Some say it’s one of the natural jet lag remedies for toddlers and kids.

While taking melatonin for jet lag may prove helpful we definitely would advise you to consult with your GP or pediatrician.

SUNLIGHT EXPOSURE

The first time I had to deal with jet lag I did a lot of googling and one of the most popular suggestions was to expose your baby or toddler to the sun.

The idea is that exposure to the sun will help your baby adjust their internal clock naturally and get them back in sync with day and night.

I have definitely found that if we don’t close the shades the first couple days they adjust much faster to waking up at the right time.

WHEN YOUR JET LAGGED BABY WAKES ALL NIGHT

If your jet lagged baby wakes all night, sunlight exposure can be especially helpful. They are waking up because their internal rhythm is off and they think it’s day time, so sun exposure can really help set them right.

It’s also important to keep the lights off or dim when they wake up in the middle of the night, even if they are not able to fall back asleep for awhile. This will also help them understand that it’s night and time to sleep.

Mealtimes are important for two reasons.  Meals are obviously part of most kids daily routine. If you can get them eating on the right timezone, it’s a step in the direction of getting them to sleep at the right time. The second reason is that most kids (and adults) fall asleep much faster on a full tummy.

We recommend bringing along, or making sure you have access to, lots of foods your kids love and timing it so they can have a meal before bedtime. I find having a meal at the airport rather than on board really helpful for night flights.

That way you can settle them down quickly and don’t have to disturb them. We have a list of our favorite snacks to bring along on the plane in our flying with kids post .

STAYING HYDRATED

It’s always important to stay hydrated especially when you fly, and even more so if you are a breastfeeding mum. Normally your body learns to produce milk faster around your child’s feeding times.

Because you are going to want to alter your feeding times in accordance with the time zone change, you need to make sure you are producing enough milk to feed at the local time zone.

Unless of course it’s your babies bottle, in which case it’s fine to take liquid through security.

You can read more formula feeding travel tips here.

KIDS AND JET LAG: PUSH THEM – BUT NOT TOO HARD

Sometimes you are just going to have to push your kids to stay awake a little longer than they want. You know your kids and you know what’s too much for them. We find new toys or a pool is a great way to make them want to keep playing and not fall asleep.

With infant jet lag it will be a little more hands on to keep them awake and stimulated at the right time but infants also readjust easier so you don’t need to worry.

WAKING UP TOO EARLY

If your kids are waking up too early then you are going to have to try and push them to not take a nap until later in the day.

You may want to schedule a low key pool day or something of the sort that will keep your kids wanting to have fun for hours but close enough to the hotel that when they really need to go to sleep you can give them a nice quiet place to take a long nap.

GOING TO SLEEP TOO LATE

If you find yourself dealing with the other side of jet lag and your kids just won’t go to sleep, you need to be waking them up earlier in the morning.

Try and find the sweet spot between too early that they barely slept and not too late that they will be up all night again. We find playing some fun music and the pool to be a winner every time.

MAKING THE MOST OF CHILDREN AND JET LAG

Baby and toddler jet lag doesn’t last forever so sometimes the best strategy is to just go with it. Just accept you’ll be awake at godforsaken hours and make the most of it! If your kids are waking up on the early side it’s a great way to get to places that are normally crawling with tourists and have it all to yourself.

On numerous occasions we have gotten up at 4am with our jet lagged baby and/or toddlers and gotten tourist free stunning pictures at sunrise.

In Siem Riep we got to have the Phnom Bakheng Temple all to ourselves. The same happened in Canada,  we got to see Banff all by ourselves before the masses descended.

If you know your toddler is not going to fall asleep before midnight you can go ahead and take advantage of this. Lets face it, as parents with young kids we rarely get to see our holiday destination after dark.

We love strolling around night markets, or looking for low key evening activities.  You will always find something suitable.

HOW LONG DOES JET LAG LAST?

In our experience getting over jet lag doesn’t normally take more than a few days.

Everyone always wants the magic trick to overcoming jet lag but if you plan ahead for your trip, keeping in mind that your schedule may be weird for the first few days then you won’t even need to worry about how to beat jet lag and you can just go with it.

Ready to book a trip? Find the best deals on guided tours , flights , hotels , travel insurance , and rental cars !

Do you have any tricks for avoiding baby and toddler jet lag when you travel? Drop it in the comments below!

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Surviving Jet Lag in Babies & Toddlers

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So you want to travel to some distant land, with your baby or toddler, and you wonder—What’s the deal with jet lag in babies and toddlers?  Or maybe you’ve been on a long-haul flight with your baby or toddler and the jet lag aftermath did not go well?

Well, I’m living proof that jet lag in babies and toddlers doesn’t have to be that painful.  My son and I traveled on five transatlantic flights before he turned two, and I lived to tell about it.  Managing jet lag in babies is all about a little planning, managing expectations, and A LOT of flexibility!   It is inevitable and unavoidable, but it is not a reason not to travel.  It’s a necessary evil for the privilege of going to faraway lands, so let’s dive into how to tackle it!

What Are the Causes of Jet Lag

Understanding what jet lag is, helps to craft a plan on how to combats its effects.  Jet lag is a temporary sleep problem afflicting people who travel across multiple time zones.  Crossing multiple time zones, rapidly, disrupts circadian rhythms, which regulate sleep/wake cycles (which can be, let’s face it, already tenuous in small children).

How Long Does It Take For A Baby to Recover From Jet Lag?

The rule of thumb is that it will take your body one day to adjust for every hour of time change.  So in theory, a 6 hour time change takes your body ~ 6 days to work itself out.

In my experience jet lag in babies and toddlers only last ~2-3 days.  And the bulk of the battle is fought during the first two nights.  I find that the initial sleep disruption is more pronounced in my son (than for me); however, in the long run, he ‘recovers’ from it more quickly.

Symptoms of Jet Lag in Babies & Toddlers

Knowing what to expect from jet lag, in your baby and toddler, will help to manage your expectations of the first few days.  Common symptoms include:

• disturbed sleep
• daytime fatigue/lethargy
• difficulty staying focused
• gastrointestinal issues
• mood disruption
• headaches, and
• irritability

Typically, for babies and toddlers, the two most pronounced and disruptive symptoms are disturbed sleep patterns and insomnia.

In my experience jet lag is worse when flying eastward (for example, from the US to Europe).  Flying east you are ‘losing’ time; while flying west you ‘gain’ time.  I find that it takes ½ as long to recover from jet lag when flying westward (ex/ from Europe to the US).  When we fly east, the main problems for my son are trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, and mid-night wakings. When we fly west, the main issue is early risings.

So, What Can You Do To Combat Jet Lag in Babies & Toddlers?

Tips for minimizing jet lag in babies & toddlers:, 1. be well rested when you depart.

Get yourself and your baby the sleep you need the week before departure.  Make sure that your baby or toddler is getting all of its naps, and that s/he is getting to bed on time.  This is not the week to skip three naps or go to a few dinner parties and push back bedtime.  This is one of the few things that is within your control, so get that sleep!

2. Try To Get As Much Sleep On the Plane As Possible

Getting sleep on the plane may seem obvious, but I’m serious.  I book my flight times based on which will work better for my kid’s sleep schedule. 

For example, Chicago-Dublin, on Aerlingus, there are typically two options, a 4 pm, and an 8:30 pm flight.  I tried the 4 pm flight once, and it didn’t go over well.  My son cried the entire time; I never booked the 4 pm trip again.

My rationale in trying the 4 pm was that the 8:30 pm was past my son’s bedtime and that by the time we got him to sleep on the plane he’d be overtired .   But, as it turned out, the 4 pm flight was way too early.  

Chicago to Dublin is a 6.5-hour flight.  My son goes to bed around 7:30 pm. so even if I would have gotten him to sleep at ~8:00, on the 4 pm flight, he would only have had 2.5-1.5 hours of sleep  (not counting the last hour when they turn the lights on and serve breakfast).

With the 8:30 pm flight, once we board he has eaten already and if I can get him to sleep around 9:30 pm, he’ll get ~4.5-5.5 hrs. of sleep (not counting the last hour when they turn the lights on and serve breakfast).

Maybe I overthink things. Many times you don’t have a choice of flight times, and even if you do your kiddo may not cooperate. All this to say, if you have the option, consider departure times. If you don’t then that’s ok too; work with what you’ve got.

Remember, This Flight Isn’t About You

While you are on the flight remember: this flight isn’t about you, it’s about getting that baby to sleep.  When I used to fly internationally, solo, I looked forward to that beer or glass of wine, a good book, a few movies, and a little R&R on the plane. I enjoy flying and I used to enjoy the 8 hours of solitude.

That’s not the situation anymore. I know you’ll be tired, but I promise you that if you can get your baby or toddler to snooze on the plane things will go smoother over the next couple of days.  Get up and walk with the baby, bounce the baby, breastfeed or bottle feed that baby, do whatever you need to do to get that baby to sleep!

A tip for getting your baby or toddler to sleep on the plane is to bring a muslin blanket to cover the baby’s head. Covering the baby makes it a little darker for your kiddo.  I prefer muslin to the airplane blanket as I find that the airplane blankets can get a bit hot.

3. Get the Bassinet Row Or Consider Bringing Your Car Seat On Board

Getting the bassinet seat or bringing your car seat on board is to facilitate #2.  I am a big proponent of the bassinet row.  If your child is flying as a lap child (under 2) and your flight is trans-Atlantic, then your plane probably has bassinet seats.  Check out my post on flying internationally with a baby , to read more about the bassinet row. The bassinet row is a row where they can attach a bassinet to the wall for your baby to sleep.  Even if your child doesn’t sleep in it, you can use the bassinet to spread out a bit.

If you have purchased a seat and your toddler is still relatively little (~1-4), I’d consider bringing the car seat onboard.  I’ve been on one trans-Atlantic flight while my son was over 2, and we brought the car seat.  My son is used to sleeping in his car seat in the car, and he sleeps well; so I figured that it might work well on the plane too.

I also know my son, and I don’t think he is ready to sleep in the big plane seat.  I think he might slump over and be uncomfortable (or want to sleep on me). So I made a calculated decision.   At some point, I’ll try no car seat.  Only you know how your child will sleep best.  So evaluate your options and make the call.

4. Stay Hydrated

Dehydration may not cause jet lag, but it can exacerbate the symptoms of jet lag. Humidity levels are low on planes that’s why they are so dry. This can lead to dehydration.  They recommend avoiding alcohol on a plane for this reason; however, I have never followed this advice.  Just stay hydrated!

5. Manage Your ‘Schedule’ by Wake Times & Naptimes

When you arrive at your destination, you have to be flexible.  My rule of thumb is to maintain our ‘schedule’ and routine by maintaining naptimes according to wake times.  For me, this is the key to managing jet lag in babies and toddlers .

Let’s say your baby is on two naps.  You arrive in London at 9 am (baby got 4 hrs. of sleep on the plane).  Then let’s say you drive 1 hour to your B&B and baby falls asleep; let’s say you let him sleep for 3 hours total. Its hard to know, but when the baby wakes up at noon, he will probably consider that ‘extra’ three hours of sleep as ‘night’ sleep.   When he wakes up his internal clock will still be looking for two naps that day.

If he wakes up at 12 pm and he has 4 hrs between naps, then his first nap will be at 4 pm (let’s say for 2 hours), and he wakes up at 6 pm.  At 10 pm, when you put him down for ‘bedtime,’ he will likely think that this is his second nap and wake up ~ 12 am.  I use this formula to gauge what is likely to happen that first night, and I am ready when my kiddo wakes up at midnight.

My advice is to focus on wake times, and the nap schedule and the rest will iron itself out. 

When your child wakes up at 12 am and thinks its party time try to put him back to sleep.  But if s/he won’t sleep don’t force it. You know you can’t make a baby or toddler sleep. Keep things quiet, read a book, grab a snack if your child is hungry, and try again in an hour or so.

Then, no matter what time everyone went to bed I’d wake everyone up around 10 am for the day and run the ‘wake time + nap time’ schedule again.

6. Get Your Eating Schedule On Track

Along with getting your naps on a ‘schedule’ try to get your eating on schedule too. Eating according to your typical schedule will help with the body’s daily rhythm.  Your child is accustomed to eating at certain times, in relation to other activities, (snack before nap, dinner before bath, etc…) so try to keep those consistent so s/he knows what to expect.

7. Get Lots Of Light Exposure

This one is pretty obvious.  Get outside as much as you can.  The more light you are exposed to the faster your body will get with the program.  Don’t stay cooped up in museums (or your hotel) all day, the first few days.

8. Allow 2 Days/2 Nights to Adjust

This is where the actual battle scars come from.  After 2 nights you’ll have a good idea as to how your child is responding to things, and you can force things a little (if you’d like).  The first two nights are going to go how they are going to go.  Just relax, enjoy the ride and know that by day 3 the hard part is over.

Another thing to add, in the vein of being flexible, is to be flexible with your daily time schedule.  At home, our son usually wakes up at ~7:00am and goes to sleep around 7:30pm.   In Ireland it is typically more like 9pm-9am; I am just not bothered to ‘force’ the extra two hours.  So be flexible, if everyone ends up on 10pm-10am, and that works for you, then go with it.

9. Keep the Activities Light for the First Two Days

Everyone is going to be tired and disoriented.  Try to engage in easy, unstructured activities, parks, and playgrounds the first few days. If you HAVE to be somewhere or do something, then try to arrive two days before the event. For example, if you are traveling to Italy for a wedding- don’t arrive the day before.  It’s not going to end well if tomorrow your 18-month-old is the ring bearer in your brother’s wedding.

The most important thing to remember about jet lag is that you cannot fight it.  So don’t try to. Accept it, embrace it, accommodate it, and roll with it.  That works if you keep things loose for the first few days.

10. Manage YOUR Expectations

Managing your expectations may be the second most important advice that I can give (after #5). You will not be disappointed if you do not have unreasonable expectations. Know your limitations and figure out your child’s.  Jet lag in babies is not a painful experience if you do not fight it.  Leave all of your ‘rules’ at home.  Just relax, enjoy the uninterrupted time with your family (even if it’s at 3 am), and have faith that this too shall pass.

Differences That I’ve Noticed in Jet Lag in Babies vs. Toddlers

• When my son was tiny, the jet lag wasn’t as bad because he slept so much. He didn’t care where in the world he was because night and day didn’t really mean anything to him.
• I found that ~18 months was the most difficult because his circadian rhythms/nap cycle were still so hard-wired and you cannot reason with an 18-month-old (try to talk them into going back to sleep).
• Once he hit ~2.5, I was able to ‘reason’ with him a little and when he woke up at 12 am I was able to ask him to go back to sleep, and he did (or at least he tried).

It’s About the Journey

I know its cliche, but traveling really is about the journey, and unfortunately, jet lag is part of the journey. But, I promise you that managing jet lag in babies and toddlers IS bearable, possible, and if nothing else you’ll live to tell about it.

I hope that this article has given you some ideas of ways to minimize the effects of jet lag in your baby or toddler. And as always, I hope that I have encouraged you to get out there and travel with your kiddo!!

If you do end up on a trans-Atlantic flight I’d love to hear your war stories and what worked for you!! Also, if you have any tips for handling jet lag in small children, drop them in the comments below!

*Disclaimer : I am not a medical professional.  If you have any cardiac, circulatory, or other chronic medical conditions you should contact your medical professional before embarking on a long-haul flight.  All opinions expressed are my own and based on my research and experiences. 

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Great tips. It’s also important to help your little ones sleep well at your destination accommodation. This helps them more quickly shift to a local-time schedule. Check with your host or hotel to see if they provide full-size cribs, just like at home. If not, rent one. BabyQuip delivers cribs to families in more than 300 travel destinations. Bring the sheet off of your crib at home, the one your baby slept on the day before travel. This way the crib will feel and smell familiar. Think about other bedtime routines from home (bath, book, infant swing, etc.). Bring or rent the gear you need to follow those same routines when you travel.

The more quickly your baby or toddler is sleeping through the night when traveling, the more time everyone has to rest, recharge and have fun!

Trish McDermott BabyQuip http://www.babyquip.com

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Great tips Catherine! I have a 21 month old grandson and he’s been to South America and Africa so far. Definitely traveled better as an infant to South America than as a toddler to Africa! I’m going to pass along your article to my son!

Thanks Cindi, I’m glad that you found this useful! It’s so cool that your grandson has been to South America and Africa. What awesome experiences and memories for a little kid to have!

Fantastic tips here & especially useful for you sharing your own experiences. Great advice!

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Thank you Catherine, Very informative and nicely laid out. We have an 18month old and headed back to Dublin via long haul SFO direct. Traveled internally a bunch but will be the first long haul flight. We had an issue once with ear problems on decent. Have you had any experience with that? We did end up going to the Dr. and found that he had an ear infection and that’s what maybe caused the inability to equalize on decent. His Mom does have very narrow ear canals although the jury is out on whether that’s hereditary or not. Its terribly painful thing and want to all and any measures to avoid.

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• Jun 14, 2022

Traveling Abroad with a Baby: Coping with Jet Lag and Time Differences

Updated: Oct 19, 2023

As with any travel situation, it's usually a case of trial and error no matter how much research you do beforehand. Every baby reacts differently to different challenges and has different quirks and needs.

And when it comes to time changes, it can be rough for anyone even babies. So here are my 5 tips on how to make the time change easier for your little one.

Take advantage of the sunlight and get out of your hotel/rental/house You and baby are probably exhausted but staying inside won’t do either of you any good. Light plays a central role in regulating circadian rhythm, the body’s internal clock that signals when to be alert and when to rest. Light also affects the production of melatonin, an essential sleep-promoting hormone ( more on all of that here ). The same can be said for creating as dark of a sleep environment as possible for naps and their nighttime sleep, even if bedtime is before the sun goes down. This is just as important but can be a little bit more difficult to accomplish if not prepared. My three favorite products to use to make the sleep space dark all depend on where we are staying and what baby's sleep situation is.

Slumberpod : Use code TRAVELINGWITHBABABIES20 at checkout for $20 off

Cozigo : Code TRAVELWITHBABIES for 10% off

Blackout Curtains : Code TWB10 for 10% off

After your arrival day, plan out Baby’s schedule It’s good to keep things a bit flexible on your first day of arrival whether you are starting your vacation or ending it. However, making a general schedule (based on their usual schedule at home) of what you want to accomplish each day PLUS when you plan on baby taking their naps will help everyone adjust more quickly. This way you can plan out all of the fun things you want to do while also making sure Baby gets the rest they deserve.

Have Food/Milk/Bottle prepared for the first few nights The first few nights after a major time change, sleep is not the only thing that needs to adjust. Both your and baby's stomach needs to regulate to the new time zone as well and so feeding times are likely to be all over the place for the first few days. I actually think the feeding schedule adjusts slower than sleep schedule. Until you can help baby get adjusted during the day, there is a very good chance that baby is going to wake up in the middle of the night quite hungry for the first night or two. Be sure to have a what you need to quickly make a bottle or feed when this happens. For toddlers, make sure to have a snack of some kind ready.

Keep Lights & Sounds Low at Night As mentioned above, light is such a big factor in adjusting baby to the time. Whenever baby wakes in the middle of the night, leave the screens at a distance, keep the lights off (with the exception of maybe a night light or two) and conversations low. This includes any time that you're feeding them. If baby looks like they are wide awake and ready to play, find something quiet that they can do in your bed with you until they get sleepy. With the lights off, watch out for sleep cues and hopefully it shouldn't take long before they are ready to hop back into bed.

Never Deny Sleep We may try to push them a little longer but if Baby is exhibiting all of their sleep queues… we just put Baby down for a nap. Even if it is not in your “set schedule.” They will be happier, more cooperative, and sleep is massively important to your little one’s development. Sleep promotes sleep.

Limit Time Spent Asleep What we do try to do during big time changes, however, is limit the amount of time spent asleep. Naps should not last longer than 2 hours and the later in the day, the shorter the nap should be if they truly need it.

Begin bedtime routine earlier if needed If you’re almost to a suitable bedtime but Baby is just not happy and giving you all of their sleep queues, begin your bedtime routine but just try to stretch the length of time in which you do all of the steps. And if you put them to bed a bit earlier than expected, so be it. It is very likely that they need the rest, especially on vacation when routines often change and Baby is usually more active during the day.

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How To Prepare Babies for Jet Lag

Have you just booked your first dream family holiday and realised that flyi ng long haul with a child may have its challenges and how will you prepare your baby for the jet lag? Jet Lag is one serious drawback to travel and can contribute to travel burnout . Factor in a small child who hasn’t quite mastered sleeping through the night, and you might be asking for trouble.  Some symptoms might go beyond just being tired or cranky.  Your little one might have a loss of appetite, have some tummy troubles, headaches (though they might be able to tell you this), and just be irritable and confused.  A combination of these can make any trip into a nightmare.

Luckily, you can try to help your little one before you leave home and lessen the effects once you’ve arrived and so we have put together some tips to get your little one prepared for your big adventures.

Before Travel

• Try to push naps or bedtime closer to the time zone you’re traveling to.  If you’re going east, start the bedtime routine slightly earlier each night (if going west, hold off on bedtime).  By slightly altering your baby’s schedule it won’t be quite as jarring when suddenly you’re staying up 6 hours later, or going to bed 8 hours earlier.
• Get baby used to sleeping in different places .  If your child has only ever slept in one or two locations, it might be difficult to get used to a new place (or a few) so suddenly.  Try to move the crib into different places in the room, or a completely different room.  Sleep in the pack n’ play instead of a crib, or better yet, take a few small trips away from home to get in a completely new environment.  This might not be directly related to jet lag, but when a baby is fighting sleep and already overwhelmed, adding in the fear of a new place doesn’t help.
• Try to schedule flights that will coordinate with naps (or not).  My child is a pro at sleeping on planes.  Between cuddling me, the bounce of the plane, and the white noise, he’s asleep within minutes of takeoff.  So I always try to schedule our flights around nap times or overnight.  This helps him stay on a semi-decent schedule.  If your child doesn’t sleep on planes, scheduling overnight flights on purpose probably won’t work for you (though it’s not always avoidable).

During Travel

• Head out.  Even if it’s bed time in your home time zone, get up, get out, and get some sun.  One of the best ways to fight jet lag is to trick your body into living in that time.  The sun automatically helps trick your brain.  And, if you’re lying in bed, you’re obviously more likely to snooze, than if you’re out adventuring.  It’s the same for your baby.  With all of the excitement of a new location, they will hopefully avoid sleeping until it’s a better nap time, or an appropriate time for bed.
• Immediately change to the new time zone.  Avoid the urge to live by your home time.  Use the current time to plan your baby’s schedule like you would at home.
• Be flexible.  Even if your baby is very scheduled at home, that doesn’t mean she will be while traveling.  Realize that sometimes you can’t avoid a snooze in the stroller, or he’ll be super active at bed time.  Just try to keep it the same, while also allowing some wiggle room.
• Build in a day or two after arriving.  If you have time, keep the first day or so pretty free of major activities.  While I’ve said it’s great to stay busy to avoid feeling sleepy, sometimes your baby just will not be enjoying his time.  An extra day can add in a buffer for him to get used to things before trying to hit all of the activities.
• Stay hydrated.  Try to push water or milk on your child to keep them hydrated and help fight the side effects of jet lag.  It will also help because, for the most part, a full tummy is an easier one to sleep on.
• Bring comforting items.  If your child as a certain toy, a blanket, or maybe they’re attached to you, let them have those comfort items.  I’m not saying give in to every peep your baby makes for that item if it’s interfering with other things.  But let me comfort themselves however they know how.

And remember, if your child is feeling the effects of jet lag, their sleep will go back to normal.  This won’t last forever and eventually his or her body’s normal rhythm will begin again.  And, it was all worth it.  As difficult as it might seem in the moment, you’ll always have those memories of travelling with your child, and depending on their age, they might too.  It’s worth it to be able to show them the world.  Even though jet lag is a menace.

Mackenzie Bio:

Mackenzie Jervis is a writer and traveler currently living in Texas with her husband and son.  She has visited 65 countries solo and now brings the baby along.  She blogs about family travel at A Wandering Scribbler & Co . while writing novels and binge-watching British TV.

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Hi, I’m Anna, a travel loving wife to Tristan and Mother to 6 year old twins Poppy and Tabitha, their 3 year old sister Matilda, and together we are Twins and Travels.

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Tips to tackle jet lag in babies like a pro

Are you travelling international and worrying about how your baby is going to adjust to the new time zone? Nervous about handling the baby’s jet lag along with yours?

Well I am not going to lie to you. It’s tough but with practice you will get there. And hey! Go easy on yourself because you are bound to make a few mistakes here and there.

We have travelled with our toddler to six different time zones before he turned 3 years old. I have tried so many things to manage the jet lag situation that I can finally say that we have figured out our jet lag survival system.

1 Do not force nap during the flight

This one comes out of my experience from our first international trip with our little one. I am sure if any of our co-passengers are reading this, they will surely remember. Our flight was at midnight and we assumed that our baby would doze off once he gets comfortable. And why not? After all we had been practising sleeping with dim light and low noise for a month at home to prepare ourselves.In addition we had also read up all kinds of books and guides to equip us with all the tips and tricks of the trade. But God! were we in for a surprise! Our baby was so excited in the flight that he became all chatty at 1 am in the morning and there was just abundance of cute baby noises. On trying to make him sleep, he wanted to get out of the plane right away. It took almost an hour of walking up and down the aisle for him to settle down and our co-passengers were thankfully all very understanding. On our flight back, when our baby got all excited, we just let him talk and tire out. He slept like a baby after half an hour 🙂

So here is my advise, do not under any circumstance force your baby or toddler to nap if they do not want to. You can carry some toys or books to keep them engaged and happy.

2 Plan for your VISA

It’s always better to get a visa processed beforehand, if possible. If you are planning for Visa on Arrival, do have a game plan. Why do I say this? Imagine yourself jet lagged, looking out for your luggage, managing a baby while trying to complete the visa forms. You guessed it! Crazy right?

Unfortunately not all countries have a separate and faster ‘Visa on Arrival’ queue for families travelling with kids. Incase of Visa on Arrival, we generally get our Visa documentation ready at home or on the flight to avoid spending extra time in the airport.

3 Take the first day off

Don’t plan anything major for the first day. Also if possible, book a nearby hotel so that your child does not have to undergo a long journey after an exhausting flight.

The first day is generally easier for babies as they nap many times a day. Toddlers tend to understand the time difference more. My advise is to let them sleep for sometime after the journey to rest and recover before switching on to the new timezone. We generally take a power nap along with our baby to ensure we are well rested for what’s coming our way.

4 Eat food and stay hydrated

The first day, we generally eat as per our old schedule and start the transitioning process the next day. A hungry and exhausted baby is never a good idea. Be sure though not to indulge into sweets as that can affect the sleep schedule even more. For babies, it’s best if you feed on demand.

5 Go out in the sun

The best way to tell your body to change it’s clock is to expose it to sun. With sunlight, the body adapts faster to the new routine and it increases the production of sleep hormones. Indulging in some outdoor activities with your kid will also help them get exercise and tire. If they wake up in the middle of the night try to keep them in the bed without switching on the lights. I know this is a tough one.

6 Be Patient and Relax

Most importantly, do not feel guilty and remember that it’s just matter of time before your baby gets back to the new routine. Be patient with yourself and those around you and try doing something that relaxes you when you have time. If you fret, remind yourself you are on a holiday and slow down. You will live to tell this story.

Please note every child deals differently with a situation so if something does not work with your child please do not force it.

Do you have some Jet Lag tips? Tell us how else can we help you to have a soul travel with your little one….

Looking for more tips on how to prepare for your first flight with a baby. Check out this blog

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20 comments.

oh this is such helpful advice! love that you stress just staying calm.

Thanks Barbara

These are great tips. I have used some of them with my little guy when we have traveled to different time zones.

Thanks Melissa. Glad we have that in common 🙂

Awesome info…I am getting ready to travel with my baby!!

Thanks! All the best for your trip together 🙂

Oh man, we haven’t even had to do a simple plane ride yet, never mind an international one! My two-year-old would be the one chatting all night to everyone one the plane.

Haha…I hear you…It might turn out to be fun for everyone on the plane 😉

Great tips here, especially not being too busy on the first day and letting all adjust.

Thanks Julie! Even my hubby needs the first day off to adjust 😉

I haven’t even considered international travel with my son because of our finances but these all seem like great tips!

Thank you Kat!

These are great tips for families that travel

great tips!

My daughter just turned 2 and we have traveled with her to two different countries. There hasn’t really been any time difference the times we have traveled both countries were on the same time as us. So it didn’t affect the baby too much.

That’s good to hear that she did not suffer from jet lag. Travelling with kids is fun, isn’t it?

This comes in the best time! hehe. We travel often now and our son jetlag is always a struggle 🙁

Happy to help 🙂

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A Step-By-Step Plan For Overcoming Jet Lag With Babies & Toddlers

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Are your children experiencing jet lag? Here are some tips for dealing with baby jet lag and toddler jet lag so you can sleep.

Sometimes I write posts because I read a few great books, put some great advice into practice and had complete success.

Very rarely, I don’t prepare beforehand, I fly by the seat of my pants, do everything the wrong way and live to tell about it. Then I write a post centered around avoiding my mistakes.

This is one such post.

If you need to know how to handle sleepless toddlers or tips on dealing with baby jet lag, look no further.

Jet lag is meaner than someone who would pour out your Diet Coke just for fun. I’m not talking going from Eastern to Central time here, of course that may go by with barely any notice.

I’m talking about coast-to-coast or international travel jet lag.

Add babies and toddlers and it’ll make you wish you’d saved your hard-earned Benjamins and stayed at your local Motel 6 for a few nights alone.

However, if you found this article because your baby already has jet lag, then I can help.

It will be okay.

Baby will sleep again and so will you.

Fast, simple, and free strategies to implement if baby can’t get to sleep, won’t *stay* asleep, or is unsettled in general.

What's in this post...

How to Handle Jet Lag With Babies and Toddlers

I assure you, it’ll get better.

1. Recovery time.

I have found in my many many international flights that a true case of jet lag can take as little as 3 days to get over and as much as 1 week .

That isn’t to say you don’t sleep that entire time. Simply that you feel a bit “off” and your body clock is confused.

Depending on the age of your children it might be relatively easy. Babies under 6 months will probably find it a lot easier since they sleep so often during the day.

They’ll be rested enough throughout the day to adjust in a healthier way.

2. Start beforehand if you are a planner.

Let’s talk about how you can potentially even avoid jet lag. Or to have it at the front end and be well-rested at your arrival.

• If it’s only a few hours difference the best way to combat jet lag is to adjust their schedule little by little for the few days prior to your trip.
• If it’s a four-hour time difference, consider shifting their routine in one or two-hour increments until they are more or less on the new time.

I don’t do that because it seems like a lot of work. However, if you are going to be gone a while and need your children to really be content, it’s a good alternative.

• If you are going 15 hours and a whole day ahead (like you do going from the US to Australia and back ) then this won’t help you much. You’ll just need to get there and adjust immediately.

Either way, in the week leading up to the trip you can be sure they are as well-rested as possible so they don’t begin the jet lag journey in a bad mood. 

3. Give yourself a day upon return.

Once you’ve arrived then it’s time to start the time adjustment.

On our latest trip, I attempted to jump straight into the exact routine (time wise) we had in Australia.

It was a disaster.

By the time they got to sleep in the morning I’d wake them up thinking that was helping.

Then, putting them down in the afternoon for a nap (as we did back home) they might not sleep. By 4:30 they were cranky and dying to sleep but I tried to keep them up until bedtime.

➡️ The best thing you can do is to keep them on the current time within reason, but to let them rest throughout the day in a way their body clock is used to at first.

This way, they will not be overtired and sleep-deprived and will more easily fall into their new routine as the time passes. 

After they are well-rested , transition back to this time zone.

4. Don’t turn on lights at night.

If everyone wakes up for a few hours in the middle of the night, keep them in bed. They may want to talk or sing or roll around, you probably are too, but don’t treat nighttime as daytime.

This will only prolong the agony. 

My babies, toddlers, and preschoolers, were all able to spend an hour or two in their cribs passing the time playing with their toes or singing and this helped the jet lag pass much quicker.

• Don’t get up and give snacks.
• Don’t watch videos.
• And don’t turn on lights.
• Just pass the hour or two or three hours quietly in the dark. The urge is to go with it, but that will prolong the jet lag.

Create sustainable sleep habits for your little lamb so the whole family can sleep peacefully without the stress, drama, and tears.

5. Make sure bellies are full.

It will be very hard to keep your little ones in bed and well-rested if they’re starving.

Traveling can get our bodies out of whack with both sleep and food, and a good way to get them back into order is having normal meal times and eating well.

No one can sleep well while starving , so filling little bellies full is a great way to help them transition back into their normal routine.

6. Know deep inside – this too shall pass.

At 26 weeks pregnant, up 5 hours in the middle of the night on Day 6 of jet lag I was having some mighty desperate thoughts.

I thought I might literally die of fatigue.

Oh the dramatic meltdowns I was having. After 2 weeks we were all sleeping well, napping well and thriving.

It passed. It passed and we lived to tell about it.

They will get back on track, they will sleep through the night again, your hair won’t fall out from exhaustion, and it will be okay. 

I believe there are some trips you must make and bring your children along, no matter their age. However, there are some trips that can wait until later.

Taking small ones cross-country or international is doable and can be great fun. It is also a lot of work. Weigh the pros and cons and, after you’ve done all you can, damn the torpedoes and make some memories!

If you need more information on traveling with kids check out my ebook . It covers flying, driving, how to pick accommodation, where to eat for free, great apps for travel, renting baby gear and so much more!

If you have a baby or toddler who still naps, using their wake windows (the time between when they wake up to when they need to nap) can be helpful when traveling through time zones to make sure they’re getting adequate rest. During travel, follow their lead and let them sleep or rest as much as they like. Upon arrival at your destination, try to adapt to the local time zone as quickly as possible

n most cases, it is not necessary to consult a healthcare professional specifically for jet lag in children. Jet lag is typically a temporary and self-limiting condition that resolves on its own as the child’s body adjusts to the new time zone. However, there are certain situations where consulting a healthcare professional may be warranted, such as extreme fatigue, persistent sleep disturbances, mood swings, or digestive issues.

While there is no specific food that can completely eliminate jet lag, a balanced diet can certainly help children recover from jet lag more effectively. Complex carbohydrates – foods like whole grains (oats, brown rice, whole wheat bread) can help stabilize blood sugar levels and provide a steady source of energy, which can combat fatigue associated with jet lag. Protein-rich food – lean protein sources like chicken, turkey, fish, tofu, and beans can aid in alertness and provide lasting energy. Including protein in meals can help keep children awake during daylight hours at their destination.

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Reader Interactions

12 comments.

Yay! Thanks so much! Last time we had to travel halfway across the world I looked on another blog for some Babywise advice on traveling with a baby and the first thing I found was “Don’t travel outside of your timezone with your baby.” yeah, right… but what if you HAVE to? Thanks for your advice! I agree with what you said about leaving the schedule for a bit. When we got to our destination I wanted to get on schedule right away but my husband suggested letting our daughter get rested up first (and even volunteered to play with her in the middle of the night, I love him!!) and it definitely was a great move. And yes, it WILL pass :-) though it takes long!

Yes, I am telling you. Babywise is great but I had to finally say ‘put the book down for goodness sake’ and just let them have a break. Jetlag is a killer, but it passes and I think that travelling with kids while they are young will make them better future travellers to :)

Stumbled across your blog while looking at the Babywise Networked blogs week. Where was this article when we were travelling abroad with our 15 month-old?!? :) Great tips!

Thanks for the encouragement. I just checked out your blog and it’s so cute. Being a missionary and a mother, I’m sure we can swap “sometimes I really wish our family was near to help” stories :) But, God knows where we will flourish, doesn’t he?

Just got back from Asia and our 3 month old’s schedule is completely skiwhompus, sleeping 6 hour stretches in the morning and 2 hour at a time at night. I feel loads better after reading your post! This too shall pass!

Oh, Denise! It will be enough to make you a crazy person for a bit, then it will definitely pass :) Inch by inch take back ground but now that it will pass because our bodies are very used to sleeping long stretches at night so it will try to get back to it!

Hi Rachel, Any suggestions for a Babywise Mom transitioning a 3.5 month old to a 9 hour (behind us) time zone change? This is our first trip back to the States from the Middle East with my first baby and I’m a bit nervous. She is a great sleeper and is sleeping through the night right now (2 months old) and I’m so worried about the jet lag transition. You mentioned not cold turkey transitioning your kids, does that apply to babies as well? What is the best way to transition her to the new time zone? We will be staying in the new time zone for 3 weeks… Thanks for any help!

Hi Allison! The first thing I do is determine what time of day you will be arriving. So we usually travel 24+ hours and land around 8pm. While traveling I let the baby sit of do what they want. They all sleep quite a bit still, then when landing I try to put them on a normal schedule loosely So for example if you land at night they will be exhausted. Put down for bed. They may not make it all night but will sleep a good long stretch. If you land in the morning I would put the baby down for a nap but don’t wake after two hours like normal, give it three or four or enough to really feel more rested. I tried to stick to times and they were so overtired because I didn’t just let them have a long recovery nap. I say shoot for general times. If it’s morning put them down and let sleep. Afternoon do the same but don’t worry if it isn’t the exact times as normal. Don’t be surprised by night wakings, but just give the paci or a quick cuddle. I wouldn’t turn the lights on. Your Baby is still so young that there is probably not a huge amount of wake time anyway! If this is confusing and me an an email!

I’m heading to the states from Ireland in 6 weeks time my daughter will be just 6 months and reading all these different sites for advice is really making me second think about going, she’s a great sleeper during the day and night time and don’t want to ruin this, were going for ten days should we wait till she is older ???

NO WAY! Go Go go. Babies that tying arw champs and because she naps during the day she will adjust to jetlag quick. If you really want to go I say make it happen :)

Any tips for travelling from the uk to Canada (7 hours time difference) with an 11 month old. Historically not a great sleep but now is and terrified to ruin this. We are only going for 1 week. Should I try and get on new time or just go with it, it’s only a week? Any tips appreciated! X

Jen, I usually kept my “normal” schedule on the “new” time. So I’d try cold turkey if I could and then when we came back home did the normal schedule on normal time. It NEVER caused any regressions past the first few days to adjust.

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12 tips on how to travel internationally with a baby

Traveling with an infant is already an adventure -- and traveling abroad with one is an even bigger feat to tackle.

Knowing the rules, researching and prepping ahead of time and packing the right things can make (or break) your first international trip with a baby. If you're in the know, you can take advantage of all the options afforded to traveling families, from bassinets on the plane and security shortcuts to special infant fares and other perks.

Covering everything from booking and documents to travel insurance and even jet lag, this guide provides everything you need to prepare for an international trip with your baby.

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Get your baby's passport

Before you get too far into planning a trip abroad, you'll need to get your baby's first passport .

While you're at it, make sure everyone else in the family has a valid passport, too. Remember, U.S. passports for children under 16 expire after five years, not 10 years like adult passports. Also, make sure everyone's passport isn't nearing expiration. Many countries require three or six months of validity to enter, which effectively means that child passports are really only valid for 4 1/2 years, which go quickly.

When getting a passport for your baby , here are the main steps to follow:

• Get their birth certificate.
• Find out where to apply.
• Make an appointment. You'll need to go in person and bring your baby with you.
• Take their passport photo. It can be difficult to get a photo of your baby. Rules for photos state that the child/baby should be looking directly at the camera with a natural smile or neutral look. If you can manage to get the baby's eyes to stay open, that's typically enough for their first passport photo. The background should be white and the size 2 by 2 inches with no filters. Within that size, your baby/child's head needs to be 1 to 1 3/8 inches (25 to 35 mm) from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head. If you're struggling to get everything just right, the ItsEasy App can help you crop and size your photo to the correct dimensions.
• Gather the paperwork. Fill out Form DS-11 and take your baby's birth certificate plus photocopies of each document. Bring a couple of photos, a valid ID for each parent, a photocopy of parental IDs and the fee (you can pay by check). Fees are currently $100 for the passport and $35 for processing.
• Attend the appointment in person with both parents present . If only one parent can go, fill out and bring parental consent form DS-3053 plus a copy.

Get your baby Global Entry

If you already have Global Entry , you won't be able to use the service as a family if your little ones don't have it. So, get a start on your baby's application. Or, if this is something your whole family wants to do, apply simultaneously, making expiration dates and renewals easier to complete for everyone at the same time.

Do note that with TSA PreCheck , kids 12 and under won't need to have their own number to accompany parents through these special security lanes -- but that's not true for Global Entry, which you use to return to the U.S.

Check with your doctor

Check with your pediatrician to see when your baby can start flying.

To give you an idea, TPG talked to Dr. Jenny Yu , medical director at Healthline , to find out when it's typically safe for babies to travel. "While babies typically develop their immune system around 1 month, most pediatricians would recommend waiting until 3 to 6 months for travel," she said. For premature babies, it might be a little longer.

Also, with international travel, it's important to factor in any additional vaccines they might need, especially if you're traveling to emerging countries. Start by checking with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for recommendations on which vaccines both adults and babies should get, then talk with your pediatrician to see what is best for your family, baby and travel situation.

Other important questions to ask your doctor should be if your baby can wear sunblock or mosquito repellent and how to keep your baby and your whole family safe from tropical or waterborne diseases, COVID-19 and any other possible infections, which can depend highly on your destination.

Pick the right destination

Whether it's a far-flung visit to Asia, a trip to visit family in Europe, a Caribbean escape or an African safari, you can travel anywhere with a baby as long as you and your family feel comfortable doing so. Choose a destination that makes you feel joy, not anxiety or stress at the thought of getting there and enjoying it with your baby.

Consider things like the activities you want to do, and if the destination is a place that feels welcoming for families. Also think about logistics, like the language barrier, climate and local transportation, when deciding if that particular destination is right for your family.

Book tickets

Depending on how old your baby is, you have some options when flying abroad with them. Here are a few to consider:

• Lap infant: If your baby is under 2 years old, they don't need their own seat. They can instead sit on the lap of a ticketed adult. For international travel, some airlines charge 10% to 30% of the adult ticket price or just the taxes and fees for a lap infant, and some airlines don't charge anything at all. This table shows the costs by airline to buy your baby a lap ticket. Make sure to check on luggage policies when traveling with a lap infant. Most airlines allow for a stroller and car seat checked free of charge. You may also be able to check or carry on additional baggage, too, but more on that later.
• Bassinet for lap infant: Many airlines have bassinet options, especially aboard larger aircraft that fly internationally. See if you can select this option while booking or call the airline for more information on securing a bassinet. Bassinets are usually free, but given to those who request them first. Ask for one right after booking to ensure you'll be assigned a seat with one when available. In most cases, bassinet weight limits max out at 20 to 24 pounds, so they're best for smaller babies and newborns.
• Extra seat with car seat or restraint for babies 2 years and up: If your baby is older than 2 years, you must pay for their seat. Many airlines have discounted tickets for children. If the child weighs more than 44 pounds, they won't need any additional restraint system within their own seat. If they weigh less than 44 pounds, see the information on a certified child restraint or car seat below.
• Additional seat with car seat or restraint for babies under 2: If your baby is less than 2 years old, you can still book them their own seat. In fact, the Federal Aviation Administration suggests that children under 44 pounds wear an FAA-approved harness (such as the CARES harness ) or certified child restraint to help keep them safe during turbulence, takeoff and landing. Make sure to check your car seat to see if there is an FAA-approved sticker on it.

It's worth noting that car seat, bassinet and harness options and policies vary wildly by airline and class of service. For more information on these policies by airline, read this article on 23 airline car seat and bassinet policies around the world .

Note that when booking seats for your family on an international flight, there are areas where kids and babies are not allowed to sit, like exit rows. Malaysia Airlines doesn't allow babies in its first-class cabins on A380 and 747 aircraft. Some international airlines such as AirAsia, Scoot and IndiGo also have kid-free and quiet zones where families with babies and children under a certain age (usually 10 or 12) aren't allowed to sit.

Additionally, if your baby is closer to 2 years old, you might want to compare the price of a lap ticket to the price of getting them their own seat. Sometimes, the price difference may not be that much, and it could make the flight more comfortable for the entire family.

Organize documents, including visas and COVID-19 forms

Passports aren't the only documents you'll need for international travel these days. Check to see if you and your baby need a visa to enter whatever country you're visiting. If you're traveling without your partner, look into completing a Child Consent Form.

Have proof of vaccines, complete any health forms and entry forms and take those COVID-19 tests if required to enter the country. Be clear on if your baby or children need to wear masks during the flight and plan accordingly. While babies 2 and up need to wear masks on board U.S. airlines, international airlines have different rules. For example, Iberia only requires children 6 and up to wear masks. Presently, British Airways has made masking up for all passengers a "personal choice" when not required by international law. We expect these rules to continue to rapidly evolve.

It's worth checking what documents you need for the trip when booking and again before traveling to ensure that you have everything you need as rules and regulations frequently change, especially in this era of pandemic travel .

Understand luggage rules

Different airlines have varying rules for how much luggage you can take when traveling abroad, especially when traveling with lap infants or children/babies occupying their own seats. Most airlines allow you to check a stroller and/or car seat. Many also offer additional checked luggage, as well as a carry-on bag or item for the baby.

For example, British Airways allows both lap infants and children ages 2 and up to have a carry-on item and a checked bag in most cases, giving parents a little flexibility when bringing along all those key items babies need . Cathay Pacific allows lap infants two additional bags at 10 kilograms each when flying between most destinations.

If you aren't clear on the luggage rules, call the airline before traveling to confirm so you won't get stuck with any surprises or have to pay additional fees.

Know the rules for breast milk and formula

Thanks to the Friendly Airports for Mothers Improvement Act, all large- and medium-size airports in the U.S. now provide lockable, non-bathroom places to pump or nurse babies in every terminal and at least one men's and one women's restroom with changing tables in each terminal. This may not be the case abroad, so if you're concerned, research your destination airport to see what options are provided when it comes to these services.

You shouldn't have any issues flying with breast milk or formula on your outbound trip from the U.S. , as regular Transportation Security Administration liquid regulations don't apply to these special liquids. According to the TSA , "reasonable quantities" of these liquids are allowed, but you must take them out during screening for the security officer to test.

You can look up rules to see what's allowed when returning from your destination. For example, the United Kingdom allows breast milk past security in containers up to 2,000 milliliters. You can also take formula, milk and bottled water for the baby, but the baby must be present. In the European Union , you can take breast milk and formula through security and when flying as long as your baby is traveling with you.

Your airline may also provide clarity on these types of rules. Cathay Pacific, for example, states that breastfeeding is allowed during all phases of the flight, using an electric pump is allowed once electric devices can be switched on and travelers can even bring along suitably packed dry ice to refrigerate expressed milk, assuming it's declared during check-in.

According to some airlines, if you're taking a large breast pump along, this may count as a medical device and not be part of your carry-on allowance, but these regulations often aren't very clear. Contact your airline for more information and print out the rules in case you have any issues during security screening or boarding.

If you're traveling from a very obscure destination within an emerging country and you can't find answers about bringing breast milk, it may be best to have a Plan B in place, such as bringing along enough formula in powder form to last you for the flight or planning to pump or breastfeed in flight.

Should you want to ship your breast milk abroad, options are available for you depending on your destination, such as Maven Milk and Milk Stork .

Book accommodations

When booking accommodations in your destination abroad, take things into account like baby necessities, baby-friendly items, the option to do laundry and the availability to heat, cool and store milk and formula. Choosing a vacation rental instead of a hotel may be the right idea if you need more space, a kitchen and laundry facilities.

If your baby is eating solid foods, make sure there are restaurants or supermarkets nearby where you can get exactly what you need. Doing a little pre-trip research can help you feel confident and comfortable when traveling with your baby regardless of which hotel or home rental you choose to stay in.

Pack strategically

Packing with a baby can seem precarious, but it doesn't have to be. Just make sure you have enough of everything you need to get through the flight, plus a bit extra in case of delays or cancellations. For an exact list of everything you need to pack, see this article on how to pack -- and prepare -- for travel with a baby .

For extra-long flights, try to have everything to help your baby comfortably nap on hand, like a lovey, blanket, pacifier and more. Have changes of clothes on hand for the whole family in case of a messy situation, and enough layers for a plane that may be hot or chilly. A baby carrier can be key, too.

When packing for a trip abroad, the most important items to remember are everyone's passport, visa and key documents, plus anything essential that you know you can't get in another country. Babies live all over the world, so you can easily get items like diapers, wipes, formula and more anywhere. However, you may not find the exact brand you want, or if you're going somewhere rural or far-flung, like on a safari in Africa, you may want to bring enough for your entire trip.

For example, Enfamil, a popular baby formula brand, is found all over Europe and even in the Caribbean and Latin America. However, it may not be available in Africa or Asia, so do your homework.

If you're traveling with items that need to plug in to charge, like a breast pump, baby monitor or nightlight, bring converters if necessary. You can always rent baby items abroad, too, rather than lugging everything along with you. It's possible to preorder diapers and wipes in many destinations, as well.

Strongly consider travel insurance

Things happen. While getting the flu abroad may not be a big deal for an adult, a sick baby can be scary and stressful, especially if you're in a foreign country. Having travel insurance that covers accidents and emergencies -- and COVID-19, too -- can set your mind at ease and save the day if something happens.

Before travel, note where the nearest hospital or health care facilities are, as well as any international hospitals where staff may be more likely to speak English. Know exactly how to use your insurance, like what numbers to call or what to do if a situation arises. Check if any of your credit cards have travel insurance that may cover you and your family if things go awry.

Plan for jet lag

Jet lag stinks. Jet lag with a baby might be even worse. There are things you can do to make jet lag a little less stressful, though, especially when traveling abroad to very different time zones.

First, give yourselves a few days to adjust, planning big events later in the trip. Limit your baby's naps when possible. If your baby takes a five-hour nap, they definitely won't be sleeping through the night.

Shift mealtimes, naptimes and bedtimes to the new time zone as quickly as possible, getting daylight during the day and darkness at night, so internal clocks begin to adjust for the whole family. If the time zone difference is small, you may want to keep your baby on the original time zone to minimize disruption, especially for a shorter trip.

For more tips on combating jet lag with a baby in tow, read this guide on surviving jet lag with your baby .

Bottom line

Planning and taking an international trip with a baby can be simple and create memories for a lifetime if you prepare just right. With a little bit of extra research, you'll be armed with everything you need to know, do and bring to make your trip abroad smooth and hassle-free.

Your 3 Day Guide to Surviving Baby Jet Lag

Jilly is a Neonatal Nurse, Lactation Consultant and mom of two.

Baby Sleep Made Simple 5 5-12 months sleep tips 5 Travel tips 5 Your 3 Day Guide to Surviving Baby Jet Lag

This guide covers:

The best way to handle baby / toddler jet lag.

• Day 1 of Jet Lag
• Day 2 of Jet Lag
• Day 3 of Jet Lag
• Day 4 & onwards

Sigh, jet lag. Before you had children, jet lag meant grogginess, a sleepless night or two and extra coffee. Jet lag after kids….can be downright torture. There’s nothing worse than feeling the weight of jet lag exhaustion while your baby bounces off the walls at 3 am.

So if you’re nervous about an upcoming international trip with your baby, or you’ve just returned home from one, I sympathize. I’ve done three transatlantic trips with my daughter, all before the age of 3. Two of them were without my husband. And I lived to tell the tale! If you’re desperate to know how to survive jet lag with your baby or toddler, look no further.

This article first appeared on Bebe Voyage.  

This post may contain affiliate links .

The goal with overcoming jet lag is to reset your baby’s body clock to sleep, wake and eat at new times- with minimal fuss. The best way to do this is to use light and exercise, and also pay attention to sleep and meal times.

Many people advise allowing one day for your baby to adjust for each hour time difference you travelled. If your trip is less than four hours time difference, that’s a great way to help your baby adjust.

But, if your trip includes a big time change, say 8 hours, and your trip is only 12 days, that’s not very practical. Instead, my advice has always been:

Allow 2-3 days for your baby to adjust, then get baby on the new schedule.

If your baby is younger than 6 months, consider yourself lucky! Young babies naturally sleep so often during the day that they adjust more easily. For the sake of ease, I’ll say “baby” but this applies to toddlers and preschoolers as well. (Adjust food, naps, and toy recommendations as appropriate.)

Here’s your 3-Day Guide to Surviving Baby / Toddler Jet Lag

Day 1: your goal is simply to survive, if you land in the morning:.

• On the flight over, allow your baby to sleep as much as he can. Whether it’s in the airline bassinet, in his car seat, on top of you- whatever works! Bring along a lightweight dark blanket (or use the airplane blanket) and make a canopy above your sleeping baby to block out any light.
• Once you arrive at your destination, let your baby nap when he’s tired. But try your hardest to not let him nap much longer than he would normally at home. So if he typically naps 3 hours/day at home, limit his naps to 3.5-4 hours today. The reasoning is simple: If he sleeps all day, he’ll be up all night, making it even harder to reset his body clock. It’s better to give him an early bedtime, like 6 pm.
• Make sure baby eats enough today. Offer snacks every hour or two, including water and milk. He’s going to feel groggy and he may have an upset stomach, so bring along his favorite snacks to entice him to eat. This keeps his energy levels up and encourages him to sleep longer tonight (rather than waking from hunger.)
• Don’t spend all day in the hotel room because you’re too tired to go out. Get out and explore, even if it’s just the local neighborhood. Natural light will help reset everyone’s body clocks and give you energy.

If you land in the evening:

• On the flight over, try to keep baby awake for the last few hours of the flight.
• Offer snacks and liquids often on the plane to keep baby hydrated.
• Once you arrive at your destination, do the same routine you would at home to prepare baby for bed. Typically this includes dinner, bath, and bedtime routine. Bring along anything that baby associates with sleeping like a stuffed animal, sleep sack, bedtime books, etc…

Don’t forget to black out your sleep space so they sleep for as long as possible, and don’t wake too early! Early wakings are the worst when you’re jet lagged. I personally love the Sleepout Curtain when traveling, and I made you a code for 10% off – it’s BSMS10 . 

Related: Learn how to create a Peaceful Nightly Ritual (a bedtime routine) in my Exhausted Mom’s Starter Kit.

The First Night

Your baby is going to wake up during the night. Maybe a lot. Perhaps he’ll want to play and be awake for hours. Prepare yourself mentally. Your goal tonight is to keep the lights off and encourage quiet, non-stimulating play.

If baby seems hungry, offer a snack like yogurt, cheese, nut butters (as appropriate depending on age.) Anything with protein and fat to keep him full. No candy or simple sugars which could give him a surge of energy.

Try your hardest to get him back to sleep. But if it’s clear that he can’t sleep, keep the lights dimmed and read books together or let him play with “quiet toys” appropriate for his age.   Soft blocks or rattles (for young babies) and coloring books and Play Doh (for toddlers) work well. 

I know how hard it is when you’re exhausted, but try to avoid giving your toddler the iPad. The light it emits sends stimulating impulses to the brain, making it difficult to sleep. If you’re desperate for an electronic babysitter, it’s better to turn on the TV at a low volume. Try to limit TV to 30 minutes, though, then encourage the quiet toys again. If you have an older toddler or preschooler you may end up offering bribes like “I promise you can have an ice cream after breakfast tomorrow, but you have to close your eyes and go to sleep now.” Not that I’ve ever done this… 

Day 2: Start a gentle routine

• If last night wasn’t terrible, wake your baby up for the day at a decent hour (like 8-9 am) If you were up most of the night, it’s ok to sleep in, but I recommend you start your day by 11 am latest. Otherwise, you’ll just be extending the problem…
• Get outside! The best way to help everyone adjust to the new time zone is bright, natural light and exercise. Find a playground or children’s museum to help baby burn off energy and have lots of play time.
• Work toward having your meals based on the new time zone. If baby won’t eat a full meal at the right time, that’s ok. Offer snacks and hydrating drinks every 1-2 hours. Feeding baby often helps his body adjust to the new “daytime.”
• Allow your baby to nap today when he’s tired. But, just like yesterday, don’t let him nap longer than he would normally at home. It’s better to limit napping and give him an early bedtime.
• Bring along the stroller or baby carrier for naps. If the whole family is napping at the hotel, set your alarm! The last thing you want is an accidental 4 hour nap, throwing off everyone’s nighttime sleep.
• Give your baby a decent bedtime tonight. If he was up early, put him to bed early while you enjoy take-out in the hotel room. Your bedtime tonight will help set the pattern for the rest of your trip, so make sure it’s an appropriate time (7-9 pm is reasonable.)

Your baby will probably wake tonight. Offer a small snack if he’s hungry and do your best to encourage him to fall back asleep. You may need to pull out the “quiet toys” again.

Day 3: Tighten up your schedule

No matter how last night went, you want to wake your baby at a reasonable hour.    8-9 am is perfect. When teaching babies to sleep well (in general) I always recommend a consistent morning wake-up time. This helps naps, meals and bedtime fall into a predictable pattern. This isn’t because I’m allergic to fun. Quite the opposite! This helps your baby adjust to sleeping at night and being awake during the day- which gives everyone more energy for sightseeing fun!

If you need help with naps check out my guide for nap sleep training for baby .

Recommended Vacation Schedule:

• Wake baby by 9 am latest.
• Meals at normal times (with hydrating snacks in between.)
• Lots of time outside exploring and playing.
• Naps at normal times or when baby seems tired. Limit napping to no more than baby is allowed at home.
• Decent bedtime, 7-9 pm is ideal.

Baby should sleep pretty well tonight. Keep his room dark and if he wakes, do everything in your power to get him back to sleep. Tonight’s goal is no TV or iPad.

Day 4 and on: Stick to the loose routine

By day 4, everyone should be feeling pretty good and well-adjusted. As long as you stick to the loose routine of Day 3, you should be good to go!

If you’re still struggling with early wakings check out my guide on how to get toddler to sleep until 7am .

Any questions?

Drop them in the comments below!

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20 comments.

Thank you so much for this article. My 21mo adjusted well in the UK. we got back to Aus 1am local time and all seemed well for the first day. But then she woke so upset at 11pm, seemed confused, really wanted to sleep but too upset in the cot. I read your article and it helped so much. After 3hours awake she went to sleep. It’s just nice to know that getting her up is ok and what to do from here so thank you 🙏🏻

You are very welcome! Always feel free to reach out at [email protected] if you have any questions!

Best, Alyssa, BSMS Client Support Manager

Thanks for all this! Your post has definitely been the most helpful out of everything I’ve looked at. We just traveled from Utah to England with a 7 hour time difference. On night one, our 19-month-old was up for about 1.5 hours, and we just started the next day at 11am. Should we even let him nap, or just try to stretch his wake windows and put him down for an earlier than normal bedtime?

I’m so happy to hear you found this helpful!

It’s tricky to travel with little ones. I find it always works best to get on your regular schedule as soon as possible. If you need more guidance, our travel guide is great for that: https://courses.babysleepmadesimple.com/offers/fXz99Krr

Let me know what else you need! Artemis, BSMS Support Team

We’ve just returned to the UK from America – 6 hour time difference. It’s been 7 days today and every night so far, my daughter has woken up somewhere between 10-12 and stayed up for 4 hours before she goes back to sleep until the morning. It’s like she’s treating bedtime as a nap? Her usual nap length is 2.5 and I already tried letting her sleep as much as she wanted because I thought she needed to catch up on sleep but there’s been no difference. Should I try and limit her sleep to 2 hours instead? Maybe 2.5 hours is too much for her at the moment and she can’t readjust? She’s only 10 months old but she’s been on 1 nap for 2.5 hours for about a month and a half and sleeping through the night… until we’ve been back! Please help!

I’m so sorry to hear how Jet Lag has disrupted your daughter’s sleep. We would LOVE to help you get back to where you were – with a little one who sleeps amazingly for naps and nights.

We can help you get there! Our program + support package will help you achieve this: https://www.babysleepmadesimple.com/baby-sleep-consultant/

I highly recommend you get the support option so we can help you work through your unique schedule due to the time change. I think this will be a great option for you – getting to chat live with a sleep consultant who can help you and your unique circumstances.

I can’t wait to possibly work with you, Kelly!

Artemis, BSMS Support Team

Hello team this is fantastic ! We just returned home to Australia from Europe with our 5mo and the nights have been brutal – she would do a first stretch of 4-5h and then want to play from 2-3am till the next feed and eventually sleep in the morning. We are exhausted to get her out in daylight as need to also catch up on our sleep – any tips you would have ? I was thinking of leaving the blinds up in the morning so that she could at least see the daylight. Thank you !

Wow, what a trip! If you need more advice than what can be found in this article, I highly recommend you book a private consultation here: https://programs.babysleepmadesimple.com/30-minutes-private-consultation-checkout/

This will help you get your little one’s sleep back on track. Artemis, BSMS Support Team

This is very helpful, thanks! Any advice for if you’re traveling in the opposite direction (baby wants to go to sleep/wake up super early instead of sleep in)?

Give them 1-2 days to see if they’ll adjust on their own. If not and they’re still waking really early on day 3, I would let them nap a little more to stretch them to an appropriate bedtime. Even older kids that no longer nap might be tired enough for a one-hour siesta (especially with lots of physical play & outdoor time in the morning.) If you can push bedtime to 7 pm or later, that should help them wake up later in the morning too.

I hope this helps! Checkout our travel guide here: https://courses.babysleepmadesimple.com/offers/fXz99Krr

Thank you! This article was very useful! My husband and I are soon going to be flying from London to San Diego (staying there 1 week) before flying to New York and staying there 3 weeks. I will apply as much of these tips as I can but I am very nervous about how all those time zone changes are going to affect our baby who is almost 7 months old. Any extra tips on surviving this?

Happy it was helpful!

We’re happy to help you prepare for your journey via a private consultation here: https://programs.babysleepmadesimple.com/30-minutes-private-consultation-checkout/

Good luck and happy traveling, Artemis, BSMS Support Team

Great article, thank you! We just returned from Europe and my 23 month old adjusted great on the way there, but coming back to CA with a 9 hour difference has been terrible. We are on night 3 of him waking up for 3+ hours each night. We have been letting him have a 3 hour nap, then waking him up. We have a snack in the dark, then I rock him and pat his back, he just can’t fall back asleep for hours. Do you suggest we just continue on this path?

Happy you’re finding the article helpful!

I would start tightening up the schedule as the blogpost says and wake your child at 9 am latest. Then limit the nap to 2 hrs and start to dial down the energy of the house 2 hrs before bedtime. Start your bedtime routine 30 minutes before it’s time to sleep and get your little one nice & drowsy.

Keep trying, you’ll get there!

If you want to sleep train & hop on a call with one of our sleep consultants ASAP, get our sleep program (with support). It’s on sale! You get 15% off when you enter the coupon code ‘2022’ at checkout. Here is the link: https://www.babysleepmadesimple.com/baby-sleep-consultant

Hoping to see you there! Artemis, BSMS Support Team

Hey Jilly, should we be concerned about overtiredness? For instance, if 16 month old is having awful nights (not sleeping more than 6-7hrs when he usually does 11-12), during the day should I still keep his nap to 1.5hrs? That’s his norm. I’m concerned that limiting the nap will mean he’s overtired and not able to sleep at night. (He’s having an awful time adjusting back to our home time zone after a 9-hr shift. First two might have been really rough so far with 2-3hrs awake straight and other wake ups too. He just screams if we put him in his bed but also resists being helped to sleep with nursing or carrying) Thanks for the article and appreciate any additional tips!

Your LO can sleep up to 3 hours during the day at that age, so I would definitely encourage more day sleep which can ultimately help nights! Check out this guide for more helpful tips!

https://www.babysleepmadesimple.com/1-year-old-sleep-tips-toddler

Best, Alyssa, BSMS Support Team

This is really helpful. In my own sleepiness the last thing I need is generic advice. This is sooo helpful and answers the questionss of what to expect and what to do in practical terms when they wake up. I’ve read a lot of articles and this one by far is the most helpful. We are an expat family with a one year old and though I love the work I do I have not been looking forward to jet lag. This helped calm my nerves before the trip and i just read it again on night one!

So glad to read <3 Thank you for this comment! Micaela BSMS Support Team

Love this – more helpful tips than what I received from my sleep consultant (who kept repeating 1 day for each hour…not practical when there’s a 16 hour time difference!) who didn’t have any practical tips to offer despite paying for the consult. Our little guy did great at destination – adjusting pretty much day one. Coming home though….he keeps wanting someone to be in the room with him (he’s 2 and has his own room, but the crib in the hotel was beside our bed) and waking repeatedly in the night. Unfortunately we’re all back to work and a 6am wake up is required for all!

I’m so happy you enjoyed the guide!

Yes, your LO probably got used to sleeping near you. You can sit in a chair next to his crib while he falls asleep at bedtime and for all night wakings. Each day move your chair a little farther from the crib, toward the bedroom door. After a few days pop in and out of the room for him to get used to falling asleep on his own again (which will help him sleep better at night.)

Communicate with him a lot during the day. Let him know that now that you’re back at home he can sleep in his “big boy room” with his stuffed animals and you’ll be checking on him all night. Let him know your expectations.

This plan works really well in about 3-7 days.

Good luck! Jilly

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Ten Tips for Tackling Jet Lag in Babies & Children

We’ve all felt it after a long flight across time zones, jet lag hurts and can take days to shake. What does jet lag mean? Jet lag is more than just being tired after a flight. It affects your whole body. Aside from sleepiness, some of the symptoms of jet lag can be include an upset tummy, fuzzy-headedness, inability to concentration, weakness and changes to urination and bowel movements.

Jet lag definitely effects babies, toddlers & children and can be difficult to manage, especially in young children who can’t tell you precisely what’s wrong. Baby jet lag, toddler jet lag and jet lag in children is real and it can be painful for both parents & kids.

Here are ten tips for tackling jet lag in babies, toddlers & children:

Flying from Auckland to Honolulu

1. To avoid baby jet lag, toddler jet lag and jet lag in children, find flights that travel overnight for minimal sleep disruption. It makes the concept of a time change easier to manage if you’re getting on a plane, going to sleep and then waking up somewhere different at a different time. The physical act of being on a plane can be exhausting, not just the jet lag so a night flight is your best bet on waking up refreshed when you reach your destination. A night flight is especially good for preventing baby jet lag.

2. Set your watch to local time as soon as your arrive… or even better, while you’re on board the plane.

3. Set your daily routine to local time. Try and eat meals at set times each days in congruence with when locals eat meals. If your eating schedule is off it can be difficult to find restaurants or cafes that are open.

Hazel and Bethaney Using Ergo Baby Carrier on the Beach in Hawaii,. Combat baby jet lag with fresh air!

4. Fresh air and sunshine are the best combatants to jet lag… not sleep! The sun helps regulate the body clock so when you reach your destination, spend some time outdoors in a garden or park.

5. Allow a nap but keep it short. Don’t let your little ones oversleep during the day. It’ll only take them longer to adjust especially if they’re sleeping late in the afternoon or into the evening.

6.Try not to go to bed too early when you arrive at your destination. If you’re travelling East to West, the temptation could be to hit the sack at 5pm but this will only throw you off for the next day. This can be hard with jet lagged babies but try!

7. Trying to keep sleepy, grumpy children awake a few extra hours until bedtime can be difficult. This can make dinner time a nightmare. Pick a hotel with a pool and restaurant so you don’t have to do anything for the first few days other than focus on getting over the jet lag.

This is what jet lag looks like! The day after a long flight. It’s 12pm in Paris and everyone is still asleep.

8. If you do find yourself awake in the middle of the night, don’t fight it too hard. Get up for an hour or so. Let older children watch TV, read some stories and then explain that you need to get back to bed and try and sleep until morning. For jet lagged babies, play for a little bit and then soothe them back to sleep with cuddles, breast or bottle feeding and songs.

9. Be prepared for late nights and/or early starts. Have some games & toys ready, movies downloaded and snacks available. Tucking a box of cereal or granola bars into your suitcase is a great idea! There’s nothing worse than being stuck in a hotel room from 4am with no breakfast and nothing to do!

10. Don’t confuse jet lag with culture shock . The symptoms can be similar but if your child still hasn’t settled after a week, culture shock could be affecting them not jet lag.

For more expert advice on managing jet lag in children and babies have a look at Walking On Travels post on the subject. Keryn often flies solo with a toddler and a baby so really knows her stuff!

Let me know if these baby jet lag tips worked for you!

How do you cope with jet lag? What strategies do you have to help your little ones get over jet lag? Jet lagged babies and children are no fun but remember, it will only baby jet lag will only last for a few days so don’t let that put you off travelling with your kids.

Pin it for later: Tips for Baby Jet Lag, Toddler Jet Lag & Jet Lag in Children

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Good tips Bethaney! Our kids are a tad older (9 & 10 with our last international trip), and most of these held true for us. Our sleep patterns were off and we did have some early mornings, although it didn’t hit us until about 3 days in. I was not expecting the nausea that accompanied the jet lag in my boys. Both vomited a few days into the trip, and it did not appear to be food or virus related. I truly believe it was just exhaustion from the jet lag and travel.

Yup we always do our watches as soon as we bored the plane. But we were totally unprepared for Thailand to LA and were terrible for a week. Number 4 is so correct. I thought lets stay inside and just recuperate, nope we kept falling asleep and it just got worse and worse. It didn’t turn around till we did two back to back days of out and about and then the nights were blessed sleep again 😀

great tips. sometimes i wish someone was taking care of ME while i have jet lag!

Good advice for grownups, too 🙂

haha Larissa. i was going to say the same thing. jet lag really got the best of me on my most recent trip despite doing so many of the right things.

I normally take naps anyway, so Jet lag never bothers me. I sleep when I’m tired, and do stuff when I’m awake. I think i’m lucky in this aspect, because my normal internal clock is wanky already. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced jet lag, or I just chocked it up to ‘it’s my naptime’. If i’m say, up all night, then see the sunrise, I’m suddenly wide awake again. I just think i’m made to travel. 🙂

Jet lag is always horrible, but these are great. I remember using some of them with my daughter when she was little.

Excellent tips, I got have used some of these when my daughter was little. For myself, I have the luck that I can sleep anytime & anywhere

When we went to Bali and Japan with my older son, who was not yet two at the time, he woke up at 3 or 4 for just the first couple of days and then settled in well, but even those first couple of days are hard. Definitely taking the overnight flight is key but when there’s a big time change involved, it is really difficult because taking an overnight flight might mean you end up arriving at night when it’s time to go to bed!

Great tips but I really love the AB/CD shirt! So cute!

Just revisiting this for pinterest purposes and thought I’d add the other tip I thought was good, from Bubs On The Move, which is to pick a late-night destination and just use the jet lag to your advantage. They went to the US and visited Disneyland from Australia and it worked out ok, they just saw it at night time.

A lot of siesta-taking places or countries like Singapore where it’s normal for young kids to take long naps in the day then be out and about until midnight could work the same – you’d have a quick nap time reset and then find friends in the playground after dark.

I must say I haven’t bothered going too far out of our time zone with kids yet so can’t really comment from personal experience! But great tips based on our adult experience!

Yes! That’s a great point Bronwyn!! We tend to nap in the afternoons and stay out late when travelling anyway but if you’re jetlagged you may as well use that to your advantage. 🙂

Great tips…jet lag can be a parent’s worst enemy, so I like #7. This has worked for us when flying across multiple time zones.

Thanks Cliff. 🙂

Great tips! We find getting on local schedule as soon as possible works best for us. On our last trip we used #6 and tried our best to stay up as long as possible… 6:30pm was the best we could manage. We were up frequently with our daughter until midnight, but thankfully we all slept peacefully after that!

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Jet Lag and Babies, Toddlers, and Kids

Thank you soooo much for this. We are planning a trans-Atlantic move with an 11-month-old and I have been searching for just this sort of advice.

I'm so glad that you enjoyed the site! Drop me an email and let me know how you and your little one settle in.

Hi! This website is great as my husband and I are expats living in China right now and just had a baby 3 months ago. We love travelling and hoped to keep travelling even with our new son, but our friends told us it was almost impossible. We are planning on returning home to Hawaii for a month in February and I'm really worried about the jet lag. Currently he is on a great schedule, sleeping 11 hours a night and I'm so scared to ruin it all! My question is if he wakes up in the middle of night to eat and I've fed him following his usual 4 hour schedule during the day, should I feed him again at night? Even though I know he's eaten enough during the day? Will that cause him to set himself on a new schedule to eat during the night? Thanks so much for the info and your great site!

Kathy, Wow, a 3 month old who sleeps 11 hours at night! You are a lucky mom.

You should set your expectations now that your son will wake up hungry the first few nights (frankly, I wake up hungry the first few nights when we travel) It's ok to feed him if he's hungry. If you're worried that he's getting too used to the night waking, you can start to cut back gradually after a few nights. Every child is different, and I'm betting that you'll figure out what feels like the right pace for him.

Most likely he'll gradually adjust his sleeping and eating on his own (especially since he is such a good sleeper). Take him outside during the day a lot to help him reset his internal clock & try to keep his routine similar to the one you use at home so that he knows when it is nighttime.

Hang in there. Sleep training isn't truely "done" for quite some time. Travel, teething, illness, rolling, crawling, and walking all cause temporary disruptions, so try not to get too hung up on this one disruption.

Have a great time in Hawaii!

Thanks so much for your quick reply! Everyone has been saying how lucky I am and that's why they are all warning me that it may be ruined by this trip. ha ha. But like you said there will always be something to disrupt the pattern and I've got to learn to adjust. :) Thanks for your tips and I'll let you know how it goes!

I had forgotten that when we first started to travel with our son it seemed like everyone around us threw up road blocks and reasons why it would never ever work, or why it would be terrible for him. I don't know why people do that... perhaps because they didn't travel they think nobody should?

We countered all that negativity by doing exactly what you're going to do... trying it, finding out what worked, and getting a little bit better at it with every trip.

Hi there, my 11-month son is having a hard time going down for the night since we returned from Hawaii. It's been a couple of days, but it seems to take him 45 minutes to two hours of intermittent screaming to settle himself down. He is most certainly tired, but I have re-introduced some bad sleep habits in order to get him to go to sleep in Hawaii (excessive rocking). How long does it normally take babies to re-adjust?

At 11 months, your son can probably understand almost everything you say. Before bedtime (and a couple of times during the day), talk to him about how he got some special treats while you were traveling, but now that you're back home, it's back to the normal routine. Before bedtime, you can also verbally remind him what the normal routine is.

How long it takes to readjust really depends on the baby. Over time he'll start to learn that the rules are different when you travel and return to normal when you return home. Hang in there, he'll get back in the swing of things, probaby in a few more days.

We're travelling from the UK to Asia (13 hour flight) with our baby, who will be 11 months when we travel.

We're only going for 8 days so I have no idea whether I should try and get him to adjust to the new time zone and if so, whether I'll have enormous problems when we get back!

To complicate matters, he's starting nursery the week we come back so I don't want to completely destroy the routine we've got at the moment.

Any suggestions??

To some extent, your baby is going to adjust to the new time zone no matter what you do. Just like grownups, babies want to be awake when the sun is out and sleep when it is dark.

Given your situation, though, you probably want to just let things happen naturally rather than encouraging good night sleep on the vacation. You can always nap with baby during the day. Make sure though that everyone gets enough sleep somehow, you don't want to get run down or sick.

When you get home, try to get your baby out in the sunlight (especially at dusk and dawn) as much as possible to help him adjust as quickly as possible.

Your website is great! I have been traveling to the Netherlands where my family lives since our daughter was 6 months, and at 2 and a half she has been there 5 times. Every age has its own challenges, despite them every trip has been totally worthwhile.

the biggest difference we found in recovering from the jetlag was to let go of the old advice to quickly adjust to the local time. Instead we now nap with our girl on the day of arrival, so we are rested in case she wakes up in the middle of the night. After that first night I am usually OK, and using our regular nap- and bedtime routines she has been great at adjusting to the local time very quickly.

This spring we'll be flying again and we're looking forward to the trip. I am curious to see how different this trip will be from our last one - but we'll go with the flow and let her guide us through it all! Thanks for the great tips and happy travels to all kids and their parents!!

We're going to California from London with our 3 month old baby in two weeks time. I'm worried about the jet-lag and how it will affect his schedule (e.g. bedtime and naptimes), which is relatively new. The 8 hour time difference always kills me so I'm assuming he's going to be feeling bad as well... What can I do on the (11 hour) flight to help him feel better when we get there? I'm still breastfeeding exclusively. Thanks!

The biggest thing I would do (for both of you) is make sure that YOU get plenty of fluids. The flight is dehydrating & if you are exclusively breastfeeding, you'll be making more milk for your son as well as getting dehydrated yourself. Bring aboard your own water, or find a sympathetic flight attendant and try to get a full bottle from him or her.

Beyond that, I wouldn't stress too much about jet lag on the flight itself. If you're leaving in the evening, you can try to maintain your home schedule, and your son will probably sleep pretty well on the plane (the engine noise & motion are very soothing). Once you arrive, try to keep as much of your home routine as possible and try to expose your son to natural light, especially at dusk and dawn.

Try to get plenty of rest on the flight and once you arrive. You're likely to be up at night for a few days, so this is a great time to heed the advice to "nap when baby naps"

I hope this helps, Debbie

We are traveling from Florida to California in two weeks with our 18 month old son. He is not a great sleeper in general and has a tough time adjusting to new things. I have put off this trip for some time, but my poor in laws are just dying for us to visit. I am very concerned about the jet lag that my son will experience, particularly as he struggles with being a solid sleeper overall. We finally have him napping well and sleeping better, and I am terrifed of losing the progress we have made. What do you advise? Please help!

Great travel tips thanks Debbie. We are travelling from New Zealand to Turkey with a 4 month old - nearly 24 hours of flying time in total. One thing that I have just bought which looks useful is a nappy bag that folds out into a little nap area with sides that come up so baby isnt distracted by movement at floor level. I am hoping this is useful for napping in the airport waiting areas rather than us having to hold her the whole time or be in the stroller (which isnt flat) or the front pack. One other tip that someone gave me is to get baby used to a shower with mum or dad (as an alternative to a bath) as part of the pre night sleep routine so if you are somewhere without a bath (ie hotel room) or big enough basin then this will still be familiar. Would be interested in any further thoughts.

At 18 months, and with the 3 hour time change, the overall excitement of a new environment and grandparents is likely to disrupt his sleep more than the time change itself. You can try keeping him roughly on Florida time while you're in California and let him gradually adjust to the new time.

I wouldn't stress too much about his overall progress. I'm not a parenting expert, but my experience with my kids suggests that if he is learning to sleep well on his own, he will be able to return to what he's learned once he's back to his normal routine and schedule. At 18 months, he's old enough for you to talk about what is happening and even reward him for good sleep when he returns home.

Have a great trip! Debbie

I'm glad that you found the site helpful. Your nappy bag sounds cool! Just make sure that you have a plan for how to move her if you need to board a plane in the middle of naptime.

I love the idea of getting baby used to a shower with mom or dad. I have (not very fond) memories of poor 6 month old E screaming his head off when we tried to give him his first shower in a tiny shower stall in our tiny Paris apartment. We ended up upgrading to a bigger place with a tub, but I had visions of spot washing him for the entire 4 week trip!

Debbie - thank you SO much for sharing this. We live in ET time and are about to take a trip to PT so I was freaking out a bit. I'm so glad I found this! My son is almost 13 months and a very challenging sleeper (doesn't sleep throughteh night yet but that's another story) so I appreciate your advice. I've been told it will probably be worse once we come back (we'll be on vacation for 1 week) so we'll see. Thanks so much!

My daughters (ages 2 and 5) were real champs traveling from the East coast to Hawaii earlier this month. They adjusted quickly to the time change and we had two great weeks in the sun. We've been home for 5 days and things are miserable! The girls haven't even come close to readjusting. The 5 year old simply isn't tired at her regular bedtime (even though she's returned to school and her normal activities). We've been putting the 2 year old down a little late in an attempt to trick her, I guess, but she's up at 2:30am raring to go. Help! How can I get them back on their schedule so that I can get a full night's sleep, too?

This site is amazing!! I am so pleased I found it, thank you!! We are flying to Antigua from the UK (9hr flight, -5hr time difference) next week. We are going to have to be up at least 3.5 hrs earlier than normal, then we are on the plane most of the day UK time. We land at bedtime here, but only lunchtime there. DD usually naps for 2hrs half way through her day at home, but doesn't usually do more than 40 mins in the car or her stroller. Any tips?? Thanks again.

Wow! Have a great time in Antigua. I would love to hear more about your trip when you return.

Our experience is that when we travel the kids get tired and learn pretty quickly to sleep better in their stroller (which is always useful when we return home too!) Be sure to bring along a blanket that you can cover the stroller with to keep out breezes and light once she's asleep.

Hope it goes well.

Thank you! I will post on my return and ket you know!

The trip back home is often a harder adjustment (in part because home routines just aren't as flexible as vacation routines).

Make sure your kids are getting as much exposure to natural light during the day as possible and try to keep their rooms as dark as possible during the night.

Your youngest might be waking up in part because she is hungry. You can try feeding her before she fully awakens and then putting her back to bed (milk works well for us because its easy to prepare, filling, and a mild sedative)

Beyond that, I think you have to try to give them full, extra-active days and be patient. They won't stay on Hawaii time forever.

Good luck! Debbie

Flying to Italy on Sunday with my wife and 18-month old daughter. We are really unsure of whether or not to take our car seat for use in the plane. We have flown a lot already with our daughter (always less than 5 hours) and have never used the car seat on a plane before. She has only been on relatively short trips in a car seat, say less than 4 hours with stops, and while she has fallen asleep in it she has never really fallen asleep on a plane before. So my question is should we bring the car seat and strap her in and hope that the motion will eventually work it’s magic or keep to what she is used to and use her seat as a play area and then put her to sleep in our arms or laying flat across our laps. I must say she’s been a very good sleeper and consistently sleeps 10-12 hours a night.

Have a great trip to Italy!

Best practice is to always restrain your child onboard in a car seat or an FAA approved harness (like CARES). That said, if it were me, I would leave the car seat at home if I didn't need it at my destination. Call your airline and find out whether they have a bassinet or seat that will fit your daughter. My son was able to sleep in a British Airways britax seat installed in the bulkhead row when he was about 17 months old: http://www.deliciousbaby.com/journal/...

It's probably easiest to get your daughter to sleep in your arms, but the airplane motion and sound is a great help. Try to get your daughter to fall asleep during takeoff (while everyone is seated and there's little interesting activity going on). Here are some tips for encouraging her to sleep: http://www.deliciousbaby.com/journal/...

I hope this helps! Debbie

We're flying from Vancouver,BC to Paris in 2 weeks. It's a 10-11 hour flight so I'm really nervous about it. We get into Paris 7pm local time would you suggest trying to get her to sleep for 9pm and getting her up at 9am like usual?

Thanks for writing. I hope you have a wonderful time. I expect that by the time you check in and arrive at your hotel your daughter ( and you) will be quite tired. If not, I wouldn't push it. Let her stay up until she's ready to sleep and focus on getting her up and out in the sun in the morning.

I found this website shortly before we left for our family vacation, and it was very helpful. We left when our daughter was 4.5 months old and returned two weeks later. The time difference was 10 hours, and we struggled for the first 5 nights. BB would wake up at 4am and not want to go back to sleep. DH would stay up for 1-2 hours to try to get her to back to sleep, and one morning she cried nearly the whole time--not a good experience, but I let him suffer through it because it was his idea that she should sleep all day long the day before. After those nights, BB fell into a more normal sleep pattern at night and the rest of the trip was absolutely wonderful.

I've learned a few things from this trip and wanted to share. First, the jet lag will work itself out eventually, but get lots fresh air and sunlight if possible. We traveled to a more tropical area, so this was easy because the windows were always open but we had to stay indoors because it was just too hot for us out in the sun. Second, we were visiting family and unlike at home, we were constantly surrounded by people. BB really enjoyed meeting all the new people, but it also wore her out so we had to be a little more protective of her daytime sleep. Finally, I'm breastfeeding exclusively, and traveling caused me to have engorgement problems for more than half of the trip (I haven't been engorged since BB was first born). I think this might have been because we went someplace much warmer than where we live as well as the huge time difference.

Now we've been home for 4 days, and I hope you might have some advice for me. First, BB is napping a lot in the daytime, but she's waking up at 4 am. Should I try to keep her awake in the daytime? I try to go out with her but she just dozes off and the drop in activity doesn't help. Second, my milk supply seems to have taken a dive. I'm not engorged and BB wants to nurse all the time. I'm worried that she might be trying to rehydrate. How worried should I be? Thanks!

Welcome home from your great trip. I think that if you keep trying to get BB up in the mornings and out in the sunshine, her schedule should adjust on its own. I wouldn't try to keep her awake more than she's comfortable with during the day, but now would be a good time to reinforce your nighttime routine. Also, try not to encourage the night waking too much so that it doesn't become a pattern.

With respect to the nursing. I haven't experienced engorgement as a result of travel, but I have gotten dehydrated. Drink plenty of fluids and watch BB for signs of dehydration. If you are concerned that she is not getting enough milk, don't hesitate to contact your pediatrician. Also the la leche league website has lots of information about increasing your milk supply. Fenugreek supplements and pumping are two things that I have tried, but that was quite a while ago, so you would want to get the latest information.

Any tips on re-adjustng a 6 month old who was sleeping pretty good through the night (since 4 months) before a two week trip to Hong Kong from California? I am having a hard time getting her back on a normal sleep schedule which was about 9pm to 7 or 8am depending on the night. She goes down fine at 8-9pm and is tired, but is up at 11pm or so and then is in and out until 4 or 5am. This is about the period between her late day nap and bedtime in Hong Kong. She adjusted to the schedule pretty fast there. I am in fact writing this at 3am as I cannot sleep either of course :( I have tried rocking in the chair, patting/rubbing on the back, walking with her, even letting her cry, to no luck. I am making sure she does not nap too long during the day, no more than she did before leaving and at the same times, and doing meals at the normal times. Also sticking to the bedtime routine of bath and bottle. Tonight, we tried taking her in our spa (at a lower baby friendly temp, of course) which she adores to wear her out, but it didn't seem to help. It has been 4 nights now, and I know it may take a while, but I am not seeing any improvements. I will try more sunshine, but any other ideas??

It always seems to take longer for babies to adjust to their home time than the foreign time. I'm never quite sure why... perhaps it's partly because once we're home we parents need to get back to our normal routines and we notice the deviations more. Perhaps it is because the baby or child isn't getting as much new stimulation as they are on a trip & therefore isn't as worn out...

It sounds to me like you are doing the right things. Stick with it & she will get back on schedule. You can also try getting her out of the house more today and trying to challenge her more physically (so that she's more worn out). I realize that with a 6 month old, you won't be letting her loose on the playground, but you can increase tummy time, practice standing (and maybe walking holding on to your fingers), and practice sitting and rolling.

I'd also try to get lots of fresh air right before bedtime.

Hi Debbie! Great site - I should have researched all this before traveling. We have twin almost 3-year-olds and just came to China from the US for the summer. We've been here 4 nights now and I cannot get them to sleep more than 5 hours or so at night. On the contrary, I have to wake them after 4 of 5 hours of napping the day and they still keep falling asleep. They fall asleep anytime in cabs or buses. They don't seem to be adjusting and I don't know what else I can do. I try to get them to sleep again after waking up, but with summer hours and light so early, it's hard. We've tried putting them down early and they just wake at 3 am, later and they wake at 4 or 5...

A couple of thoughts: - Make sure that they are getting lots of outdoor exercise during the day - Make sure that they are getting plenty to eat during the day (and especially in the evening) - You don't need to force them to be awake, but try to keep them out of situations that might soothe them to sleep during the day.

Bear with them, they'll adjust soon!

A belated thanks, Debbie. Things are much better - though they still don't sleep quite enough at night, they are napping normally and doing well. And actually though it seemed cruel, we found cutting way back on the naps really helped them sleep longer at night (so, 6 am instead of 4 :))...

I've just travelled from London to India with my 3 month old. She had been sleeping thru the night since quite a while at home. She usually fell asleep at between 22:00-22:30 when we were in London. We arrive in India on Tuesday - July 16th. Since 2 days, she has been sleeping thru the night, but she doesn't go to sleep before 00:30-1:00 at night. I've not taken her for an outing yet, fearing she might get some infection because of the new place. Oh, I forgot to mention that I'm going to be in India for abt 4 mths. Any advice to help her get to sleep early. Kavi

Thanks so much for your question. It sounds like you are actually in a good spot, she's sleeping well, but she just needs to adjust her bedtime. If you can start to take your daughter outdoors during the day (and especially at dusk and dawn) the sunlight will help her clock adjust naturally.

If you feel uncomfortable about the environment and risk of infection, perhaps you can find a courtyard or private area and carry her close to your body so that nobody will touch her.

Hi Debbie -

My husband and I are planning a trip to Maui in September with our 3 yr old. He is a creature of habit and very much dependant on his schedule. He doesn't nap anymore and goes to bed at 730pm waking about 7am. We are looking at an 8hr flight and a 5 hr time change (5 hrs earlier). We have traveled with him many times before and he does great on a plane! We jst have never taken this long of a flight with such a big time change. We will only be gone a week. any adivce on timing of fights and how to help him adjust quickly to a time change?

Longer flights are tricky with a child who doesn't nap anymore (but isn't old enough to really sit still for 5 hours). I think you have two possibilities: 1) fly early in the day when he is most likely to be in a good mood and make sure he gets plenty of exercise before you get on the plane. 2) fly at bedtime and try to get him to sleep on the plane. Don't stress too much about the fact that he'll likely wake up when you land. With any luck he'll be excited enough about being in a new place that he won't be upset by it.

I wouldn't worry too much about a 5 hour time change. If you are staying in a hotel with blackout drapes, you should definitely use them, but for the most part I would just let him get up when he is ready in the morning and put him to bed at night when he is tired. You might even find that you get a few daytime naps on your trip because of all of the extra activity and sunshine during the day.

Hope this helps, Debbie

It's been said before, but this is truely a fantastic useful site. Thank you. I do have a question though, I will be travelling by myself from Australia to The Netherlands next month for a 3 week holiday to visit all my relatives. Our little girl will be 4 months by then. The trip itself is 24 hours with one stopover and 8 hour time difference between the two continents. At home she doesn't really sleep throughout the day, however has slept through the night (10 hours) since week 2. I know, we are very lucky. I am bottlefeeding her. Do you think I should try to feed her as much as possible throughout the day (as I do at home)? But what if she wakes up during the night while in Holland? Should I feed her or try to settle her in a different way? And do you have any tips/ideas etc on travelling by yourself with a baby? Exposure to lots of sunlight throughout the day is a great tip by the way.

HELP! My husband and i just returned from a trip to Asia with our 14 month old. We took an 18 hour flight back and all arrived BEYOND EXHAUSTED. I let things just "be" for the first night as far as eating and sleeping but when we woke up Zoui had a head cold, runny nose as did my husband. It's been 3 days since we've been back and we are all sick AND tired. Our daughter has only been sleeping in 5 and then 3 hour increments around the clock, not eating during the day but finally sleeping in her crib (no cribs in asia so coslept for 3 weeks). After she goes down around 8pm (for her nap) she is up 3 hours later and will not go back to sleep for 3-4 hours - HELP!! I am now just giving her milk at night even if she hasnst eaten but I'm afraid if I wake her up in the morning or for her nap that she will get sicker...please send some advice we are at our wits end.

I hope that you had a wonderful trip. I'm sorry that it's been so tough getting back on track now that you are at home.

If she were one of my kids, the first step would be to get her over her illness before worrying about adjusting her sleep schedule. A stuffy nose alone is enough to disturb a 14 month old's sleep.

It's hard to do while you're just catching up with your home life, but it might be time to revert to the days of "sleeping while she sleeps" just until she gets better.

In the interim, even though she has a cold, try to get her some sunlight during daytime hours and keep things dark and calm at night.

We have just come back from a five week travel to London where my 19 month old slept wonderfully. He has been sleeping 12 hours since 8 weeks of age but since getting home he was after four hours of sleep at night and then screams non stop for hours on end. We have tried everything we can think of from rocking, to ignoring, to wearing him out during the day etc. We have kept the same routine through out the whole holiday that we keep at home and have continued this since we got home. Nothing seems to be working. It has been 4 nights now and we are at our wits end. Nothing is improving. Any advice.

I think that you should try to feed her as much as possible during the day (just like home) but that you should expect that it will take several nights for her body to get used to the different "meal" schedule, and not restrict her eating at night. After a couple of nights, you can begin to offer water (if she takes water normally as part of her diet) or a smaller bottle and gently coax her back to sleep, but if she's demanding food, I would respond to her need rather than forcing her to a specific schedule.

As far as traveling by yourself with baby, take things slow, give yourself plenty of time to adjust to the time change, and don't be afraid to ask for help.

I hope you have a wonderful trip

I am glad I found your blog! I returned four nights ago back to Canada from Czech Republic. My 3 month old son was a great sleeper with a fantastic routine before we left and during our entire trip. Now however he is all out of sorts and having a very hard time sleeping for more that 2.5 hours at a time, day or night! I do not believe that he is hungry at night anymore but his system is so used to being awake, he just needs to be near us. I am glad to know that his regular routine will surface again and that this trip isn't going to make him a bad sleeper! If you have any tips specifically for returning home, it would be much appreciated!

Barb, it sounds like you are on track... just hang in there & try not to reward the night waking too much. If you keep things quiet and dark he should begin to figure it out

That sounds really difficult, and not typical. Have you tried calling your doctor?

Hi Debbie. We returned back to Chicago from Japan 4 days ago. My 18 month old adjusted to their time zone the first day, but now that we are home she is up every night screaming for us at about midnight. We thought it would stop after a few nights, but it seems there is no end in site. We have tried different things. We have checked on her, then left her to cry it out. We have rocked her. We have given her milk. Her daytime routine is back to normal - napping just once from 1-3pm and in bed before 8pm. But she still wakes at midnight wanting to play. She usually crashes about 3am. HELP! Any ideas how to get her back on schedule?? THanks!

When I look at most of the questions on Jet Lag they seem to come at about day 4, and usually when I email the parents one or two days later, things are back on track. As long as she is healthy and you are consistent about not rewarding night-waking, she will get back on track. You can try making sure she gets lots of physical activity during the daytime, especially outdoors.

At 18 months old, you can also talk to her about the fact that it is nighttime & not time to be awake. If she has a window where she can see the sun/moon pointing out the fact that it is dark might help too.

Good luck, Debbie

We are planning an unexpected trip to Malaysia to see my father-in-law within the next 2-3 weeks. It's a family emergency. My son is almost 9 months old, and will be 9 months old when we travel. I am so concerned about the time change. Malaysia is 13 hours ahead of us. What should I do about the time change? Should I try to get him on Malaysia time, or keep his current schedule? He sleeps through the night (9:30/10 p.m. to 7/7:30 a.m.). There's enough people around that can help me either way in Malaysia, but when we get back, it's just my hubby and me. Thanks in advance for any advice you can give.

Thank you for your question. I'm sorry that an emergency brings you to Malaysia, but I hope that you do get a chance to reconnect in a good way with family while you are there. I'm sure that everyone will enjoy meeting your son.

You don't say how long you'll be in Malaysia, but in general, unless you are gone for just a few days or the time change is 3 hours or less, I think it's better for everyone to adjust to the local time. Sunshine and fresh air are important components of our overall health and well-being.

Thanks Debbie! We will be gone for 2-1/2 weeks, so I think adjusting to the local time will be worth it.

Hello Debbie,

I just wanted to say how happy I am to have found this site - I have been searching for advice for jetlag and babies for days now! I will be travelling with my son in Feb to Asia - he will be 9 months then and then time difference is 5 hour ahead. I am already stressing about it as he has just started to get a sleep routine and is sleeping through the night. We are travelling at night so hopefully he will sleep for the 10 hour flight.

i need motivation to leave the state with my kids! my problem is i don't sleep, at all when we're all in one room. after one night i'm ready to be home. what suggestions do you have for getting any sleep at all on a trip, for a light sleeping mama? is it OK to take sleeping meds?

I would recommend talking with a doctor before taking any medication, including sleep meds... especially if you are nursing or co-sleeping.

That said, you might try getting an apartment rental or a suite. With the kids in a separate room (just like home) you will probably sleep better.

I would be interested on your thoughts on this one. We are travelling from Asia to Europe next week with three children - 4 years, 20 months & 6 months. My eldest has done the trip twice before & only had serious jet lag on the way back home. However, I doubt I will be so lucky this time.

I know some people recommend trying to move closer to the destination time prior to leaving but I'm not sure if it is worth it? I can move their bedtime later over the weekend before we leave as they can wake up later but we are leaving on a 9am flight so that day they will have to wake up even earlier than usual.

We arrive in the UK at about 3pm (11pm Asia) so by the time we clear customs etc it will be dark outside but I will want to keep them awake which may be a challenge with a 3 hour car journey. Any suggestions?

Hi Debbie, this are all great tips - but we are working parents, I am at work from 7:30 to pretty much 7ish (pm) my wife can be a bit more flexible. But - napping with the child, going out at sunlight (no sun here, clouds) etc. is not possible for us during the week. We just returned from Europe with our 10 month old daughter and 4 year old son and adjusting them slowly to home time would have destroyed our somewhat sane 2d week of vacation (first week was , oh well...). They both woke up at 1 am, the little one basically being wide awake (and happy, unlike her parents), while the older gradually managed to get back to sleep. Any advice in this case? We had maybe 3 hrs of sleep last night and the future isn't looking good either...?

That's a tough question. You might want to allow a few days to settle into local time before returning to work on your next trip (you probably aren't at your most productive if you are jetlagged either) or consider finding some extra help to get you through the first few days at home... What works for each family is different.

With respect to the sunlight, even sun filtered through clouds (like we have here in Seattle) helps your body adjust to the local time.

It's reassuring to see that other parents are going through the same as what we are going through. I have a 10 month old boy who i've taken from Beijing where we live back to Europe 4 times. The most recent return trip has been by far the hardest and I agree that the return seems to be the toughest to readjust. We have now had three days of screaming for 3-4 hours in the night. Nothing seems to work other than staying up with him and playing.

But if baby does wake up for hours, what should one do at that time? I appreciate all the advice on how to make improvements during the day but what should we do at night when you’re actually facing the problem? Should we put them to bed later than normal 7pm if, as in our case, he's waking in the night but seems able to stay up longer or should we stick to 7pm and just wait till he wakes?

When it happens should we try to keep his room dark and do endless rocking/patting/singing/giving milk or is it better to just let them play it out for a few hours and let them get tired. As adults we generally do things e.g. read, watch tv, get on with tasks until we're so tired we eventually sleep. Most of us go mad just fretting about in the dark which is why i'm questioning what to actually do for the babies in the night.

Any suggestions welcome!

In general, I think that babies should be put to sleep when they are tired - keeping them up later in the hopes that they will sleep in rarely seems to work (and often just means that everyone is grumpier when they do wake)

I think that for the first few nights it is fine to turn the lights on and play. You'll want to gradually reduce the activity level though, and after a few nights you might try to keep the lights dimmed and offer a bottle or sippy.

Hope this helps

I am looking for some advice as we plan on bringing our 2.5 year old to Ethiopia for an eight day stay and then flying home. The long portion of the flight is 18 hours. I am a little concerened about the jet lag factor and am open to receiving suggestions.

Debbie, what a great site, easy reading at 4am. All your tips are great and words are so reassuring. We just returned to the UK 3 days ago after 4 weeks in Australia. Our 7 mo boy is frequently waking at night but we seem to do ok keeping things dark and offering milk feeds. He's developed a new arm flapping signal which we guess is, 'I want to play now'! I just wanted to recommend Slumber Bear or any other similar lullaby playing toy for jet lag. It runs on five minute cycles, starting in response to babies movement. That seems to satisfy our boy's need for some kind of stimulation in the dark without heavy play... now as for me? I'm wide awake :)

let me begin by saying my 22 month old daughter is normally an excellent sleeper. She has slept 12 hours a night since 9 weeks and never looked back. She is now normally having about a 2 hour afternoon nap every day. We returned to NY 3 days ago from a 2 and half week vacation to Sydney. The time difference of 14 hours and my daughter's inability to sleep much on the extremely long flight (20 hours of flying time plus transfers etc.) has left us all exhausted and struggling with her jetlag. I am from Sydney and have done this flight many times but only once before when my daughter was 7 months old. We did a good job of managing her jetlag on return after that trip. It was significantly easier with a non-mobile baby that generally slept more during the day than she does now as a toddler.

she really loves to sleep so we are becoming concerned about how the current jetlag is taking a toll on her. For the past 3 nights she has been going down for the night at about 8pm,then waking at 11pm and staying awake except for brief periods until 5am. She is crying, screaming, calling out for us and generally becoming quite hysterical if she is left alone in her crib. Sitting with her and "reading" in the dark, offering just small amounts of milk has not helped. We have even brought her into our bed (which we do not ever do). Nothing has helped. Any additional guidance on getting a willful (loud) toddler adjusted with such a huge time difference would be greatly appreciated. I am a working mom and beyond exhausted with the current situation.

I'm so sorry to hear about the struggles you are having with your daughter's sleep. Older kids (vs. babies) often have trouble adjusting to live back home after a trip even when there is no time change - on the trip she may have been sleeping in the same room with you for instance or had more time with you during the day. If she misses you, that might be making it harder for her to transition to sleeping through the night.

Luckily, at 22 months she is both able to understand you and able to work towards a reward. Have you talked with her (during the day) about the fact that she needs to sleep well at night so that she can play more during the daytime? Is there a reward you could offer her for staying in her own bed all night (we often offer a mylar balloon because we can offer it over and over and over until finally the night sleep straightens itself out)

I hope this helps

This is a fabulous post - between your original post and the comments left by others, I now have enough to share with my husband re: others' experiences with jetlagged kids. We both work, and will eventually go to Asia (maybe late this year) with what will then be our 3-year old, and I'm really dreading the jet lag on return. This convinces me that we need to build in more days off from the office to help DD recover when we come back.

Thanks for the great tips, Debbie and everyone else.

I have yet another question: Does it do any harm to a baby to have to deal with jetlag often? We've had to fly from China to Europe and back already twice in the past 4 months with my son, who is now 7 months old. Now it looks like we will have to be going again in a month! I am breastfeeding so he has to go when I have to go... I haven't been able to find any info on this so far and I'm afraid it messes with him too much to have to go again. I'm wondering if I'll just have to try and stop breastfeeding for a few days, go on my own, and then get back to it when I come back? Or can I just take him along again?

Thank in advance for your thoughts!

I am not aware of any issues related to frequent jetlag (other than the usual issues associated with sleeplessness) for either adults or infants.

If it were my child, I would not be concerned about taking another trip, but you should consult your doctor if you are worried.

We have just come back from a 2 week holiday to Malta (8 hr time difference) where my 12 month old slept wonderfully. We visited family where she was a human pass-the-parcel for the whole time, if she made any noise, some-one came running to entertain her and pander to her every demand. While she was kept in her normal sleeping routing while away - this was the main difference. In addition, we were all sleeping in the same room, where, if she woke in the night, I was right next to her cot.

She has been sleeping 12 hours since 3 weeks of age but since getting home she has been difficult the put to sleep day and night time, and at night has been waking at midnight and 3am, screaming non stop for hours on end. She has her own room at home. As with Melissa (above) we have tried everything from not letting her sleep more than her "normal" nap length during the day, ignoring her screams, giving her milk, panadol and bonjella (not all at the same time) to help settle her, holding and rocking her to sleep in our arms, and by 4am we're so exhausted she ends up in our bed. Last night when we put her in our bed, she started laughing. This is not a practice we want to get her in the habit of as we're not sleeping either! Nothing seems to be working. It has been 4 nights now and we are stressed, exhausted and at our wits end. Nothing seems to be working or improving. Any words of wisdom?

Love your website. In October Ill be travelling with my 14 month little girl from Australia ( where we live ) to England ( where Im from) to visit freinds and relatives. We will be there for 10 weeks so plenty of time to adjust. What tips do u have for adjusting to the major time difference ( complete opposite) and a 24 hour plane trip. She will have her own cot and room at mums place and I intend to take her sleeping bag and comforter so it feels familier....what other things should I consider....and how many nites should it take before we are on track. thank you

Debbie, Hello, I love this site. I"m full of great information now, but still have one question. SHould you wake up your toddler?? We just came back to OHIO for the summer after living in China, which we will return to in the fall) and she doesn't take afternoon naps. Hasn't for a couple of months now, even tho she is just to. But would go to bed at 4pm and sleep till 6am. Now that we are stateside, I put her down later, slowly trying to adjust, but she treats that as a nap, and is back up around midnight, not wanting to sleep again till 2am, then sleeps till 1 in the afternoon. Should I wake her?? Her room is very very dark. THanks in advance!

You just have to know that for most parents those first several days will be difficult. If you go into it with that mental framework, it will make you less frustrated and thinking your trip is the pits.

Thanks for a fantasic website. I'm so happy that I have been able to find such a useful and informative site. In a few weeks time I will be travelling from Australia to Cairo (24 hr flight)with my two little girls aged 3 yrs and my youngest is 18months. I'm really nervous about the flight given that I wil be travelling by myself. Do you have any tips on how to survive the flight and the jetlag? I'm hoping that the trip/jetlag wont affect their sleeping patterns/routine when we get back home. Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

My best tips for surviving a flight with an infant hare here: http://www.deliciousbaby.com/travel/f...

You should expect that the Jet Lag will affect your children's sleeping patterns once you return hom, but that with some patience and firmness things will return to normal over the course of your first week home.

Hi, Debbie. This is very helpful information. I am planning to travel with my 10 month old son from Atlanta to LA in October to visit my sister. He currently (at 8 months old) sleeps about 11 hours at night and is breastfed 5-6 times a day. The trip is going to be 5 or 6 nights (I haven't decided which day to leave). I saw at the beginning of your post that you recommend trying to keep your home schedule if the time change is 3 hours or less. That would mean us waking up at 3:30 LA time . . . not sure my sister would appreciate this. Do you think it's possible for him to adjust to a new time schedule with such a short trip time? I want us to enjoy this trip, but I also want to be realistic in my expectations. Do you recommend a longer trip time to make adjustment easier?

This is a great website! I'm so glad I found it. We are leaving next Thursday from Boston and landing in Hawaii at 2:30p their time (8:30p Boston time). Our 8 month old goes to bed at 7pm. I'm guessing he will probably fall asleep once we get there and get moving in the car. Should we let him sleep as long as he wants or wake him after after a bit and treat it like a nap rather than bedtime? If he wakes on his own due to movement, sunlight, etc do we keep him up or put him back to sleep? Thanks so much!

I think it depends a lot on your child. Some children will respond to a later bedtime and darkened skies by sleeping in a little, while others wake up like clockwork at the same time every morning.

You could try to gradually adjust his schedule by an hour or two before you leave home, or you might just have to wake up early and keep him quietly entertained until the sun is up.

The upside to that early rising, assuming your son will sleep in a stroller, is that he will be asleep for the night by the time dinner is served in LA - making it easier for you to enjoy an evening out.

I hope this helps. Good luck!

This is always tricky, but I would treat that first sleep when you arrive like a nap. Your child will probably be excited about seeing his new surroundings, and that will make it easier.

Be careful not to keep him up too long, though. A sleep deprived 8 month old is not only un-fun, but also gets sick more easily than a well rested child.

Good luck with your trip!

This is a great site and I am so glad that I found it. My daughter and I will be traveling to Auckland NZ from Saskatchewan, Canada this coming January. She will be just turning one year old at this time. We plan to go for 3 weeks. There is a 17 hr time difference. How long do you think it will take her to adjust to local time, once we get there and then when we are home again? I am really nervous about going, as I am traveling by my self. Once I get there their will be family yo help out. Any suggestion would be greatfully appreciated, on ways to help her adjust to complete opposite and ways to entertain her on the plane and help her sleep on the plane. Thank you

It usually takes about 3-5 days to adjust to the time change - of course every child is different. I wish you luck!

Here are some tips on keeping your daughter busy on a plane: http://www.deliciousbaby.com/journal/...

and some tips for helping her sleep on the plane: http://www.deliciousbaby.com/journal/...

Nothing I've read on babies and jet lag takes into account the parents' AND baby's desperate need to sleep, regardless of time zone. Instead they say keep the sun shining during the day so your baby can adjust. That's all very well, but if your baby is keeping you, and himself, up til 6 am you can't just open the shutters and let neither you nor your baby get a single minute of sleep. That would just make everyone involved weak and eventually sick. A far as sleeping on planes goes, with airplane staff making endless noise for useless things such as selling duty free items, turning all the lights on for breakfast when it's finally bed time in your infant's time zone, it can be literally impossible to get a baby to sleep AT ALL on a flight. This is what happened on my last long haul with my 4 month old who arrived at destination completely exhausted having neither been able to get a nap because of the noisy coming and goings of the duty free carts, nor a single minute of sleep at bedtime because then the lights went on for "breakfast". As a result he arrived exhausted, with a cough and a rash (which he's never had before). And this is a baby who normally sleeps long hours at night already. Airlines should change their stupid service policies to accommodate for basic necessities like sleep.

My wife and I are going to the philippines this 3 November with our baby son who will turn 1year old on 6 November. We are concerned about his need for vaccations and have been told he only needs the normal that is given to a baby of his age, We are going to a country that has dungue fever, malaria, typhond, hep a*b and we have been told he can not be vacanated for these at his age. we were also told we can not give him any drugs to protect him against malaria. can you advise us on this matter.

John, I don't have a medical background and would be unable to advise you about medical issues. If you don't feel satisfied with the answers you are being given, you might consider visiting a travel medicine clinic instead of your family doctor for a second opinion.

I found this site after I got back from a 3 week vacation and it is great! I live in Israel and went to visit family in the U.S. My 3 month old baby was definitely out of sorts the first few days. He was going to bed around 6/7pm and then waking up at midnight or so. Then I could put him back to sleep for a little bit but he'd be up again. I remember trying to soothe him back to sleep countless times but as soon as I'd put him down, he would wake up and cry. The first night I didn't sleep at all. The second night I think I slept better, but after 4am I just gave up putting him to sleep. I remember staying up with him watching movies to keep myself awake! Eventually he did go to sleep around 9/10 pm although he continued to wake up more frequently then he would have at home.

Now I am back in Israel. Both of us were exhausted after the flight. He managed to sleep for about 3 hours but I couldn't. Since being home he hasn't really napped during the day even though I've tried to soothe him to sleep. The last 2 nights he's been falling asleep around 3 or 4am (which makes sense since it is about 9/10 pm in the U.S.) At some point in the morning I put him in bed with me and we've slept until 12pm. I tried soothing him to sleep earlier at night--and he was tired believe me--but he wouldn't stay asleep on his own. And I know I should get out with him in the morning to help readjust his clock but the last two days I've just been too exhausted. Last night I just rocked him to sleep and he slept on me from 1-2 am. After that he was wide awake so I just played with him and fed him until 4am.

Today I've gotten a babysitter to take him for a few hours and I've told her to get him outside in the sunlight. I am also going to try and take him for a walk at dusk later. Tonight I will try to make things more conducive for sleep by using a lot less light in the apartment and keeping our bedroom totally dark(he is still sleeping in our room, but I will transition him to his own room once he is on a better sleep schedule). Hopefully I will be able to get up a little earlier in the morning to help him readjust as well.

On a side note I've also noticed my baby is having some tummy problems. Yesterday he had some gassiness after breastfeeding, which went away after I burped him. He also had some diarrhea. I figured it had to do with traveling and changing time zones since that happens to both both my hubby and me when we travel and change time zones.

Let me know if you have any additional suggestions on helping my baby get back to normal.

We just returned from a one month trip of Europe with our 10 month old son, and as others have expressed here, we are finding it very difficult to get him back to his schedule in Vancouver. He is getting sunlight, air and we are keeping things dark and quiet at night, but his internal clock is getting him up all through the night and my wife and I haven't slept at all since returning 3 days ago.

I know this will work itself out and I know there is not much else we can do but, I thought I'd write in if for no other reason to let others know they are not alone in this situation. Having said that, if you have any further advice, we sure would appreciate it.

Cheers, Tom

Good luck Tom, hang in there - just like teething, the sleep disturbance that comes with crawling, and all the other nighttime dramas this will work itself out over time.

I wish I had seen this site two weeks ago! We returned to Asia from South Africa on Sunday morning. It is now Wednesday and our 1 year old is really having problems adjusting.

It feels like it is getting worse (or maybe we are just more tired?)but last night she woke up at 8:30 pm (her normal bedtime is 7pm and she goes to sleep pretty easily) and refused to go back to sleep until about 1am. We played, tried to get her back to sleep, played again etc. etc. She screams, throws out her pacifier and kicks when we put her to bed - something she has never done before - until we pick her up. When she finally goes to sleep, she sleeps deeply. Should I wake her up at 7am - her normal wake up time?

Thanks! Anet

First off, welcome home. I'm sorry that your daughter is having such a tough time adjusting.

If she were my child, I would get myself ready to walk out the door in the morning, and then wake her up and take her outside in the sun.

I do hope this helps.

Great tips. I will add one thing to avoid jet lag for our children

Avoid junk food, Sugar and carbohydrate-rich fats such as cookies and chips.

Me and my 21 months old daughter just came back to vancouver, canada from hongkong and jakarta. Its a 16 hr difference... her usual naps are twice a days maximum of 2 hrs. each nap and at nighttime she sleepsarounf 9 pm and wake up at around 8-10am. i don't have any problems putting her to sleep at night between 9- 12pm but she wakes up around 3 and stay awake until about 6 in the morning.

its been 5 nights now, so i would really appreciate it if u can give me some advice.

Thanks for this post.

Especially important to read was about breastfeeding and the impact of production based on time change.

I'm noting this for our upcoming trip to Europe.

Hang in there. Some babies take longer than others, but she will return to her usual schedule with your help.

I am so glad I found your website. We are moving to Paris in a few weeks with our 4 yr old and 7 month old and was wondering if you could give us any tips/suggestions before we move. I know I will have to deal with the jetlag with the kids once we arrive but I am hoping it is a smooth transition. Your website has been so helpful to help us prepare but was thinking you may be able to give us some tips or things to watch out for before we go. Thank you so much!

This has been a great website to find, but I'm still a little confused :)

We are going to fiji next week, they are 2 hours ahead of us. Our 6 month old usually wakes at 7am and is in bed by 7pm. Should I keep him on his home routine (which would mean up at 9am and down at 9pm) or adjust to local time. We are only away for 6 nights.

Like many of the previous comments, I have a good sleeper and am concerned about sleep regression.

Also, any tips for having a baby in the hotel room with you. I'm thinking of sleeping him in the bathroom?

Thank you very much

For a two hour time difference, I would use the blackout drapes in the hotel and stay on your home schedule. You'll probably notice that your 6 month old's schedule changes a bit due to the trip, but hopefully not much.

Hi Debbie- thrilled to find your post. My husband and I have a five and a half month daughter who is an amazing sleeper...11-13 hours a night. We are thinking about going to japan next week since we have the time now, but I'm worried that well ruin our very happy healthy sleeper. Also, if she's going to be up all night there, it might not be worth us taking this amazing vacation. She is currently only breastfed, but we may introduce early solids before we go. We would leave NYC on the 15th and return on the 3rd. Can't decide if we should bite the bullet and go or settle for someplace closer. Would love your thoughts.

2 weeks ago we came from the UK to Kazakhstan, a 5 hour time difference, with a 10-week-old baby. We seem to have tried everything to get her to sleep at night rather than during the day - plenty of fresh air, watching the sun set, low lighting at night, only feeding in her room at night, trying to stick to her routine during the day, trying to keep her awake during the day (this seemed to work once and she slept from 11pm to 10.30am and we were thrilled! Next night was back to being awake at night again), waking her for feeds, not waking her for feeds, expressing milk for when she's too tired to wake up for long for a feed... and much more besides. This is now her 4th night/day in a row where she's fed every 3/4 hours day and night. She's definitely getting enough during the feeds as she's a strong sucker and still has the same amount of expressed milk when we give her a bottle. I'm a bit sleep deprived and desperate now! We did the whole 'newborn feeding every 3 hours' thing 2 months ago and she was definitely growing out of it! Any tips? Thanks, Jo

So pleased to have found this site. My daughter, son-in-law, and grandddaughter (7 months) have just returned home to the UK after an 18-day visit with us on the East Coast of the States. My daughter reports that my granddaughter, who was on a very good schedule prior to the trip, is now staying awake until midnight and having trouble getting back into the routine. How long should it take and what are the best ways for them to help my granddaughter get back on schedule?

Thank you so much! Martha

Hi. I have a business trip to Japan and my husband is planning on joining me. We are considering taking our, just turning 4 years old daughter. The trip is only a week and we are concerned about jet lag (we live in NY) and impact on enjoying Tokyo. What can we expect from a 4 year old in terms of sleeping at night and wake and present during the day?

Dear Debbie,

a wonderful website and advices. I'm going with my husband and our 7 months old son from Spain to Korea for 20 days and after reading about your experiences, I am not afraid anymore.

It was nice for me to read that my intuition told me well, when we went to Israel 1 month ago and I kept my watch all the time on the "home" time - despite all the light saving clock changes.

Thank you again and I hope I will not write desperately for help form Korea :) we're going to enjoy this experience thanks to you.

We have just returned from a 2 1/2 week trip to California (from the UK - time difference 8 hours) with our 13 month baby boy. Before our holiday he was a great sleeper - down at 7pm and rarely wakes in the night, waking a 7am in morning. On holiday he slept in our room and for the last week of our holiday the bedroom was quite light at night. Most nights he slept pretty well.

On returning it's been a nightmare. He wakes frequently and screams hysterically. For the first 2 night he ended up in bed with us at some point in the night (something we rarely do) and the last 2 nights he just doesn't seem to want to be on his own in his own bedroom.

Any suggestions on what we do? He just seems so upset.

Thank you, Cathy

You have all given me great stories for my FlyRant.com blog. I'm a cranky traveler even without the kids.

We just returned back home to the USA (Arizona) from a three week holiday in Sri Lanka. Our four year old is off schedule, sleeping at 2 p.m. and then getting up 10 hours later. After that, she is up the rest of the night. Do you suggest we just not let her sleep and just keep her up whatever it takes to keep her up so that she doesn't start sleeping until her pre-Asia trip bed time, which was 8:30 p.m.? It's hard to get any rest when the 4 year old is up and needing to be supervised. Any suggestions as my wife and I are not getting any rest.

I travel from Europe to North America twice a year with my little ones and common sense has to prevail. You need to know that if you child sleeps for longer stretches than normal during the day that they will keep you up at night. We have had great success with getting the kids accustomed to our new time zone by simply not letting them have long naps during the day when it is nap time. It is also very important to strategically place the nap at a similar interval from waking as they normally have in their schedule at home. Because they are waking up earlier and have travelled, we know they can't go all day long without sleeping so we let them have a nap that is early enough in the day and wake them up after they have slept their usual nap length. It is tough to wake them sometimes, but you can! After a few days there are huge benefits and we are able to slowly get them on track without being stressed out. Another tip is don't put them to bed to early because then they just wake up wide awake a few hours later. Be patient and put them to bed 1 to 2 hours earlier every night. If they have had a properly timed nap during the day then they should be so tired that they'll sleep a nice long stretch.

thanks so much for the great perspective!

Great Site, I have a 7 month old baby and we (just baby and me) are planning to travel to India (from SFO). I have to say I'm REALLY nervous about it. Its about 12 hours difference! Meaning his days-nights are going to be reversed :( Ishaan (my baby) is also all about crawling and starting to cruise right now and Im not sure how to handle that either. Any advice would be SUPER great!!

Wow - great post and comments. I'm another parent up at 2am with an alert baby (6.5 months) after 4 weeks away with a 10 hour difference. Staying philosophical now that she's sleeping on me while I comment too.

Funny that our trip away was terrible - no sleep, bad habits - but she adjusted to the new TZ immediately. Now after a dream trip home - great sleeps at the right times - she is up and about. Thanks for the tips!

Hi there, I am travelling to australia from nz in a weeks time and am wondering if it is worth trying to change my 11 month old to australian time? They are only 2 hours behind us but i don't really want to her waking at 5am or going to bed at 5pm. We are only going for 10 days. Should we stick to home time?

Jo, I think that with a 2 hour time change, your child will gradually adjust to local time on her own. I'm not sure how much you can alter that.

Thank you for posting all sorts of advice.

We leave in Australia and just came back from a 4-week holiday in France with our breastfed 5-month old. He sleeps a lot in general and adjusted to French time on the first night there (8h time difference), sleeping through the nights.

But back home is another story. Since we're back, he feeds every 1h30 during the night, falls asleep to wake up only 30min later. I have to wake him up from his naps during the day or he would sleep all day long though!

I'm starting to wonder if there is a growth spurt as well as jetlag...

I was wondering how long I should let him sleep during the day? I have been waking him up if his nap is longer than 2 hours.

Thank you, Peggy

@Peggy If he's feeding that much, my guess would be that he's having a growth spurt (or ready for solid food possibly?) versus just jetlag alone. My kids all took / take three hour naps on occasion - so if it were me, I wouldn't necessarily wake him up, but I would really try to encourage him to eat during the day and not during the night.

Hi, I'm about to travel from France to the US for a month, alone with my 2.5 month old. I'm really apprehensive, not only about the flight (how will I go to the bathroom) but even moreso about the jetlag and the effect it will have on us.

I get very bad jetlag anyway, but right now I'm also severely sleep deprived since my son is a very difficult sleeper requiring long periods of walking and rocking to get into a deep enough sleep to stay asleep. He does sleep at night though, from about 8:30pm to 7:30 am with a feed (I'm exclusively breastfeeding) around 3:30. I guess that means he'll be up from 1 or 2 in the morning eastern time and crash around 2pm. Should I go with that or try to put him immediately into US time, which seems very difficult also because of the breastfeeding schedule.

I've also just managed these last few days to get him into a schedule with decent naps during the day and I'm afraid that will be compromised too since we'll be seeing lots of family and I'll be moving around quite a lot.

I'm also concerned about my milk, since I feed every 3 hours during the day but then go 8hrs and 5 hrs during the night. Won't my supply also get messed up by the jetlag?

Any advice you could provide would be much appreciated. I'm starting to think this trip was a mistake but my whole family is anxiously awaiting to meet him.

Thanks in advance!

With respect to the breastfeeding - be careful to drink lots of water on the flight and for the first several days. Flying is dehydrating for both you and baby.

It usually takes longer for baby's stomach to adjust thank for his sleep patterns to change. I'd expect that you'll be feeding him on France time for several days at least.

Since baby won't switch over to US time right away (and might take even longer with an interrupted nap schedule) you should try to nap during the day if you can.

I bet the trip will be great! You'll be tired, and you might end up feeding baby at night for a little while, but you can always get him back on schedule when you return home.

One thing I try to remember, especially with such a young baby, is that they go through lots of different sleep disruptions as they grow. You get them adjusted for a little while, and then they start teething, crawling, walking, etc. So this is just one in a long series of sleep disruptions. Hope this helps!

Hi My daughter is 14 months and we're travelling from Dubai to Australia. there is a 6 hour time difference and I'm terrified on how I will manage with the jet lag. the afternoon naps she has here in Dubai will be the bedtime in australia. Any advice?

Your blog is amazing! I am so happy i found it. I am a new mom of the 3 month old baby girl. She still does not sleep through the night and wakes up 2 times or so. We are hoping to start sleep training her when she is 4 months old and it;s been a source of stress just thinking about it because it is very hard to get her to fall asleep right now. Also, to add to this worry my father who lives in Brazil is sick and I have to go see him soon. He has never met his granddaughter and I want to take her to meet him. We are thinking of traveling in December when she will be 7 months. I am worried about how the change of time zones will affect her and if it will regress any progress we will hopefully have made with sleep training. Also, I am worried about being on a plane for so long with such a small baby (colds, flu, viruses in the air from other people), not to mention the looks on people's faces if she cries. I am always mortified in the supermarket if she starts crying too loudly. Maybe it;s a new mommy thing? I know I sound a bit too worried/ paranoid but this is my first baby and I am confused about so many things, this long distance traveling is adding to them. I am a world traveler myself and want my kids to be like that too. Just need some advice on how to get started. Thank you! Carla

@Lisa, you might try eliminating that afternoon nap for a short time in Australia so that she is tired enough to sleep through the night once she finally does get to bed. You can always put the nap back in once she gets adjusted.

@Carla Sleep training is an ongoing process (at least it was with my kids) teeth, developmental milestones, travel, and age all cause disruptions. I wouldn't worry about that too much - if you are consistent it always works its way out. With respect to the flight, I wouldn't worry too much about the germs as long as she has a healthy immune system ;)

We've just returned to the US East Coast from the UK - our 13 month old has done the trip twice before (last time 4 months ago) and always adjusted pretty well on her return. This time she is waking in the night (on UK time zone), her appetite has dropped a little (partic in the evening), she has diarrhea and she is not taking her bedtime bottle... have you noticed this type of eating disruption associated with jetlag before?

Andy & Nicola,

A disrupted schedule for eating isn't unusual (though usually the total amount consumed doesn't change). However, I've never heard of Jet Lag causing diarrhea so she might have a bug - If I were in your position, I would watch for signs of dehydration and check in with my doctor.

Thank goodness for your website.

We are presently going through a difficult time with our 5.5 month old. We had a 2.4 week holiday in France and returned home 4 days ago. We did the wrong thing for sure and napped as we arrived home early on the Sat morning. Our daughter didn't sleep much at all on the plane, neither did we - we were stuffed. We slept for probably 4 hours during the day as did our daughter. Now 4 days in she has been a doll during the day (we've tried not to let her sleep much during the day) but difficult during the night.

She'll go down relatively well at night around 8 and then wake 1.75 - 2 hours later obviously tired but she awakes crying and sometimes is inconsolable even when offered the breast. She'll then go down anywhere from 1.5 to 3 hours later. After this she'll then wake again for a similar amount of time after a similar amount of sleep time.

This is very trying for my wife especially. What would you recommend. It seems as though sun or daylight exposure is very important. We are in winter at the moment, if sun isn't out will normal daylight suffice. Also, she was a great (8-12 hours a night) sleeper prior to our trip , will she return to this routine. We're very nervous that she's in this routine for good.

Would love to here from you.

Many thanks.

Nice web site Debbie, we'll follow your advices when we go to France for 5weeks with Luca who will be 8months by then. For Tom, Kaz and May, Are you sure this new broken sleeping pattern is due to the jet lag? I know that around 6months babies start to sleep in sleeping cycles like adults, that is 2hours by 2 hours, so even if your daughter was a good sleeper before she might need to re-learn to settle by herself in between every sleep cycle at night... I would recomment Tizzie hall book: "save our sleep" for advices. Good luck with it all Mel

Hi Debbie We need your help, we have just returned home from Canada to the UK with our 19 month old daughter, she is going to bed at her normal time 7.30pm, but then every night since we arrived home she has been waking up about midnight and refusing to go back to sleep until at least 4.00am. She is then only napping for about 1 hour during the day, we are all totally exhausted and in serious need of some advise, please help... Thanks Kerry

I'm sorry to hear that you are having such a rough time! What are you doing when your daughter wakes at night? One thing that helps is to offer food or milk immediately, keep the lights dim, and choose soothing activities instead of exciting ones - her body will gradually adjust back to sleeping during that time.

Hi Debbie, My daughter is 16 months old and has never been a great nighttime sleeper, but has gotten much better in the last month or so. We are planning a trip to India (10.5 hour time difference) for 10 days in December, and to be honest I am dreading what it is going to do to her sleep. Total flight time will be 18 hours (8 hours to Europe, 2 hour layover, then 10 hours to India). Is it worth trying to adjust her to local time for such a short trip or should we just let her sleep when she wants and go to kind of a hybrid schedule in order to make it easier to get her on track when we get home? The trip itself will be very uneventful, mainly spending time with family in their homes. I should also mention that she does eat 3 good meals/day, but in addition she does still breastfeed 5x/day and 2x/night (at 10:30 pm and 5 am) which may make the transition a little harder for both of us. Any advice is appreciated! Thank you, Joanna

I think you'll find that she naturally starts to adjust within a couple of days, and also that it's difficult for you to be up at night with her, but if your days aren't too taxing, I suppose you could try keeping her on the same schedule and see what happens!

Hi, Debbie!

We are due to go for a holiday in January with our son who will be 18 months at that point. We've been away before when he was 4 months and then 6 months. Since this is a big break between travel I wanted to see how he will react to being away from home at this age so we just did a "trial run". We did not go on the plane but instead booked a bed and breakfast an hour away from home in a scenic part of the state. We stayed for two nights. While there was no time change, the experience seemed to have unsettled our son. He was okay during the day but woke up every couple of hours at night (even though we co-slept which we do at home too) both nights and stayed awake clearly distrubed - looking around, sometimes crying. It took some effort to calm him down as he seemed so unsure of the unfamiliar environment. Moreover, when we got home, he also took two nights until he became his normal self again, waking up frequently. So what it tells me is that at this point in time he seems sensitive to change. I feel he is in a strange stage - he is a kind of young to fully prepare him with talk but already very aware of his surroundings. Do you have any suggestions on how to make him more comfortable?

Thank you, Nadia

We just got back from India and its been about a week but my daughter shows no signs of getting over jet-lag :( she sleeps through the day and is awake at night. It does not help that she is sick and does not eat and we are in gloomy seattle in December- so no sunlight. I woud greatly appreciate any advice

I'm so sorry to hear that your daughter is having a tough time. If she is sick, that is the issue you would need to focus on first. Unfortunately, she's probably not going to fully adjust to the new time until she feels better.

I live in gloomy Seattle too ;) Sometimes it's possible to find a sunbreak and go for a walk during that time.

Hi Debbie, you're site is very helpful. i'm glad i found it! next week i will be flying from china to the US with my 10.5 month son. by myself. my husband can't make it until some days later. do you have an extra special advice for a lone parent traveler?

Just sharing our experience.

My partner and I just travelled from Stockholm, Sweden to Melbourne, Australia with our 3 month old. BB slept a little less than usual en route but when we arrived she slept 15 hrs straight. She still seems to be resting/sleeping a bit more now, 5 days into our trip than what she did in Sweden.

Hi, Our family lives in Finland and we recently went to the States to visit my family with our 1 year old. She has never been a terribly good sleeper, but before we left she was sleeping a good 7 hours per night at a time at least. Generally, about 7pm to 6am.

On arrival to the US, she adjusted in about 2 days. Again sleeping pretty well there. Since we have returned, however, it has been a different story. It took her over 2 weeks just to get to bed at the right time again. It has been over a month now since we have returned and she is still not sleeping more than 3-4 hours at a time. And she seems to wake up sometime between 2 and 4:30 every morning wide awake!

We were very worried abou throwing this time change into her routine since she had only barely began sleeping so well. After reading this blog post to not worry that it will not disrupt the babies sleep pattern overall we felt better, but now it seems that our worries were founded :-(. Since we have been back she is sleeping terribly and we really are at a lose what to do now.

In the US, it was very sunny and she was outside quite a bit, which I am sure helped. But now back in Finland, we are having the darkest days if the year ("daylight" from 9:30 to 3:30 only) and temperatures of -10 to -25 C (15 to -20 F) so it's not so easy to get her outside now.

If anyone has had a similar experience, I would love some advice or to know how it worked out.

Hi! We just made our return trip from the US to Paris where we currently live. My kids now have their nights and days mixed up and I don't know how to fix it! They have been going to sleep at 5am the last few nights after just sleeping a few hours from 8pm-11pm.

Should I wake them up early in the morning so that they can be awake with the sun even though they went to bed at 5am? And they will for sure need a nap in the afternoon, is this okay? Thanks!

Hi Debbie! I recently travelled with my 9 month old baby to the Philippines from Canada. My baby is a good sleeper (8pm-7pm) and is breastfeeding up to now. For the past 3 days, she has been following her feeding and nap time schedule pretty well but I am having a difficulty at night. Last night was the worst. She didn't want to sleep from 10:00pm-2:00a.m. She just kept crying because I didn't want to play with her. Please help me!

Gary, stick with whatever sleep-training routine you were using before the trip. She'll get back on track!

Ellie, you don't say what age your kids are, but I would wake them up at a normal morning hour and then allow them to take a midday nap.

Cher, hang in there, your baby will adjust to the new schedule, but if she really cannot be lulled back to sleep it's ok to play some low-key games or read books together.

Great site, just wanting to know if you have any advice as we are travelling with a soon to be 1 year old who currently sleeps 12hrs a night. She is breast feed only morning and at tea time and is slowly being weaned off this.

She is fine on planes as we travelled to Japan(only 1 hour difference) when she was six months old and we had no troubles.

We are travelling to Perth (australia) from Melbourne and it's a 3 hour delay...we are only going for 5 nights but we are staying with friends who have an 18month old. We are hoping that she will adjust without her waking too early in the morning...do you have any tips for short stays? As I know she will not have long enough to adjust.

Please help! thanks Ben

Ben, For a short stay with just a 3 hour time change, I would probably keep her on her home schedule. You can use blackout drapes to darken your room when it is supposed to be night time. You may notice that she adjusts somewhat to the new time, but you'll be able to get her back on schedule gradually when you return home.

Well I feel much better after reading this now!!! We just flew back from Canada to Italy where we are currently living with our 27 month old daughter and it has been AWFUL since we got home. But I'm happy to see that its the same as everyone else who has travelled eastwards has described!!!! Goes to bed at 8, wakes at 11ish and then is up until 4 playing and/or screaming hungry. At first we fed her, then gave her milk and now we're telling her no which I'm not sure is the right thing to do but we're going on day 6 now of being home and still no sign of things returning to normal. She missed nursery school today and I feel like I might be slowly losing my mind!!! However, I am very comforted that this is "normal" and I'm sure this too will pass. Thanks for all the great information :)

Hi there, We have just returned home to the uk after 3 months in New Zealand. We are of day 3 at home and our 15 month old is currently in her room talking (it's 3.15am!) after waking at 1.30am!! She's not crying, just awake. She went down fine at normal bedtime and has all three nights. However, she keeps waking. She napped twice today; the first time we woke her after 3 hours the second after 1.5 hours as we were worried she wouldn't sleep tonight. Any tips on what we can donto fix this? She's always been an awesome sleeper before now. Thanks, Cherry

Exercise, Sunshine and Patience are your best bets ;)

Hi Debbie! Thanks for the great advice so far! ive already made a little list of your tips! we are now in germany, will be going to live in australia in about a months time (australia is currently 9 hrs ahead in time!!!!) ...my 1 year old sleeps great at the moment 8pm-8pm my question is when we arrive it will be morning 8am australia time, but nighttime in germany (bout 11pm) should i allow her to sleep or try keep her awake straight away and follow her usual "german morning routine" of playtime, walk etc ??? or is it ok to let things slip for a few days and let them nap whenever??? not sure weather to put her in a new routine straight away or not....what do you think?? thanks, angela =)

We usually let things slip for a few days - it probably makes the jetlag adjustment take longer, but I worry that if the kids get too run down they will get sick. Also, those long daytime naps are a great time to see a museum or get a nice meal.

I am 9 months pregnant and about to pop! Five weeks after the baby is born we are moving back to NYC from our home of three years in London. If a new baby isn't stressful enough, the international move is! Question, will a 5 week old have any issues regarding sleep patterns and jet lag? Should we try for a NY schedule from birth? Should I be concerned with breastfeeding and traveling so early after the baby is born? Good news is once we arrive we are staying put and no return flight!

Tara, For a 5 week old, I would not be worried about jetlag or any schedule at all since the baby will be sleeping and nursing around the clock at that age.

Thanks so much for this info, though I fear I found it a bit too late. We traveled from the US to the Middle East for 2 weeks and our 19 month old never adjusted. Her appetite dropped quite a bit and was mostly just nursing (usually has quite the appetite). We have been home now for 4 days and things aren't much better, long naps during the day and she isn't sleeping much more than 4-5 hours at a time when she usually sleeps 12 hrs at night w a 2 hour nap during the day. She still isn't eating much which isn't helping. Any suggestions for us at this point in all of this?

I haven't noticed a change in overall appetite due to a time zone change, it seems worth giving your doctor a call to see if there's any other reason her appetite might have changed.

We are going to maui next week wiht our 8 month old son. He sleeps great at home, in his crib, in his dark room. I was not able to get a suite. What do you think about putting the crib in the bathroom until we go to sleep?

Putting the crib in the bathroom works great - you might try asking for a handicapped room. The extra wide doorway will make it easier to roll the crib in and out.

Hi, we live in DC and we are going to Spain with our 22 months old son. Our flight leaves at 10:00 pm and he sleeps now from 8:30pm to 8:00am. I want to keep him up for a little longer and put him to sleep once we are in the plane, so we will get there at noon(local time) about 6:00am our time, with a connection to barcelona, hoping he will be ok and ready for breakfast, I am planing on start his day there with breakfast and fan, then stay awake on second flight (only 2 hours) -a movie, games on the ipad and running while we can at the airport - and we will get to barcelona at 3:30 , give him lunch and take a nap with him for 2 hours, wake up and keep him active and running until night, then try to have a local time day. Do you think that,s too much for him? I travel a lot to Europe, so I know that if Can sleep during flight and take a quick nap I can be up the rest of the day, but tired, I wi guess it will be worse for him, but I also understand that a kid can adjust easier to changes. What do you think? Am I too off?

I think his behavior will tell you whether he needs more sleep ;) As long as you have a sling or a stroller, you can always put him to sleep even if you are out and about.

We are in jet lag hell at the moment. We just returned from 3 weeks in Asia and my 20 month old, who actually slept great while in Asia, is now up from anywhere between 10pm-4am. We wake him up by 9am every morning. He naps 3 hours a day, but would love to nap more. I'm trying to get him back on his usual schedule, but he just keeps waking up. Kind of a problem when my husband and I had to go back to work on Monday. Any other tips or tricks with toddlers that you can suggest? We are going on day 5.

Hey, im flying with a 5month old from London to California which is an 11 hour flight i think. When is the best time to fly so that i can minimise the distruption to her routine?

@walkingontravels Try keeping things calm and dark when he does wake up. Sometimes that helps send a signal about nighttime being rest time.

@Katie I usually like overnight flights best, but you may not have that choice flying from London to California. A five month old is usually pretty flexible about sleeping in strange environments, so being awake or asleep on the plane isn't a big deal. Possibly the most important thing is to time things so that you're schleping through the airport at a time when baby would normally be awake.

I wish I'd found this before our 2-week visit to the USA. My now 4-month old used to sleep in 5/6 hour stretches but since we've been back it's been a huge struggle to get him to sleep at his usual time and to keep him asleep for any length of time. He's also feeding manically through the night which is exhausting. It's not been like this since he was a newborn and I wake up in pain every Irving now. It's been 4 days. How do I speed up the process? How do I get him asleep at 8pm like before as opposed to midnight? How do I keep him asleep? He's exclusively breastfed by the way.

If it were me, I would try to gently reduce some of that night feeding - either by eliminating the feeds that are shorter, or by cutting down the length of each feed.

I would also offer more feedings during so that he is full before he goes to bed for the night. If you are comfortable pumping and offering a bottle, I might do that for the last feed before bedtime since baby is likely to consume more (and not drift off to sleep half-sated) with a bottle.

Do you have any thoughts on whether it is worth trying to shift toddlers onto the new time zone ahead of travel? I have read elsewhere that moving some way towards the new time zone can mean you hit the ground running when you get there. We will be travelling east next month where we will experience a 7 hour time difference.

It's worth a try. For my kids their internal clocks don't seem to shift much until we get to the destination - putting them to bed later or waking them earlier just means that we get tired kids. Still, as my oldest matures, he's starting to be able to sleep in when he's tired, and if your kids are great at doing that shifting before you go might help reduce jet lag.

hi, quick question for you. I am going to paris with my son on his 2nd birthday. We will be there for a month. I was wondering what sort of time i should try to put him for nap/bed time/food in the first few days. The exact details are: fly at 6pm > arrive 2am (8am paris time). He would normally wake up at 7am, lunch at noon, nap from 1 to 3, dinner at 7 and sleep by 9pm. so, in the first day, should i switch to the new timezone and follow the exact same schedule? or do it slower? any ideas you have to help me make the transition the easiest for him would be gr8.

I would try to get him out for some time in the park when you first arrive, but don't worry if he's ready for a nap pretty quickly. Try not to let those daytime naps drag on for too long, but with a two year old, I'd go ahead and let him sleep when he gets tired - otherwise you run the risk of him getting sick or being unhappy.

Thank you for the tips. We are traveling from North Carolina to Hawaii and I wasn't sure what to about the flight and the trip. While our now 16 month old has traveled before with us he was much younger and slept quite a bit - now he is a very active toddler so this advice comes in handy. Thanks Again, Zai

Debbie, We will be travelling to hawaii from india, the journey will be 27 hours, so we are thinking of breaking it in LA,my daughter is 5yrs, and she is aprehensive of a long journey. what would be a good way to handle this

LA does seem like it could be a great stoping place for your longhaul flight with your child. You don't say how long you would be staying, but even if you have a half-day, you could take a taxi from the airport to one of the nearby beaches, let her play in the sand and perhaps have a picnic before returning to the airport. So that you're not too bogged down during your layover, you could use the luggage storage service at LAX to hold your baggage.

Good luck on your flights! Debbie

We are having difficulty re-adjusting to time in Dubai after spending the summer in Canada. Our 7 yr old, 4 yr old and 15 month old have been waking up at 11pm for 4 nights now and refusing to go to sleep until 5am. They are going to school and we are working and we're at our wits end trying to figure out the next move. We have been waking them up at 7am for school and letting the two younger ones have a 2 hour nap at lunch (as usual). By 7pm they are falling asleep- how do we keep them asleep? HELP!

Before they go to bed, focus on making sure they've had plenty to eat - especially proteins and milk.

When they are awake in the middle of the night, I would focus on doing quiet activities (and preferably setting them up with something that they can do while you go back to sleep). Feed them some proteins and milk, and encourage them to get back in their beds to read. With the 15 month old, you might focus on food as well, and try giving him a ride in the stroller (even around the house is fine!) to soothe him.

Hi Debbie, We've just travelled from London to Canberra, Australia. We left Wendesday morning and arrived on Thursday night. Our six-month old baby Faeryn is not sleeping at night, unless she is in bed with me and latched. On Friday day we were outside with her a lot and she slept in her car seat and stroller. On Saturday day she was awake for all the usual times, I even managed to get her to take her morn and mid-day nap. But come afternoon, she was not going down for her nap... until I fed her (BF) and then she was very drowsy, but by then we needed to keep her up for her evening routine. So it is after 4am now, and she is finally asleep in her own travel cot after so much crying and wailing. This is the most insane I have ever felt... tomorrow (today) I will get outside with her as much as possible. I wanted to rest as I feel so depleted and I'm trying to increase my milk supply- I'm following Gina Fords plan but I'm not getting much from expressing. So I'm also worried I can't feed her enough. I feel awful. Any help is hugely appreciated. Tomorrow may be better...

Hi There. We just came back to Malaysia from the UK a few nights ago and my 18 month old son is having difficulty going back to sleep here. The time difference was 8 hours. We put him to sleep at his usual time and he gets up 3 hours after that ( at 12 am) and refuses to sleep at all. He would start to cry and wanted to play. Both of us are exhausted and tired!

How will it take him to sleep thru the nite again?

Wow I'm glad I found this site!!

We just arrived back in Adelaide, Australia from 2 weeks in the UK.

My 6 months old daughter adjusted really quickly to the time in the UK, but has struggled with being back in Adelaide. We arrived here Monday morning, she had a few naps during the day, but I was worried she was going to sleep too long, so we woke her each time after a few hours. Both Monday and last night was a disaster, the first night she went straight to sleep at 6:30, but woke 5 times during the night, sometimes for milk, a cuddle or thought it was playtime. Last night was worse, normally she falls asleep after her bath and bedtime bottle, but she didn't. She eventually feel asleep, but woke at 9:30 and was awake till 12pm, when she feel asleep on me till 1:30, she was then up and down till 5pm when she slept till 8:30. I took her to the doctor today as she has a cold and found she has broncolitis. She has also got her first tooth since being back as well. What a nightmare - jetlag, broncolitis and teething! I really hope she gets back to a normal sleep pattern soon as my partner and I are struggling to catch up on sleep and Kev went back to work Tuesday :(

I will try the advice of sunshine tomorrow!

Thanks Rachel

Jasmine, Kath, and Rachel,

I know it's tough to help a baby through jetlag! Stick with your normal routine and a soothing environment when baby does wake during the night.

Make sure, too, that you get extra rest during the day - that will make the rough nights easier to manage.

Hi Thank you for the advice on your website - it's really helpful. Wondered if you could offer some specific advice for my family. We are travelling to Boston from the UK with a three year old and a three month old. Both of which sleep through the night! Whoohoo! I am, like every mum on this site, very anxious about the jet lag and what to do. My worry is that when we return they will have reprogammed themselves to wake for feeds etc during night. We are only going to Boston for one week. So another worry i have is that it will take about three/four days to get them on Boston time and then we'll be flying home a few days after.

Any advice/help/reassurance would be great.

Every child handles jet lag differently, and it's hard to predict what your kids might do. In general, we try to schedule trips for at least 10 days (and preferably 2 weeks or more) to give ourselves time to adjust and enjoy the destination.

I have a question. I have 6 1/2 month old. We recently sleep trained her and she has been sleeping through the night, in her room. All I used to do (after her bed time routine) is put her in the crib, say good night and leave the room and she would happily go to sleep! I just traveled from home (US) to Asia which is 9 hours ahead. Today is night 3. I've kept the same bedtime routine and am putting her to sleep at the same time. She wakes up at 10 to feed. but after that is extremely fussy and constantly cries. The only way I can calm her is if she sleeps in her car seat (instead of the crib). I do want her to start sleeping in the crib again. Any advice? Or should I just let her sleep in her car seat till she gets over her jet lag? I'll be here for around 2 1/2 months. Thanks!

I wonder if she might be sleeping in that carseat because it is familiar. I would try to gradually get her used to the new crib, perhaps having her take daytime naps there or letting her fall asleep in the carseat and then moving her to the crib. You'll probably have to experiment somewhat to figure out what works.

Keep in mind that some experts recommend not letting a child sleep in a carseat, saying that a crib is safer http://www.parentdish.com/2009/09/05/...

Thanks for your blog! Can I add to the brain picking?? :) My family just went to the UK from Arizona. (8 hrs different) We were there three months. It took my son (18 months old) a month to stop waking at night. (he has always been a good sleeper. And never woke before the sun, and often slept an hour or more past sunrise). After the month, atleast he slept thru the night, but has since been up at the crack of dawn. This was challenging there cuz the sun was only down 11pm to 4:30 am. (i even black plastic bagged the windows...). Ok, so I have accepted this...

But now we are back home a week (with sunrise/set about 7-7) and he is waking an hour earlier everyday! (I.e. last few days - 6:30 am, 5:40, this morning was 4:30!!! And they aren't going back to sleep)) The biggest problem is my six yr old daughter wakes also. She has serious sleep challenges, (every half hour as an infant) and we have really helped her, but i am very perplexed as to how to help her with this new change. She won't nap, though the baby does. I don't know what to do!!!

After a week at home, it's probably not jetlag anymore, and might be more about wanting to wake up and be with you. One trick I like is to put a nightlight on a timer in the baby's room - when the light is turned on, it's time to sleep. When it's off it's time to get off. We have a moon shaped wall lamp from IKEA that's a natural fit for this, and has lived in each of my three kids rooms when they were toddlers.

I'm so glad I came across this website. I've been dreading a short trip to LA this weekend coming as our 7month old has finally got to sleeping through the night and is on a pretty predictable daytime nap routine. She's progressing well with weaning and now on 3 good sized meals and 4 breast feeds a day. The 11hour flight over there is during the day so I was planning on keeping meals and naps as per home schedule. We arrive at 13.30 LA time which is 20.30 home time so I'm thinking get to our destination (we're staying with friends) and put her straight to sleep? We're only there for 5 days so if it's going to take that long to adjust anyhow should I just go with the flow and feed her when she wakes overnight? Her equivalent meal times would be 23.30 (breakfast), 04.00 (lunch) and 0900 (evening meal) Any advice gratefully received! Thanks Debbie

So thankful for this post! We just got back from Asia and I wish I read about how to deal with jet-lag before we got back and had 2am parties;) I'm definitely bookmarking this for next time.

too good to see the comments... convincing that others also felt the same as mine..but we travelled 45 days ago and i tried all the above to make him sleep @ night... but he wakes between @ 1 am to 3 am as per the previous routine and keeps playing after that no matter wat ever we do ... and seems very active also ... we r really fed up and loosing patience day by day ... moreover sometime if he sleeps also he goes to potty at the same time 3 am every day and this again wakes him ;( ... how to change his potty schedule for 10 months baby...

he feels very tired and sleeps in his earlier routine and when i wake him he's almost cranky not leaving me and keeps crying ...atlast his routine is not changed and but reduces his sleeping time and again wakes him every night :(

Hello,Please help!!! We are going to travel just after Christmas by plane with our 5months old daughter.The flight only going to take us 2 and a half hours,but my daughter learned to sleep in her cot.She doesn't really learned to sleep in my arm.I try to teach her to sleep in my arm just in case she wants to sleep on the plane, but also don't want to teach her bad habits.What should I do?Thank you Bea x

What a wonderful blog. I hesitate to bombard you with more questions, but I wondered if you had any thoughts on reconciling a cry it out approach with a time change. I decided to implement cry it out with my 3 month old due to his frequent night wakings and my return to work in a month. Within 2 nights he was sleeping 11 hours through the night without any crying! We are now going to be traveling to a 2 hour earlier time zone and I imagine he's going to wake up early the first day. Normally I will not get him before 6am. Should I continue to implement this approach, even though I know he may be crying at 4am because of the time change, or do you think I should get him early the first night and then try to gradually stretch the time out as he adjusts? I'm worried about losing the wonderful results of our sleep training!

Thank you, Jennie

Yes, I'd probably just go with the flow if you're only there for 5 days!

If your flight was 45 days ago, there's probably more going on than just jetlag. If you can find a sleep expert locally, that might be the way to go. The potty schedule could be part of it, and that usually adjusts on its own. Sometimes sleep is also disturbed as baby learns new skills like crawling and walking - all of which happens at about 10 months.

Bea, Most babies are able to learn that there are different rules in different places. Getting to sleep in my arms was one of the special treats that comes with flying for all three of my kids, and they all sleep in their own beds at home. Good luck!

I never did cry it out with my kids, so I'm not sure I have great advice for you. One thing that parents have told me is that it can be difficult to have a child cry it out in a hotel because it might disturb other guests. With a time change, I'd probably go slow on the sleep training - your baby may need to eat at the times when they'd normally eat at home, and their bowl movements might happen on the same schedule as home too - check to make sure your baby is really *ready* to sleep before you put him to bed (or back to bed)

I am travelling with singapore airlines from Sydney to London in two weeks with my husband, 2yr old son and 3mth old daughter. We have booked 4 seats in business class as they had no bassinets left. I have discovered that I can take my capsule on board and secure into the seat however, I am concerned at the length of the flight and my 3mth old being strapped in the seat for so long as newborns need to lie flat. Does anyone know if I could take a carry cot like phil and teds cocoon on the plane instead and just secure it in with the seat belt, understandably she will probably need to be strapped to myself for take off and landings. Appreciate any help or suggestions for this tricky flight.

It's unlikely that the flight attendants would allow you to use a carry cot onboard since it's not FAA approved. She'll probably sleep comfortably in your arms though, and in business class, the seats are roomy enough that you shouldn't feel too squished!

Hello - We recently flew back from Australia to the US with our 18 month old daughter. She used to adjust easy to jet lag when she took 2 naps a day, but this time it has been a struggle. She has basically kept her old time for naps and sleep (meaning that she take a short nap from 7pm to 11:30 pm, and then wants to party til 3am.) We fought it the first day and when we she went back to sleep (finally) at 3am, we woke her up at 8 am thinking that would help her adjust.

It really didn't help and last night was worse than the first night - she woke at 11:30 pm and screamed every time I tried to put her back to sleep - til she finally cried herself to sleep at 3am. We let her sleep this time, worried she might get sick if we keep her from sleep and woke he up early again - and she slept for 11 hours - and woke up at 2pm, which is exactly when she would normally wake up in Australia (6am)!

So - now she is up and we are not sure what to do! Should we wake her up tomorrow at 7 am (assuming she will wake up form her nap again early at 11:30pm) or perhaps should we skip her nap and keep her up as long as possible tonight til she falls asleep?

Thanks for setting up this great site!

Goodevening, I have read a few details on your website and I am at breaking point and hope you could help. My husband, daughter 22mths and I have just arrived back in Australia after an around the world trip, and our daughter has severe jet lag. Charli is normally a wonderful sleeper, she has slept through the night since she was 6 weeks old, therefore I have never had to deal with sleep deprivation and we are really struggling. She did not sleep very well even from the start of our trip, being in japan which is the same time zone as home (Perth) she was really restless, however when we hit new York that was when the fun really began she would wake anywhere between 1-2 and would not go back to sleep, some nights we were successful after 3hrs or so but most nights not, which would mean she would be awake from 2am until her lunch time nap at 12pm. This continued the whole trip, when we got to London she had two nights where she slept through woke once or twice but re settled herself. However now we are back at home it has gone down hill again. Charli is happy to be put into her cot at night and go to bed after her night routine of dinner bath, bottle. However she is waking anywhere between 12 and 3am and staying awake for hrs. She screams uncontrollably if we are not in her room with her during these hrs. She happily lays down in her cot door us when we are in the room, and even closes her eyes at time but for the life of me I cannot get her to sleep for hrs, and if I leave the room before she has fallen asleep she will again scream and scream. She is still happy to have her 12pm lunch time nap, where I have been waking her after about 3hrs cause I am worried if she sleeps too pong she won't sleep at night. I am scared that she is forming a routine of waking and not settling herself and needing our help or our presence to do so.

We are considering maybe getting a sleep specialist out to the house but I am concerned that due to fact that I am pretty certain it is jet lag that the may not be able to really help. I have taken her for a check up at the doctor to ensure there is nothing physically affecting her and she is all good.

We really need some advice, we are at breaking point, our daughter was such a wonderful sleeper and we are so upset and concerned that we have ruined this. We have not had a decent night sleep in 3 weeks and are struggling to cope, I am loosing my patience and starting to not like myself as a mother.

I hope you can help.

Jeff and Colleen,

At 18months to about 2 1/2 your babies are starting to get smarter about a) noticing that they're in a new place, and missing the comforts of home and b) manipulating mom and dad. If you're sure that nothing is wrong physically, it may be that your baby is missing the cozyness of snuggling with you (if you co-slept during the trip). Your baby might also be noticing that you responded differently to nighttime cries while you were traveling and during the first few days of jetlag - if that's the case, a firm but gentle hand is what will help.

Good luck! If it's an option, you may want to hire extra help during the daytime so that you can get some rest.

Hi Debbie, We just came back from Europe to Australia and my 6 months baby is jetlagged. He woke up st night and it took him 3 hours to go to soeep again. Then he woke up at 10am and slept for 5 hours! I took him to a stroll for 2 hours , made a bath at 8pm, gave him a milk at 8.15 and he went to sleep.now he's awake from 1 am and we're desperate.. Please your advice ..thanks!

I found your blog a year ago when I flew from Sydney to Seattle by myself with my then 20 month old. You helped me so much with packing, what to do in flight, and best of all, time zone adjustment. With your tips, it only took 3 days for Hannah to adjust and actually knowing what to expect (I.e. night waking at meal times, which was 100 percent correct) made things so much easier and less stressful. Every time a friend is traveling with kids, I now send them links to your blog (which is why I'm back right now). So thank you for saving my sanity when sleep deprived and traveling.

Hi Debbie, At the moment we live in Singapore. 5 days ago we came back from a visit to The Netherlands and since then my (almost) 15 months old son has a jet lag. During the day he can sleep really well, but I try to wake him up because I'm scared he won't sleep at night... But at night he also wakes up several times; screaming and not wanting to sleep. We put him in bed around 8 pm, he sleeps till 11 and then the problems begin. I'm 26 weeks pregnant and getting really tired of this all (but even without being pregnant it's a huge problem!). We are now at the point of doing this: trying him to stay awake during the day, making him really tired so he will sleep during the night... Any experience with this? (I'm a bit afraid he will still fall asleep during the day...) I hope you can give us some advice, thanks!

I'm in a similar situation to Thera. We just returned to Paris (where we live) from a trip home to the US. My 14-month-old is a wreck. He goes to bed but then wakes up after 3 hours and is a disaster the rest of the night. Tonight is our fourth night home...any advice appreciated!

@Zarin, Hang in there - it does take some time for baby's internal clock to adjust back to home time. Try to keep him awake and in the sun as much as you can during daylight hours, and focus on eating and soothing activities during night waking.

@Shari THANK YOU for the kind words! I'm so glad to hear that my blog was a help

@Thera and Liz Hang in there - during the day you can try to create situations where your child wouldn't want to sleep or wouldn't naturally sleep, like being at an outdoor playground or playing with a stimulating new toy. At night, if he is awake and clearly not going to go back to sleep, try to keep the lights low and focus on soothing activities - a bath for instance, or singing together.

i live in the uk and my husband has booked a surprise trip to la hawaii and san fran for my 30 birthday. my only concern is my son will be just 16 months old and dont know how he will handle the long flight and numerous time changes whilst over there. Please help!

We're headed to Barcelona over Memorial Day weekend with our daughter who will be almost 7 months old when we go. Since we'll only be there 4 nights, I was thinking of keeping her on our home time instead of adjusting her to the new time zone. It sounds like babies have a hard time adjusting to their home schedule when they get back from trips, so my theory is to just keep her on the home schedule and then there'll be no adjustment. Have you ever tried this? Is this a looney idea? Any advice you can give would be appreciated. Thanks!

All your advice is so helpful. I just wanted to know how long it takes to get over jet lag. Is the rule an hour per day per time zone correct? We just got back from Sydney to the UK with a 4 month old and are on day 3. She barely suffered from jet lag when we arrived in Sydney 6 weeks ago so now we are in a state of shock. She can't sleep in the day and is very wakeful at night including completely awake from 2:30 am - 5:30am. I want to take her out in the sun but it is rainy and grey!!!!

Any insights would be very helpful. Thank u!!!!

Hi! Your website is so great! We have done some travelling in the past with our now two year old. We are leaving in three days to the Netherlands with our two year old and also our four month old baby. It is the first time we are travelling with two children. Your tips on travelling with babies and toddlers are very helpful and I'm looking forward to putting them into practice!

Hey all, you can find tips on babies and Jet Lag here: http://www.deliciousbaby.com/travel/f...

Even if there isn't much sun, the natural light will help reset her clock - so try to get her outside when there are breaks from the rain, or pop a rain cover your stroller and bring her outside that way. Good luck!

Thanks so much, I'm glad you like my site ;)

Hi, This summer I am traveling to Europe from California alone with my two boys... ages 5 and 2. I've done this trip every summer alone with them and have always found the jetlag to be so difficult... mostly because it's one adult with two small children.

This year I have the option of flying at night (easy) and arriving in the afternoon or leaving early afternoon (not much of a night flight, and means the boys will be more active) and arriving in the morning. After we arrive we will have a two hour drive, during which I'm sure we'll fall asleep. I prefer the night flight because it will be easier, but I'm not sure what would be better to help us get over our jetlag. Yes, I can follow all your advice to recover from jetlag... but I'm still one parent with two kids.. YIKES.

So my question is, would having a decent night sleep and arriving in the afternoon throw off the jetlag... or should we arrive in the morning completely fatigued, try for a nap and hopefully crash that night. Thank you for your help!!

There are lots of different way of approaching this, but I prefer to fly at night, since that's so much easier, and then live with the fact that jet lag is a little harder.

Thank you so much for taking the time to write this entry, Debbie! We're flying in a few weeks from CT to HI to attend the hubby's high school reunion and to visit with my father-in-law. I have been so worried about the traveling part that I can't really get excited about the destination (which is a place I love!). Reading your entry, and your comments to others' questions, has helped me calm down a lot about the 6 hour time difference with our 11 month old (age when we travel). I've already gone on a spending and house hunting toy spree to get a lot of new things together for her for the very long flights. Hoping her teething isn't too bad either during the flights, but your helpful tips should make the rest of the trip a lot smoother--especially the airport travel tips and jetlag notes! Thank you!

We travelled from Canada to Dubai on the 4th of June, and my 7 months old baby has still not adjusted to the new time zone. I was wondering if it is ok to wake her up during her long hours of sleeping during the day? I tried not to do so in the first few days, but it was my last option but got cranky and had to put her back to sleep. My baby was colicky since day 1 and she is now used to rocking-to-sleep, so it is very hard to put her back to sleep at night considering that she doesn't sleep much either. She keeps me awake the whole night not wanting to sleep. She sleeps in the morning which is even way past her bedtime in Canada! What do you suggest I do? Thanks in advance!

Hi. My son and I returned home to Bangkok from a 2-week trip to Pennsylvania. While we try to limit his afternoon naps, he's so tired that he can sleep for 5 hours. His usual (pre-vacation) bedtime is 7-7:30, but with his long naps, he's not able to go to bed until 10pm. This morning he woke up at 3am, telling me he was hungry. His schedule (and mine, by default) is completely off! We've been taking him out for sunshine, but his little body doesn't seem to want to adjust. Any thoughts/advice that you can give would be MUCH appreciated. Thanks! Chris

Hi Debbie, I have 4 and a half month old daughter who has slept through the night since she was 2 and a half months old. We live in the UK and have just returned a couple days ago from a month long trip to the US. Although it was a 5 hour time difference, she adjusted to the US time with no problem at all, continuing to sleep through the night. Tonight is our third night back in the UK and the first night she slept fine, the second night she was awake every 1-1.5 hours and she was screaming like I've never heard her scream before. I can tell that she's exhausted, but she can't seem to stay asleep. She was fine during the day today, taking a couple little naps but now tonight she fell asleep at 8:45pm but keeps waking up screaming and crying. She'll settle after a while of crying, but then keeps jerking and waking herself up again causing the screaming cycle to continue. I'm feeling so guilty for ruining her sleep pattern because she seems so distressed. Before this, she has never been inconsolable. Any insight would be greatly appreciated as I'm at my wits end.

Debbie thanks so much for all this info! we are seasoned international travelers and have two kids 5yr girl and 2yr boy. The girl is an exceptional traveler, but my boy is really energetic! so I was worried about this and when I came across your site and I have to say it is such a relief to see some ideas that are not that generic! I took notes on toys and other travel tips that I cant wait to try this winter! thanks!

I am so thankful for your website, You're right, there's no useful information out there! We've taken our son when he was 8 months old to France, and this information would have changed the trip completely. We're leaving today for a trip to Barcelona, but this time with our 15month old daughter... this information not only makes me feel better-equipped, but also, it makes me realize that we're not the only "crazy" ones! Great website.

Hello, we just flew from the US to Germany. Our 6 months old baby used to sleep through the night from about 6.30pm to 6am. Part of her good night sleep I think was due to her regular naps during the day and me making sure that she would be in bed as soon as she showed any tired signs. She would take about three naps a day each one hour long. Now that we are in Germany she wakes up pretty much every hour after sleeping at first for about 4 hours or so. During the day she goes to sleep easily and she sleeps long. I try to wake her after three hours thinking if she sleeps longer she might think that it is her night sleep. Do you think it is a good idea to wake her up from her naps during the day if they seem very long or would you suggest to just let her sleep however long she wants?

Hi Debbie, Your website is very helpful! Thanks for all the wonderful tips :) Our daughter is 14 months old and we are traveling to India tomorrow for 4 weeks. We will be reaching India on Sunday early morning in India but Saturday night in the US. Do I offer her dinner when we reach India or do I offer her breakfast. My guess is that she will doze off to sleep within a few hours after her meal. Please suggest.

@Elena I would gently wake her from long daytime naps @Aruna I would offer her breakfast food upon arrival

Thanks for a great website and tips. It's been 4 days since we returned to Australia after our first trip home to the UK with our 9 month old son. He adjusted well to the UK 11 hour time difference after 3 days, the return is a different story! The main issue is that I can't get enough food into him in the day to keep him asleep at night so I think he is waking due to hunger. He is normally having 3 solid meals a day. Milk feeds are always an issue, but he is almost refusing all solid food (which he normally loves!) as he cries as he is just too tired. I am trying to stick to his usual routine and keeping to his normal nap times which is involving me waking him up all the time! He seems to be waking from 2am to 4am and will settle eventually after some quiet play and then a bottle. I have kept this feed small so that he still takes his breakfast bottle but that doesn't seem to be working. Do you have any tips to encourage him to eat more in the day or should I just stick to what I have been doing? I am making sure he gets as much sunlight as possible! Thanks for any advice you can give!

Thanks so much Debbie. We just returned back to South Africa, after a 2 week holiday in the USA. We are 7 hours ahead of the USA, so my 1year old is battling. It is now 3:45 in SA(7:45pm USA)and our son just fell asleep. I was so happy to see that my son was not the only one going through this. Great site and very helpful info.

hi! we are flying with our little one from London to Singapore, and will be staying for 2 weeks- and he will be 10 weeks by then. I'm breastfeeding at the moment and he's started to distinguish night/day and is sleeping longer at night, feeding between 4-5 hour stretches , but every 2-3 hours in the day. Will jet lag impact him hugely at this age? I know he's little comparatively but he's just getting into a sleep routine and as with all the others we don't want to mess things up! Would you advise us to stick to London time or adjust to local time? Do I continue to feed on demand, whilst getting him used to the new day/night? any advice as to what to do for our particular case would be sooo helpful !! Thanks so much xx

At that age, I would just do whatever works. You might find that you enjoy the longer daytime naps since it gives you some time to enjoy sightseeing and your baby will gradually start to adjust during your trip.

I'm traveling to Pakistan with my 1 and 2 year old to visit family. I was thinking of having them go to sleep earlier before our trip so they can adjust easier when we arrive there. Is that a good approach? Thanks

If you are able to get them to sleep earlier, that might help, but I wouldn't create a lot of drama around an earlier bedtime at home if it isn't working well.

Hi Debbie, I just wanted to thank you for your site. We just got back from a three week trip to England from Australia with a one year old. Like you have mentioned our little girl got over the jet lag very quickly when we arrived in England but is having a harder time now we are at home. It was very comforting knowing we are not alone in this. Reading your advice to others has given me some good ideas. Thanks Sally

we are travelling with my 19 month old son to Malaysia on Sunday. I am extremely anxious about the trip. he has on been on a short flight when he was a baby and handled that ok but now that he is older and i am stressed about how he will handle a long flight. your website has been helpful. i just pray that he is calm and his ears will be fine

I just traveled from Israel to California with my 8 month old to attend my grandfather's funeral. I was there for 10 days. I stayed hydrated (no problems with milk) and my baby adjusted the day before we returned home. He was sleeping through the night before the trip. Now, back at home, I am having a lot of trouble getting him to readjust. The 10-hour time difference is really throwing him. He wants to sleep all day, and be awake all night. He gets really tired around bedtime, which gets me excited, then he wakes at 11 and doesn't want to go back to sleep. I've tried playing with him a little, then putting him back to sleep, tried patting him, tried nursing him in the rocking chair for hours. He simply will have his eyes wide open, staring at me in the dark. Even if I doze off, when I wake he's still staring at me with a "let's go play" look. Last night I resorted to letting him cry it out but it took an hour and I felt horrible. And now he's still asleep, 8 hours later, no wakings. Do I wake him so he gets more sunlight? I hate waking him as much as I hate letting him cry. I'm at a loss.

Thanks, Miriam

Thanks for the advice. We will be travelling to Canada from Germany next week with our one year-old, and I'm a little nervous about how it will effect all of us. Any tips for in-travel sleeping? We will be stopping and disboarding at 2 airports before our final destination.

Yes, I would wake him - perhaps gently by bringing him out into the sun - and try to have him spend time outdoors. Hang in there, he will adjust over time

Robyn, Here are some tips for helping a child sleep on a plane http://www.deliciousbaby.com/journal/... Hopefully you'll be able to get through those transitions ok if he is sleeping. A baby bjorn or other sling helps a ton.

Hi Debbie, I just travelled with my 3 month old baby to from Australia to Europe for 3 weeks, while we were there i had no problems getting him to sleep, he was sleeping from 7:30 till 6:30. Now we are back in Australia and he wont sleep at night at all. First day he sleep all day and woke up every hour at night, second day he woke up at 1 am and just gone back to sleep at 8:20 am. I know is only 2 days but i fear this will continue for worst. We have tried everything to get him back to sleep, feed, change, lights out but nothing works, please help

Hang in there and continue to be gentle and firm about playing during waking hours and being calm and quiet during sleeping hours. He'll gradually settle back into a routine.

Great to read yr advice, and the experiences of so many other people. I got back home to Toronto a week ago with our one year old, from a ten day trip to visit family in the UK. The time difference is 5hrs. Totally hadn't expected sleep to be such a major issue during the trip! And we're going again at the end of the month, for twelve days. Would love some guidance ahead of the next trip....1) we land at 7am UK time - should I let him sleep as much as he wants that day or limit his sleep to his normal nap times (ie total of about 3hours during the day). 2) last time he went to bed at 7pm the first evening, but then woke at 10pm. I got him up for a bit to play and have some food, but then he was so overtired it took from midnight until 2.30am to get him back to sleep. What should I have done differently when he woke at 10pm? 3) should I wake him up in the mornings or let him sleep until he wakes up? 4) do you aim to shift the routine by a little each day or try to operate fully on local time from the start? Will be wonderful to get some advice!

Hi Debbie, nice post, thanks or all the advice here.

We are in a pretty bad way now. We returned home to Australia from the UK almost 1 week ago. My daughter, almost 3yo, woke at 4am the first two nights but since then it has got worse, with her waking 2am every day. She will not go back to sleep and we have tried everthing. if we ignore her and leave her in her room, she will play and shout and yell at us for hours until daylight. If we try to calm her down, give her a snak, read her stories, let her her keep her lamp on so she can sit quietly in bed, or lie down in her room with her in the dark, etc, she will also stay awake until daylight. We just finished night 7 so we have had plenty of opportunity to try all these tactics.

We have been letting her nap 2.5 - 3 hours a day which is only slightly longer than her normal nap, and putting her to bed at 7pm which is 1 hour earlier than usual.

As you can imagine we're really feeling desperate and are extremely exhausted.

My husband wants to keep her awake all day today so she will be so exhausted she sleeps through the night tonight. As she's been awake since 2am I think this will be difficult and a little cruel as she is beyond exhausted by midday having been awake for 10 hours. Plus, i am worried that being so tired will just backfire - she only slept 4 hours on the 24 hour flight home, but that clearly didnt help her sleep through the night! My other idea is to scold her, threaten no TV etc, and take her bed toys away so she cries herself to sleep. This also seems cruel, but as a baby she needed a lot of sleep training because she could often only fall asleep by crying (thankfully she never cried for long). However she is clearly old enough to be confused and upset by her parents suddenly acting out of character.

I'm also thinking of taking her to a doctor to see what sedatives are available but I imagine there are no options other than anti-histamines which we've also tried this past night, to no effect.

Do you have any other ideas? She has lots of outside play time and has even been to daycare three days this week, and it's been sunny, so I think we have covered all the bases.

Hi! I've just got back from uk to Australia and the flight was 24 hours in total. My 10 month old has for the last 3 nights, woken around 1 ish and wants to get up. She is fully awake. I've been getting her up and letting her play on the mat while I watch madmen (haha) and after a few hours putting her back to bed. She then sleeps for 4-5 hours. She then goes down again around 1:30 for a 2 hour sleep. All her meal times are screwed because of her late breakfast. What's the plan? I dont know whether to wake her, leave her, feed her or what! Help!!!

This information and tips are really helpful. Thank you for sharing. I will definitely recommend this guide to my sister who has a toddler and planning to go on trip to Europe this year.

Hi Debbie, I'm travelling for the first time with my son. I have been travelling before. He will be 23 months at the time of travel. We are going from Sydney to New York. I am purchasing a toddler bed when I arrive as I am staying at my mums. Just need some tips on getting him into a sleep routine as quick as possible, luckily we are arriving late at night so he will be going to bed when we arrive at our final destination (fingers crossed). We also have a 3 hour layover in LA before connection to New York, and a 7 hour one on the way back. Also any tips on the travel to and from would be greatly appreciated feeling very excited about the trip, but extremely nervous about traveling with my son. Thanks Catherine

Hi Debbie, It is 1 am and on day 4 of jetlag with my 4 month old. We just returned from a 20 day trip to india and malaysia. It took 5 days when traveling east, but we were able to take her outside during the day to expose her to sunlight. We are now back in chicago and it is 22 degrees fahrenheit and overcast! We keep the lights on during the day, keep her naps shorter but she is awake every few hrs especially between 3-5 am. I am shaking with exhaustion and feel like there is no end in sight for us! Help! How do you recommend dealing with daylight exposure when there is no sun?? Any other tips? My husband and I are pooped and starting to bite each other's heads off with the lack of sleep as she cries more than ever with confusion all night. She is still breastfeeding and feeding her helps for the first time she wakes bus not thereafter. I have read every post and haven't stumbled across this issue of freezing overcast weather. Do you still recommend going outside to help her body clock? Thanks in advance!

Hi I have just been on a long haul flight from Australia to the UK my 2.5 year old daughter had not done bad on the first day woke up twice and second day she woke about 6 am local time and fell asleep about 4.45 pm but she woke again during the night and has been throwing up on and off all day all she wants to do is sleep we have tried to keep fluids up etc and offer dried foods but not interested is this normal for jet lag or could she have a bug?

My 7 month old son has not slept well since he turned 4 months. We were just in the USA for 4 weeks and returned home to Australia 4 days ago. 4 days later And I'm not seeing any improvement with jet lag. I thought we were over the worst of it but last night he barely slept at all.

While on vacation, I actually had to sleep train the second week because it had gotten so bad with no sleep. This lasted a week since the 3rd week we moved to visit another family member.

I don't really know how many days is acceptable to allow these bad sleep patterns. I'm not keen on sleep training too soon. I think it could be cruel to sleep train when he is jet lagged. I've allowed a lot of night feedings now and we are back to me doing some serious rocking to sleep. What's your advice?

***URGENT advice needed***

This is an awesome post !!! Would be glad and great of you if you could help me with my worries a bit..

I have a 7 months old daughter, we recently travelled with her to United States and made a switch of time zone of close to 12 hours. It's been 3 nights now and the woes and getting worse. Every night she wakes up and cries like crazy. Doesn't yield to anything, none of her favorite toys work too. My wife is getting extremely tired, stressed and worried every night.

I am wondering if it is ok to give her some sleeping / sedative syrup and force her to sleep for few nights. Kindly advice as soon as possible please.

Unfortunately I cannot make any recommendations regarding a sedative. If you are inclined to go that route, talking with a doctor would be the best way to go.

My best advice would be to maintain a soothing, restful environment at night time and to offer milk, which is a mild sedative.

During daytime hours, I would allow some napping, preferably at their normal nap times and for no longer than the normal duration. When your child wakes up, try taking him or her outside and engage in active play to help the body adjust to the idea that it is not sleep time.

Finally, a travelling baby sleep expert!

I am considering a trip to Italy for 12 days with my husband and 14-month old daughter. The time difference is 6 hours ahead from Toronto to Rome time, so when it will be 12am in Rome it will be 6pm *her time* - at least for the first few days.

Am I crazy for considering keeping her on Toronto time and putting her down around midnight while away?

She typically falls asleep between 7-8pm, which isn't far off midnight Rome time. She wakes at 6am sharp, which is noon Rome time. I wouldn't mind her sleeping in until 10-11am...we aren't pressured to do any sightseeing until day 8 of our trip where we will reconnect wih family. And even then, I'll steal away to a cafe and have her nap in the stroller if the activity isn't conducive to napping (i.e. Tour of the Coliseum).

Not concerned about naps because she can nap in stroller, on beach, or in the room. We are planning a very low-key Italian vacay.

What do you think?

That actually seems like a good way to go. I suspect she'll start to adjust naturally because of the sunlight, but your plan would be a good way to ease into the new time zone.

Let me know how it goes!

Hi there We've just moved to the US from Australia with our 13month old & her jetlag is terrible. We've been doing the limiting day naps, lots of sunshine & activity during the day & keeping her normal bedtime/nap time routines. I know she's tired but she won't fall asleep & if she does fall asleep it's only for 2-4 hours at a stretch. Anything you can offer in terms of guidance etc? Thanks

I agree a great site for some helpful tips. A few questions. My husband & I will be travelling to the USA with a 5 month old & a 2 1/2 year old. My husband is from the East coast of the US and we will be flying direct from Melbourne to L.A to begin.

Not sure how long to stay in L.A before travelling on to the East Coast or dont stay and just keep on going?

My 2.5 yr old sleeps 7.30pm until 7.30am....how do I schedule her sleep time or do you not concern yourself with that as much? flights to L.A usually leave Australia approx 11.30am each morning & arrive in L.A 6.30am

Would it be a good idea to take kids to Disneyland with first few days of arriving in L.A if staying for a few days or could it be overwhelming due to jetlag?

Your comments would be helpful.

We are planning a trip to the Uk from Australia with a 6 month old. We will be staying with family and are worried about breaking routine dealing with fussiness and jet lag. We are considering not going.

Is it worth it all?

Awesome tips

I'm in desperate need of some advice. I have just returned to Australia from the uk where I spent 8 weeks with my family introducing my son who is now 7 months. He was a fantastic sleeper, usually between 11 and 12 hours a night. He adjusted very quickly and easily on the way over to the uk. Within three days he was back to sleeping through the night. Unfortunately I am experiencing a real living nightmare now we have arrived back in Australia. I travelled on my own with my son and now we are home he is only sleeping from 7 pm to 10pm. He then wakes and screams and crys constantly for 6-7 hours without a break. I have tried getting him up to play/ taking him for a midnight walk and driving him to sleep. This works for an hour sometimes but not any longer. Tonight I have tried keeping him in his cot with the lights out and he has not slept at all. I have now only had 6 hours sleep in the last five days and I am at a complete loss. Please help!

We have just returned home from Europe with a 7 hour time difference. My 4 month old is waking up every morning at 2:30 and doesn't go back to sleep until 5 or 6am - its exhausting, any suggestions would be great. Thanks,

Hi, I am an expat living in dubai (formerly living in UK) and my 3 month old breast fed baby is struggling with the time difference. any advice in getting his clock back!

I live in Korea and will be traveling to the USA (14 hours behind) with my then 3 month old in December. We will be gone for only 12 days. She's an excellent sleeper now 9/10-7ish and is 50/50 breastfed and bottle fed. Since we will be gone less than two weeks, should I try and adjust her to the USA schedule or let her set her own pace? THANKS :)

Dear Debbie, We just flew from Hong Kong to the U S about 4 days ago. My almost 6 month old baby is on an exact day scehdule as we had before. But at night, even though she never wakes up to play, she would wake up and want to eat every 2.5 to 3 hours like day time. She would go back to sleep immediately after but I am wondering if I should feed her because thats feeding her almost 4 times during the night! (she goes down at 7 and up at 7). any advice would be much appreciated thank you Rita

I would try to gently put her back to sleep without feeding, but if she seems very hungry after trying to sooth her other ways, go ahead and feed her.

We have to take an urgent trip home with our new baby who will be 6 weeks old. The flight is a long haul one from Sydney to London. I was wondering at that age whether jet lag will affect her, as she is obviously not in a routine at the moment being only nearly 3 weeks old. We just feed her when we she wants it, usually every 3 -4 hours, and so our sleep is all over the place anyway (which we have kind of gotten used to, so thats not too bad!)

Would be vey grateful for any advice or knowledge!!

Thanks so much for this piece. Very helpful. We just returned to the UK from the US (5 hour difference) and are trying to get our baby girl (4 months) back to sleeping through the night. Your tips were so helpful.

Hi Debbie, we have come back from a trip to Cambodia from montreal. My 6 month old daughter took almost a week to adjust over there. She would have a hard time staying up at night and would go to bed around 5pm to wake up again around 1am where I would feed her and put her in the crib where she would talk for a while then fall back asleep to take up again around 5am sometime earlier. But now coming back to montreal it has been 6 nights and she is no where near adjusted. She had been going to bed a similar regular time to wake up again around 11 and stay up for hours. Tried to keep her in her crib, feed her, sign to her, Nothing seems to work. Since she doesn't sleep such long nights, I am always never sure what time to wake her up in the morning and how long to keep the naps. She is all over the place and I am at a loss.... Thank you

Keep thinks quiet and dark at night, and try to keep your daughter out in the sunlight as much as possible during the day. She should start to adjust soon!

We flew in from Australia to UK at 6am this morning. I have an 11 month old who we tried to keep awake but he has completely passed out now at 4pm. Should I let him sleep until he wakes naturally or should I wake him in a couple of hours? It's our first day back and I feel mean waking him as he is so tired?

Hi, Debbie! Your tips are great!.. We're moving to Portugal from Panama. I'm afraid about having to deal with my 4year-old and my 8months-old jetlags.. I'm a little bit more worry about the oldest one, because my baby girl still changes schedules and it's not so hard for me to deal with it, but i bet it'll be worse with the oldest boy. I like the idea of having him doing some outdoors activities there -we love been outdoor-, but it'll still be winter and even though it doesn't snow there, it's pretty cold, specially for us going from this hot land. At least, i'm not going back home soon, so i dont have to be worry about being jetlagged again. Thank you very much! I hope your tips help me in our new adventure.

Hi Debbie, so glad that i found your very usefull website. I was worried about to travel to london from Malaysia this november with my upcoming born baby and family in law. This november the baby age is 1 month 3 weeks. Is there any tips to avoid the baby from cooling, jetlagged or etc that can disturb baby routine? I'm afraid baby will cry because not comfortable with in-flight sounds or noisy thing. Kindly advice please.

Nice article.. This article is very helpful for parent with newborn child... Thanks

I just returned from two week trip from Asia to California with my 14 month old son. He has been been sleep through the night since he was six week old. During the trip he only slept about 8 to 9 hours per night, while he used to sleep 10 to 12 at home. Nap was also only last 30 minutes to an hours during the trip.

He usually goes to bed around 10:00 to 11:00 pm, and has no problem falling in sleep. Since we returned from the trip three days ago, he still has no problem fall in sleep but will wake up only after 20 minutes and cry until 4:00 to 5:00 am. I have tried to let him cry for the first night, then went into his room to comfort him twice. Second night I just ignored him, which was so heart breaking to listen him cry. Last night I stayed in his room entire night, but he still cried. The only way to stop him cry is to hold him, but he is too heavy for me to hold him for more than 10 minutes.

Since he slept at 5:00 am, he woke up in the early afternoon which also mass up his meal schedule. He has a really late breakfast and I can hardly fit three meals. Indeed, he seems no appetite and eats less.

In addition, he used to be able to play by himself but he is very attach to me now. He will cry if put him down. Will this back to normal?

I bring him outdoor during the day for about an hour each day, and let him crawling as much as possible before sleep (he is not walking yet). Yet it still does not really help his night sleep.

Can you advice me what to do? Should I let me stay in the bed or play with him in the early morning hours? How about the crying?

Besides, should I let him sleep until early afternoon or wake him up earlier? Please advice.

I am bringing my 6 month old baby back to China from Toronto. We will stay in my mom's apartment. Should I do the usual bed time routine and walk out the room and keep my baby sleep alone in the bedroom with blackout curtain in first few nights? This is how I put my baby to bed at home in Toronto.I worry my baby will feel strange and scared in a strange dark room. If I sleep the same time with my baby, will my baby expect me to sleep the same time with him going forward

Many thanks for your advice.

My kids hate traveling with me since they experienced jet lag just last year. I found this jet lag tips to be very helpful.

Our story is the same as so many others! Bed at normal time, awake by 11pm until 3am :( Please, Debbie or others... How long does it last?? We're on night 5 after an 8 hr time change. At wits end :(

Hi, I'm feeling there may be some hope after reading your website. My baby is 4 months and when he is 5 months we have to visit family in Australia for 3 weeks with a 9 or 10 hour time difference from our home in the UK. I've been feeling so anxious about baby jet lag especially when we return home, as he has only just started to sleep better the last few weeks after 3.5 months of many night wakings. He can now do a 7-8 hour stretch. From your site it seems like the jet lag doesn't cause permanent regression. What do you think to his age for this trip, re. jet lag: 5 months old? Thanks!

Very helpful tips and advices, I have tried them and they really work very well! Our baby slept so well while we were just walking around and all this because of his jet lag!

HI Debbie, Thank you for the great advice on your tips pages. My question is how long does it take normally for them to get over the jet lag? Our little one is 7 months old and just returned from Europe to Australia. It has been 6 nights and daytime naps seem ok but at night she is up for hours....We are unsure of it's still jetlag or simply getting used to not being rocked and hanging on the boob as much as we did during the holiday? We are trying not to pick her up all the time only when very upset and let her try to self-settle. Also have been trying not to put her on the boob as much to reduce dependency. Any advice would be much appreciated.

Oh help! I've been home for 5 days now after taking my 5 month old to a 3 hour time difference. On our 12 day trip he had to sleep in our bed (no crib) and I think he's gotten used to it! Now I can't put him down in his own bed to sleep, I have to go to bed with him otherwise he wakes and screams his head off! I'm trying to get him back on his regular nap schedule (with decent success) but how do I get him to sleep alone again? What the heck! 7pm is too early for a grownup to go to bed!!! Did I totally screw him up? How do I fix this?

Hi we live in uk and have jus got back from a trip to Florida, my children 2&4 adjusted well to the time difference while we were away but now we are home(3days). The kids are going to bed at 7/8pm and are waking up 1-2hrs later as thou they have had a nap and are awake till 2am, I am trying to get them up at a normal time in the morning but we are all so tired that its normally 8AM we get up.will it get easier??

Hang in there! Everyone generally gets adjusted within the first 5 days as long as you stick to a normal schedule.

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About Me I'm Debbie, mother of three delicious kids and I write about traveling with little kids. That's my daughter in the backpack and my son in Paris on Halloween.

Most popular articles:

• Ten Tips for Keeping a Toddler Busy on a Plane
• Air Travel with Babies, Toddlers and Kids
• Jet Lag Survival Guide for Parents
• Portland Travel Guide
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A Little Jetsetter in the Making… Coping with Baby Jet Lag

Coping with time changes & jet lag in babies and young children…

Baby jet lag is a big concern many parents have about traveling with kids. How will time changes and jet lag will affect their child’s routine and sleeping patterns?

Jet Lag Is No Fun

It’s a valid concern. We all know how jet lag makes us feel (zonked and cranky). And who wants to cope with a toddler is also zonked and cranky?

According to pretty much any book or article you read, children cope with time changes and jet lag much better than adults do. It is said they acclimatize much faster. The reason for this is, babies and children are less capable of fighting their bodies’ natural inclination to sleep when they need it (as difficult as that may be to believe at times!)

Baby Jet Lag & Ferber

It was Dr. Richard Ferber’s oft-controversial book Solve Your Child’s Sleep Problems where I found the most useful and comprehensive advice on how to manage. Whatever your opinion of “Ferberizing,” Dr. Ferber’s “progressive-waiting approach” (ie. sleep training, not the cry-it-out method) to independent sleep, his suggestions for coping with disruptions due to travel are very simple, and seem to support a parent’s natural instinct.

Should you stay on home time?

Firstly, if the time change is minimal and/or the trip is short, consider living in your own time zone for the duration of your trip.

For example, if you’re going east to Eastern Time from Mountain Time, bedtime would be 10pm instead of 8pm. And wake up would be 9am instead of 7am. If this isn’t an option, Dr. Ferber does suggest ways to manage, depending on if you’re headed east or west.

If you’re heading West…

Heading back in time, or west, is (in my experience) the easiest to cope with. Dr. Ferber seems to concur. Depending on how great the time difference, your best bet is to keep your child up until their bedtime local time (which would be later than at home). Then, get them up at the usual time but local time.

They may have a pretty sleepy (hopefully not too cranky) day, but you should have no trouble in getting them down at their usual naptimes. By the next day, if you’ve again managed to keep them up until their bedtime (local time), you should be right on track.

If you’re going East…

Going east, or ahead in time, can be a little trickier at first. But the formula is pretty much the same.

Trying to force your child to bed when they’re not sleepy will do noone any good. So, your best bet is to put them down when they’re ready which would be a later than usual night (local time). Then, keep wakeup time the same as home, but in your new time zone.

Again, you’re in for a sleepy next day. But, try not to nap any more than usual. By day two, they should be adjusted to your new time zone.

Baby jet lag in the long run…

Time differences that are very great in either direction may take an extra day or so of adjustment. But, if you keep to the same basic routine of eating and sleeping that you do at home, you should find that your baby jet lag issues subside and your child settles in quite well… Probably better than you!

We occasionally experienced what we called a “travel hangover,” where our sleep routine took a bit of time to go back to normal after returning home. Check out Fixing Baby Sleep Problems After Travel to see how we managed.

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One Response to A Little Jetsetter in the Making… Coping with Baby Jet Lag

What I’ve found helpful when my son was young was not having an especially fixed routine in the first place — and travelling straight through to get to where we were going, rather than breaking journeys in different time zones.

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7 Easy Tips to Overcome Toddler and Baby Jet Lag

• Post author By Melissa
• Post date April 15, 2024
• 5 Comments on 7 Easy Tips to Overcome Toddler and Baby Jet Lag

Jet lag is one of those inevitable disadvantages to traveling. There is often no way around it. If you want to see parts of the world that are several time zones away, you will have to suffer from the physical effects of adjusting to the time change. Unfortunately, baby jet lag and toddler jet lag can be even more difficult than it is for adults.

Their little bodies don’t understand the time change, and it is harder to get babies to sleep when they become overtired. In fact, dealing with jet lag in a baby or toddler can take about 3-4 days before they are fully adjusted to the new time zone.

But don’t let that discourage you from traveling during your child’s early years. While baby jet lag is no joke, there are a few things you can do to make the time change easier on your little one.

This guide includes baby jet lag tips and expert advice to deal with jet lag in babies and toddlers when traveling internationally.

Our personal experience dealing with baby jet lag and toddler jet lag

We began traveling internationally as a family when our daughter was just a few months old. And we have been traveling with her multiple times each year ever since. In her early years of life, we visited more than 20 countries.

So, we have dealt with jet lag in babies and toddlers many times.

We will be the first family to admit, baby jet lag is torture! Primarily because, as parents, you are also dealing with jet lag . You’re exhausted, you’re cranky, and your internal body clock is also malfunctioning.

However, unlike when you are traveling solo or traveling with just your spouse , when your kids are with you on a trip, you are also their caretaker. Even if you want to sleep, if your jet lagged baby can’t sleep – neither can you.

Our first international trip with our baby to Costa Rica , we struggled to get her to sleep at all during the first night.

She cried and was unable to settle herself. Our baby was not a great sleeper anyway, so throw in jet lag and it was brutal! After I had been awake with her all night, my husband finally took her outside to walk along the beach at 4:30 am so I could finally rest. 

Since then, we have learned a few things about how to deal with jet lag in babies and toddlers. Every trip afterward got a little easier.

Tips for overcoming baby jet lag and toddler jet lag

If flying with babies or flying with toddlers , you’ll want to do everything you can during the flight to help ease the effect of jet lag for your baby or toddler.

Be sure to pack essential items in your carry-on bag that will keep little ones entertained, relaxed, and most importantly help your kids sleep on the flight .

If you’re new to family travel, here are a few baby jet lag tips to help your little one cope with the time difference and overcome jet lag quickly.

1. Expect a few sleepless nights with your jet lagged baby.

You will inevitably be tired and jet lagged yourself, but your little one might struggle to sleep for a few nights. When babies and toddlers become overtired, they actually sleep worse .

Although your super tired, super cranky baby needs sleep more than anything, he or she will likely sleep much less than usual for a few nights. Expect frequent night wakings. Your baby may go to sleep at night and wake up a couple hours later and refuse to go back to sleep.

While night sleep may be a struggle, your little one will make up for that lack of sleep later. Expect your jet lagged baby to take longer-than-usual naps during the day. 

One night during a trip to Germany when our daughter was 19 months old, she slept only 2 1/2 hours the first night.

Baby and toddler jet lag is hard and exhausting on children and on parents, as well. If you expect a brutal first night, it is easier to cope. Sometimes, just knowing what to expect takes away the shock factor and ultimately makes it easier to deal with.

2. Roll with the punches.

If your jet lagged baby or toddler can’t sleep, don’t try to let them cry it out in the crib. If they are happy laying there awake, feel free to let them be. But if they are getting antsy or fussy, get up with them.

Keep the lights dim and opt for a relaxing activity like reading a book.

Be patient. Again, they don’t understand why they are awake. They don’t understand that it is the middle of the night. The time change can be confusing for them, and they need you to be a source of comfort. 

Often, when we travel a great distance, our days start before 5am simply because our daughter won’t sleep any longer. On a positive note, that means we get to visit some of the usually crowded areas before droves of people fill the space. And we are able to snap a few priceless pictures without 4,000 other people in them.

3. Stick to a familiar bedtime routine.

When you’re traveling, stick as closely to your child’s bedtime routine as possible . For us, that means selecting a hotel room with a bathtub and giving our daughter a warm bath when it is getting close to bedtime.

When our daughter was still an infant, it meant nursing or traveling with expressed breastmilk so she could have her evening bottle. Once she became a toddler, it meant purchasing milk each night so she could have a sippy cup before bed, which was something we always did at home.

It was also beneficial to stay in an apartment instead of a hotel , so we had a refrigerator to keep her milk cool and a separate living space apart from the bedroom that allowed us to stay up later if we wanted to while she slept.

We also brought her sound machine from home to recreate her typical sleeping environment.

All of these things have signaled to our daughter since she was born that it is time to sleep. So, sticking to that same routine when we travel helps her to settle into the time change and sleep better at night.

Also read: Hotel cribs and portable travel cribs – ensuring a safe sleep when traveling.

4. Get outside.

When you first arrive at your destination, if it is still daytime, expose your child to daylight. Try to stay outside as much as possible. This helps a child’s internal circadian rhythm adjust to the time change.

The fresh air and a little physical activity will also help keep your child awake and distracted. This is especially true when dealing with toddler jet lag.

Find a park or even a town square that your little one can run around in and explore. Your baby or toddler may not feel up to it for that long and might even crash in the stroller or fall asleep in your arms. If that happens, there is nothing wrong with calling it a night a few hours early.

Again, the most important thing is to just roll with it. This is when a lightweight travel stroller or a baby carrier for travel comes in extremely handy! It allows them to take a quick siesta while you continue sightseeing.

5. At night, keep it dark.

Just as sunshine helps to tell our body’s internal clock that it is daytime and we should be awake, darkness signals to our body it is time for sleep.

So, if traveling to a country like Iceland where the sun doesn’t set in summer, be sure your hotel room or accommodations have blackout curtains or blinds to keep things dark. You can always bring your own , if they don’t.

6. Make time for naps – but not too long or too late.

Babies and toddlers need at least 14 hours of sleep a day. (Infants require up to 18.)

So, allow your jet lagged baby time to nap, even if it isn’t their typical nap time. Sleep begets sleep, so napping will definitely help make the transition easier. However, don’t let your baby or toddler sleep too long during the day.

A three-hour nap is OK, but anything longer than that and you might have trouble getting them to sleep at night. Set an alarm in case you fall asleep, too. Otherwise, you may all end up sleeping the entire day away like we did once in Beijing .

You also want to avoid letting your little one nap too late in the afternoon. Try to keep them up for at least three hours before bedtime to ensure they are tired when it is time to turn in for the night.

7. Pad the front half of your itinerary when traveling.

When we travel more than a few hours away from home, we always pad our itinerary with an extra day or two on the front end. This gives us and our jet lagged baby time to recover.

We try not to book any tours or have anything big planned on our first full day after we arrive at our destination. The first day should be about relaxing and adjusting to the local time.

Baby jet lag and returning home

I always worry much more about baby jet lag and toddler jet lag when we are traveling or on vacation.

Although jet lag has the same impact on our baby when we return home, it seems easier to deal with and overcome in the comfort of our own house. In fact, usually when we return home, our jet lagged baby typically sleeps more .

If that is the case with your baby when returning home from an international trip, let them sleep. Their bodies need time to recover from a trip. When you arrive home, let your baby or toddler sleep in or go to bed early if they are showing signs of sleepiness.

Traveling with kids is hard . That should go without saying. But sometimes as parents, we are so focused on how exhausting traveling with little ones is for us, that we forget how hard it is for them, too.

Baby jet lag and toddler jet lag aren’t that much different than jet lag is for adults. It’s never fun, but ultimately just remember in the moment that showing your little ones the world is worth the momentary exhaustion that comes with the territory.

Toddler and baby jet lag FAQs 

Here are a few frequently asked questions we receive about coping with toddler and baby jet lag.

What are baby jet lag symptoms?

Frequent night wakings, fussiness, napping off-schedule, not eating or wanting to eat at the wrong time of day are all symptoms of baby jet lag. 

How long does it take to recover from jet lag in babies and toddlers?

Typically, it takes about 3 days for babies to fully recover from jet lag and adjust to the new time zone when traveling.

Whether we were flying from the United States to  Asia  or going the opposite direction to  Europe , our baby’s jet lag was similar, and it took 2-3 days to adjust and be back on a normal sleep schedule.

Is it better to arrive at your destination in the morning or the evening to prevent baby jet lag?

Your baby is likely to require a few days to adjust regardless of the time of day you land. Both have advantages and disadvantages.

If you arrive in the morning, you’ll have more hours of daylight to help your little one adjust to the local time. But if arriving at night, your exhausted baby may be more willing to sleep longer that first night, especially if they are awake during the last couple hours of the flight.

Do you have a question or comment about overcoming jet lag with a baby or toddler? We’d love to hear from you. Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

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5 comments on “7 Easy Tips to Overcome Toddler and Baby Jet Lag”

My toddler got jetlagged both times while travelling from usa to india and back. We live in cali so the time difference is 12 hours. He slept well the first night after we got back but now he is afraid to sleep in his own room after we got back. He has also learned to climb out of his crib. He is a gold sleeper usually and we have maintained his bedtime routine and nap times. What should we do if wakes up crying for us? We don’t want him to forget his sleep training.

This sounds more like he got used to sharing a room with you while you were in India, rather than jet lag. Our daughter has always had an adjustment period when we get back from a trip where she wants to sleep with us or wakes up and comes to our room. I would try offering a reward to your son if he stays in his bed all night without crying for you. Maybe tell him he can have candy or a treat the next day, or get a new toy, or go to the park, etc., if he stays in his bed. This tends to break the cycle for our daughter. Good luck!

Great post! I love the idea you mentioned about baby jet lag tips and expert advice to deal with jet lag in babies and toddlers when traveling internationally. Flying with a baby may seem like a laborious experience but will definitely be easy with your tips! If you frequently fly with your baby, we can also help with the preparation ‘cause you can finally ditch the car seats when flying with a baby! You can check us out at: kidmoto.taxi. Have fun flying with a baby!

That’s super clever having a bathtub and following you home routine! I love the idea. Thanks for all the tips. I’m planning on our first trip. Ruthie is going to be 8mo and she is sleep trained with this highly successful method: https://www.parental-love.com/shop/baby-sleep-training so I’m hoping for the best!

We’ve just come back to the UK from America 7 days ago and our 10 month old is still waking at all hours of the night and staying up for 4+hours whenever she does wake up. Typically when we put her to bed at 7/8, she’ll sleep for an hour and a half to two and a half hours maybe and then is up for 4 hours just fully awake. I’ve been giving her her usual 2.5 hour nap during the day, sometimes 3 hours and sometimes more than 3 and then keeping her up 4-5 hours before bedtime and the result is still the same regardless of how late we put her to bed. Do you think I should try limiting her naps to 2 hours total at this point to make sure she’s tired for bed time or do you think she still could be overly tired from jet lag?? I keep thinking she needs to catch up on sleep but maybe now she’s sleeping too much during the day? Please help 🙁

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Baby Jet Lag Tips & Overcoming Toddler Jet Lag

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Last Updated on August 29, 2023 by Ariana Svenson

Often we are asked how to manage jet lag in kids.  From our experiences of baby jet lag, and jet lag in a toddler, it all comes down to one main piece of advice: go with the flow.  It’s best to accept that jet lag is all part of the family travel experience.  Plan how you will deal with it rather than wasting time trying to avoid the inevitable!

This post may contain affiliate links, from which we would earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. More info in my disclaimer.

Baby Jet Lag Tips & Overcoming Toddler Jet Lag

Adjust adult expectations.

I read blogs that claim you can “avoid” toddler jet lag or having a jet-lagged baby.  Personally, I don’t think that’s possible.  It’s better to accept what is happening and to adjust adult expectations accordingly.  Even if you have “pushed through” the need to sleep as a backpacker in the past, traveling with kids in an entirely different ball game.

Planning For Jet Lag In Kids

In our experience, avoiding toddler jet lag and jet lag in babies is impossible.  While you can minimize its effects by following our tips, the best way to deal with jet lag is to accept that it is highly likely to happen and plan accordingly.

How To Deal With A Baby With Jet Lag & Jet Lag In A Toddler

If you want the short answer on how to help baby with jet lag here they are.

Doing Nothing

In order to let ourselves naturally adjust, we allow at least 3 nights in a hotel (or resort) at our destination to quite simply “do nothing”.  We make no plans so that we can do whatever suits us best at the time.  To date, trying to force babies or toddlers to stay awake has been an abject failure.  The only workable solution we’ve found has been to have no expectations and essentially nothing to do.  That way we can listen to our bodies.

Travel these days seems to about jamming in as much as one can see and do in a short time.  While we do like to be active and see lots of things, this needs to be at a pace that doesn’t stress out the kids.  That definitely applies when working with an out-of-sync body clock.

How Long Does Infant Jet Lag Last?

In short, the most important element of surviving jet lag in toddlers, or babies and jet lag, is to know that cases of jet lag can take as little as 3 days to get over – or as long as a whole week.

Program jet lag with kids into your holiday itinerary!  Honestly, there is no point trying to “hack” your way out of this one.  You can try something like taking a night flight (or red eye) in the hope of everyone sleeping, but it can be a disaster and no one sleeps.  The result is disappointment and frustration.

It’s better to have nothing planned, then you might just be pleasantly surprised!

Go With The Flow

We’ve had some wonderful times due to babies and toddlers’ jet lag – such as getting up early to explore the streets before they are busy, as well as witnessing a few stunning sunrises.  On the other end of the spectrum, the kids once stayed out late dancing at a Peruvian fiesta as we’d slept until lunchtime!  These are the impromptu delights of travel that I would never miss for the world.

At What Age Is Baby Jet Lag Worst?

In general, an infant is classed as a child that’s aged under a year old.  Although for the purposes of airline fares, a child changes from an infant to a child when they reach 2.  People often refer to any child under 4 as a ‘baby’, meaning that the term ‘baby jet lag’ can cover a newborn, an infant, or a toddler.

Jet Lag In A Baby

Do babies get jet lag?  In many cases, baby jet lag sleep training is not what you need to concern yourself with so much.  Toddlers and jet lag can be more of an issue.  A young baby sleeps for a lot of the day anyway, so time zone changes won’t affect them so badly.  In fact, babies are often awake for part of the night, so they’re used to dealing with that.

Jet Lag And Toddlers

While jet lag and babies may not be such a big deal, jet lag in children that are a little older can be.  Of course, these things vary from family to family. Read on to discover our top jet lag tips for toddlers, infants, and older kids.

What Causes Toddler J et L ag?

Jet lag is really a slang term for the psychological condition known as desynchronosis.  It may also be referred to as jet lag disorder.  Desynchronosis confuses your natural sleeping and waking patterns.  Crossing time zones from west to east or vice versa disrupts the body’s circadian rhythms.  The symptoms are mainly felt when flying across multiple time zones, hence the term “jet lag”.

North, South, East, West

Some people experience jet lag far more acutely than others.  The symptoms can also be worse when traveling towards the east rather than the west.  Jet lag depends on the direction of travel.  Those heading north or south are not as affected, as they don’t cross multiple time zones.  The body can cope with delaying your body clock better than it can with advancing it.

As Australians, we find the jet lag symptoms after flying to the Americas much worse than we do after going home.  A friend that flies in the other direction, to visit family in Germany, reports the opposite.  Her family generally feels great when they arrive in Europe, but finds that when they get back to Australia the symptoms are worse.

Before Your Trip

There are some simple things you can do as your departure date approaches.  Any of the following can help beat jet lag in kids and adults.

Catching Zzzs

If at all possible, do get plenty of rest on the nights leading up to your flight.  This will give you a head start regarding how to overcome jet lag for toddlers and babies, as it involves prevention rather than cure.  If they aren’t tired at the beginning, then their symptoms shouldn’t be so bad.

You can also try to adjust to the new time zone a little before you leave, simply by staying up a little later or going to bed sooner.  This can help your body adjust to the new time zone more gradually.

When flying during the day, you want to do everything you can to keep the kids awake during the flight.  You can find all our tips on how to keep the kids entertained in our Brilliant Toddler Plane Activities .  If you want them to sleep while you fly, keep them as active as possible in the days and hours leading up to it.

Eat Healthily Before Your Trip

In our family at least, the weeks running up to a departure tend to be characterized by stress, late nights, and rushing around getting things done.  As we are aware that this will happen, we take extra multivitamins, eat more fruit than usual, and generally try to be as healthy as possible prior to departure.

This is a distinct contrast to being a young single traveler working 20 hours a day because “we will be on holiday soon”.  Another way in which family travel differs from traveling solo or as a couple!  Some of our favorite multi-vitamins include the following.

For adults, we like Nature Made Women’s Multivitamin Tablets or the same Nature Made Formula For Men .  They both come in a pack of 300.  Children’s Gummy Vites by Lil’ Critters are very popular, and contain only natural flavors and sweeteners, using ingredients like corn syrup rather than sugar.  They are also gluten and dairy-free and are for kids aged 2 plus.  For babies to toddlers, we like the Yum! Multivitamin Formula with Iron .  It comes in liquid form so it’s easy to dispense, and kids like the grape raspberry flavor.  This one is also free from sugar, gluten, and artificial colors.

Things To Do When Planning Your Trip

Here are some factors to consider before booking your travel, that can minimize your chances of having to ask how to get a baby over jet lag – or dealing with toddler jet lag when returning home .

Booking Your Flight with Baby Jet Lag In Mind

Do consider how the flight times will affect your children and their sleep time.  For example, if there are two flights to choose from – would one be better than the other for the kids’ sleep? If both are priced similarly, then it makes sense to go for the preferred flight timings.

We always book flights via Skyscanner because we love how easy it makes comparison shopping.   Check out Skyscanner here.

Night flights can be good for getting the kids to go to sleep.  Our top tip is to dress them in familiar, comfortable pajamas, as this will ensure they are as relaxed as possible.

Consider A Layover (Under 24 Hours) Or A Stopover (Over 24 Hours)

Consider either of these options if flying long-haul.  We have done this, and it is definitely easier on the body.  The drawback is that the “travel” part of the trip seems to go on for days.  I’m not convinced it’s always the best solution mentally – sometimes flying for 36 hours straight is better than being in constant transit for 72 hours.

One advantage of a stopover is that you might get to experience another destination as part of the same trip.  Compare airfares carefully, though, as sometimes it costs extra to make a stop.

Make The Flight As Comfortable As Possible

There are a number of different devices available that can make flying with small children far easier.

Inflatable Foot Rests

We personally like Sunany’s Inflatable In-Flight Footrests .  These inflate to seat height, so the kids have a far better chance of getting some proper rest when flying long-haul overnight.  Before you invest, though, do make sure your airline of choice will accept the device and whether or not an inflation device is built into it.

Baby Travel Mattress

We’ve not personally used the type of infant carriers now available, but one that looks appealing is the Skybaby Travel Mattress , as it’s specially designed for use on planes.

Booking A Bassinet

Consider reserving a bassinet seat to deal with your baby and jet lag.  You do need to confirm this with your travel agent or airline when making the booking, so you’ll need to plan ahead. The weight limits also vary hugely by the airline, so do check carefully.  You can use a chart to predict how much your child is likely to weigh by the time you travel.  The type of bassinet will also vary according to the carrier.

Most people really love airline bassinets, or they hate them with a passion.  This is all according to their own experiences, of course.  The plus is that it provides your baby with a place to sleep.  If you’re not taking a car seat or they don’t usually sleep well in one, the bassinet can be a good alternative.

You can book a bassinet without paying more than the infant fare, but getting one is not guaranteed as it depends on demand.  The location of bassinets can also be key.  They are normally positioned in the bulkhead of the aircraft, and a traveler with a disability might be prioritized.  You should thus prepare for the possibility of having your baby on your lap throughout the flight unless you book and pay for a seat.

The bulkhead seats have their disadvantages.  While there’s more legroom, you need to stow everything for take-off and landing.  Normally you will also sit near the bathroom.  Once you’re in the air, though, the kids have a little more space to play.

Things You Can Do Upon Arrival

Jet lag in children and adults is most likely to strike once you get to your destination.  Here are some ways in which to ensure you can all get past it as efficiently as possible.

Adjust To The New Time Zone

Adults are advised to set their watches to the new time zone as soon as settled onto the plane.  This prepares you, psychologically, for the change.  Once you arrive, you can attempt to schedule everything as per your destination time zone.  While this is worth a try, don’t be surprised if things don’t go to plan!  Hence the following steps.

Plan 3 Nights At A Decent Hotel

Make sure you book a good quality hotel at your arrival destination, at least for the first few nights.  The following features can be key.  Blackout curtains or shades and thick windows are a must when staying in a busy city area.  Room service can be a bonus when feeding kids and a swimming pool or garden is perfect for playtime.

When traveling with two small kids plus a grandmother, we found that everyone was hungry at different times.  Room service thus worked for us, as did the well-stocked snack bag we’d taken on the plane!  Plenty of rest and food are two of our top toddler jet lag tips!

While budget is always a consideration when traveling, I don’t believe that skimping on a hotel makes sense.  Rest in a comfortable, warm, and convenient hotel so you are ready to face the world.  Our kids still ask when we can have a “midnight feast like when we were in Lima”.  Now we are mindful that sometimes the things that do not go to plan will turn out to be the most memorable experiences for them.

Get Out And About To burn Some Energy

While the first few days are about being able to rest and eat when you need to, we do always try to make some minor forays into the streets.  Find a playground or park they can run around in if you can.  With kids, it doesn’t have to be any more stimulating than a trip to the local shop to buy some water and snacks.  Having parks, a playground and a swimming pool at the hotel can also help them to burn energy.  Tiring them out physically can really help to minimize the impact of jet lag with toddlers.

Sunlight Exposure

Sunlight can also be very beneficial.  The idea being that sun exposure during the day can help the body clock to recalibrate.  It’s a natural way of coping with toddler and baby jet lag symptoms.  When indoors, keeping the shades or curtains open during the daytime can also help kids and adults to adjust more quickly.

Go With The Flow – What Will Be, Will Be

Let go of your expectations.  We have done a couple of ‘complete body clock reversals’ when traveling between Peru and Australia.  This was when both children were 2-year-olds.  This was the most difficult time – versus when they were smaller babies or older kids.  Even a whole week after arriving they were still a bit out of sync, leading to joys like rousing the whole family at 4 am!

That said, being flexible with our itinerary and allowing for midday naps seemed to do the trick!  Being mindful – and above all flexible – is key when dealing with kids and jet lag.

Other People’s Experiences Say “Be Strict”!

Sticking rigidly to some rules has definitely helped some families in the fight against child jet lag.  Their toddler and baby jet lag tips thus include making rules like treating nighttime as exactly that.  There should be no lights switched on during the night, and if the kids do wake then make sure they remain in bed.  Chatting, singing, playing, eating, or using screens will only make them more wide awake.  Even if no one actually sleeps, passing the night peacefully and in darkness can really help.

Very young children can also pass some time by playing in a travel crib.  We like the Graco Pack and Go – it comes in various colors and types.  You can order one as a portable play yard only, or add a bassinet or changing station.  Your hotel may also be able to provide one.  Taking your own means you can familiarise your child with it before traveling – which can make life easier for everyone!

During Your Trip

There are various tips and tricks you can use to help you all adjust to your new time zone as quickly as possible.

Be Healthy On Y our T rip

Once we get to our destination, we consciously seek out lots of water and fruit in order to get our bodies working properly again!  Staying fully hydrated and eating healthily goes a long way in minimizing jet lag with toddlers and adults.  Bring your own water bottles, which you can refill in the hotel.  We also pack small containers, so that we can cut fruit up to carry with us while on the road.

Our favorite travel water bottles include the Simple Modern Summit .  This flask-style bottle comes in lots of color and size options and attracts great ratings and reviews.  We also like the Hydro Cell Range , which can keep liquids hot as well as cold.   Rubbermaid’s Easy Find Half Cup Containers  are great for carrying fruit.

Stay Well Hydrated

Getting enough to drink is important before, during, and after the flight.  Dehydration can really amplify the effects of jet lag, so pack lots of water, juice, milk, or whatever works for your children and you.  If traveling with a baby or young toddler, you can take breastmilk, formula, and juice onto the plane as long as you stick to a reasonable quantity.  To avoid delays, declare it before passing through security.

You can access juice and water on the flight, but you’ll need to provide your own baby milk.  Don’t be afraid of requesting extra water and juice throughout the flight – that’s what the crew is there for.

Don’t Forget Kids’ Moisturizers

While most mummas will have packed their fave moisturizer packed, it’s easy to forget the kids.  Our children have never coped well with perfumed moisturizer, so we pack something simple to keep them comfortable after being dehydrated by a long flight.  The CeraVe Facial Moisturizing Lotion is ideal for all the family.  It’s free from oil, fragrance, and parabens, and even contains SPF 30 sunscreen.  Whether you have oily, sensitive, dry, or acne-prone skin, this one is suitable.

Finding a familar place to sleep

Something that certainly worked for us is taking a portable travel cot for babies; they seemed to sleep so much better when they were in a familiar environment.  The same goes for toddlers, and carrying your own bed; here you can learn more about the Best toddler travel beds.

Actually, we still travel with a blow up mattress for the third child if the room doesn’t have enough beds or we have tried to save money by booking a small room!

Pack Kids’ Activities

Having a well-stocked activity bag is key to successful travel with toddlers and small children!  Don’t use all of your winners on the plane trip – as tempting as that may be!  You need to keep some engaging things “up your sleeve” for the hotel room – when you are exhausted and they are full of beans.

Pictured above are sure winners in our family – the Melissa & Doug Sticker Books.  Our son loves the vehicle’s reusable sticker book , while our daughter has liked a range, including those featuring princesses and animals .

Melissa and Doug’s reusable sticker books are so popular with our kids – and others we know.  They are reusable and come with flat or puffy stickers.  You can see a selection of Melissa and Doug sticker books here .

Our little boy has always loved the Tegu Pocket Pouch Magnetic Wooden Block Set . This is very simple in design, yet but perfect for travel.  It comes with its own carrying pouch. The Tegu Magnetic Wooden Wheels are ideal to go with this – we keep ours in a bathroom bag that we got from the Op shop.

Here are some more of our favorites that will keep them occupied.  These are great jet lag toddler tips, as they can keep them busy during the day or night!  We like the Melissa and Doug Take-Along Shape Sorter , as it can keep older babies and toddlers occupied for hours.

The Quiet Book by Curious Columbus is also a great pick, as it suits kids up to 6 years old.  There are plenty of practical activities inside, such as tying shoelaces and telling the time. Melissa and Doug’s Water Wow activity packs are also ideal for travel, with a refillable water pen and 4 reusable pages in each book.

Our final pick is the LeapFrog Learning Friends 100 Words Book .  While it’s not ideal for nighttime use, it’s great for keeping kids busy during the day.  They might even learn something at the same time!  This comes in other options too, such as places and animal themes.

You can also see more of the Best Travel Toys For A One-Year-Old here .

What About Older Kids And Jet Lag?

• Talk to them about what will happen. Such as, “Just think, right now people in Nicaragua are waking up – we will be too, in a few days.”
• We have only experienced jet lag with younger children so far, and presume that things will change for the better once they get a bit older. Hopefully, pushing through the tiredness, as adults do, will work the older they get.

Baby Jet Lag: Returning Home

Child jet lag when returning home can be as much of an issue as it is when away.  Don’t despair, though, as jetlag in a baby at home can be a lot easier to cope with.  For starters, there are no worries about them crying all night and keeping all the other passengers or hotel guests awake.

It’s also easier to fall back into your usual routine when at home – or even to establish a new one.  The same tips detailed above work just as well for children and jet lag once you’re back from vacation as they do while away.

When Googling how to deal with jet lag in children, you may come across jet lag apps and even paid plans.  Would this work for kids as well as adults?  Not really.  Adapting babies and toddlers to their new time zone in the ways listed above is the simplest and best strategy.

If you can, schedule in at least a day to do nothing when you do return home.  It’s well worth it, as you can go with the flow once more when you have a tired baby or toddler to deal with. Or in some cases, both!

Our Own Experiences With Toddler And Baby Jet Lag

Baby number 1 and baby number 3 both did a lot of flying.  Baby number 1 went around the world, every year, for 4 years.  That’s a lot of Transpacific flights involving 12-hour time zone changes!

Baby number 2 began a mega 4-month international journey when he was 22 months old – the very height of his toddler-dom.

Baby number 3 did a good number of flights within Australia and Asia, so we only had to deal with gradual time differences, such as 2-3 hours at a time.  While these time differences seem small to adults and even older children, they can certainly alter the finely tuned balance of a routine, causing jet lag for toddlers and babies.

In short, our experience is thus.  Whatever the age or disposition of the child, kids’ jet lag is likely to affect them in some way.  Doing some contingency planning, regarding how to get a baby over jet lag, really can help.

The Verdict – Preparing To Deal With Toddler Jet Lag And A Jet Lagged Baby

As with many aspects of parenting, preparation can be everything.  Experiencing some degree of baby jet lag or jet lag in a toddler is inevitable, so plan for this eventuality.  With the right, flexible approach and some useful and entertaining items, it’s perfectly possible to deal with jet lag in babies, toddlers, and older kids – without it ruining everyone’s holiday.

We always travel with insurance, it has saved us numerous times.  World Nomads have specially designed travel insurance for families!  Take a look at their Family Travel Insurance here.

Like It> Pin It>  Jet Lag With Toddlers: How To Deal With It

Travels with Kids

12 comments, cancel reply.

Great tips. I completely agree with finding a playground or park as soon as you can – that’s key with small people. And definitely on letting go of expectations. You just have to go a bit slow sometimes.

Great tips! You’re so right that it’s going to happen and can’t be avoided. It’s how you deal with it that counts. I hadn’t thought about the heathy routines beforehand but that totally makes sense! #familytraveltips

Great tips. Ive always thought posts saying “avoid” seemed a bit off. I never understood how you could avoid it when its going to happen. Will keep these tips in mind for future long haul flights #familytraveltips

Some great tips here.

We found on a recent US trip that the toddler wasn’t too bad on the jet lag going. After returning to Ireland it was weeks before she was back into her old routine.

As you say all you can do is go with the flow.

#familytraveltips

My mum says that going backwards in time is when you get the jet lag, when you travel forward it is better. Is that how it was going to Ireland?

Brilliant tips. I haven’t taken my girls anywhere that would induce jetlag just yet, but it sounds very sensible to just go with the flow and not worry too much about when they are sleeping. Great excuse to stay in a nice hotel and not do much for a few days too! Thanks very much for linking up to #familytraveltips Nat.x

I completely agree- you can’t avoid it, but can definitely use techniques to manage it. I think having a relaxed attitude and plans for the first few days really helps.

[…] In case you are interested, we’ve written a dedicated post on how to deal with Jet Lag in Toddlers: How To Deal With It.  […]

[…] advice on how to deal with jet lag in babies and toddlers that we have written a whole post called Jet Lag With Toddlers: How To Deal With […]

[…] For Aussies, we always say that the jet lag on the way home from the Americas is easier – which is backed up by science.  Apparently, it has been proved that jet lag feels worse if you travel from west to east due to how our bodies perceive the length of the day.  For more tips on handing jet lag with toddlers go here. […]

[…] Ah, dreaded jet lag.  When traveling vast distances across multiple time zones, jet lag can be hard to avoid.  After traveling so much around the world with the kids we have developed some really good tips for how to do deal with it.  Check out our Jet Lag With Toddlers: How To Deal With It. […]

[…] Kids need downtime in order to not become anxious or stressed (which translates as tantrums, bad tempers, or unwillingness to do things)!  This not only helps them adjust to their new surroundings but also helps ease the effects of jet lag.  See our post “Jet Lag With Toddlers: How To Deal With It“. […]

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How to Tame Jet Lag With Kids and Save Your Family Vacation

Travel and children’s health experts share takeaways for minimizing the effects of time-zone travel.

By Bryony Angell

Published on: march 07, 2022.

We had high hopes for our eight-day trip to England with our 5-year-old son. We planned to introduce him to extended family — my husband is English — and attend a wedding. We overlooked one thing, however: jet lag. Our visit was crushed by four days of fatigue, grumpiness and recovery as my son and I collapsed for midday naps when our internal clocks were telling us “Bedtime!”

I agonized over the hours wasted on lost sleep and adjustment on this time-sensitive trip, and wondered: What could we have done differently?

Jet lag has the potential to thwart a family vacation. When you're traveling with young children who are already challenged by transitions, even a time change as seemingly minor as two or three hours can set back a trip, while an international journey through multiple time zones can seriously impair it. But with thoughtful planning, you can minimize the effects of jet lag and preserve the investment of the family time together.

Travel and children’s health experts shared their top suggestions with us for coping with jet lag as a family, from advance preparation to on-the-ground logistics to returning with ease.

1. Consider the age of your child.

According to Amy Maidenberg, M.D., a board-certified pediatrician at Sage Pediatrics in Oakland, California, the age of the child significantly affects the potential for jet lag. Babies who are “newborn to 2 months have not yet established a diurnal cycle, so jet lag will probably not impact them,” she says (though, she notes, infants that young are also more at risk for catching an infectious disease while on a trip). 

For kids ages 2 to 5, time-zone changes start to cause regression. “Babies who have already learned to sleep through the night might have more night wakening,” says Maidenberg. “Older kids [those who no longer nap] will probably respond similarly to adults physically, but might be less driven than adults to stay awake in attempts to adjust to the schedule.”

Luckily, as kids get older, they learn to make adjustments as adults do, which makes jet lag less of an issue, shares Erica Erignac, a mother of two sons and frequent traveler to France (where her husband’s family lives).

2. Prep the kids.

In advance of the trip, teach kids old enough to understand about time changes and the effects of jet lag, and what they can expect to experience. In the days leading up a trip, Erignac tries to make it real for her children by saying things such as “Now we are eating lunch, but at this time in France we will be getting ready for bed.”

Hillary Roland, N.D., of Walnut Creek Naturopathic in Walnut Creek, California, recommends adjusting kids’ bedtimes before the trip “by half an hour every couple of days to start to get them closer to the destination clock when you leave.”   Erignac also makes sure her kids get ample sleep before departure. 

Danna Brumley, a mother of two who travels for her job as co-owner of the small group travel company Earthbound Expeditions, also emphasizes the importance of keeping kids (and parents!) hydrated. “Drink lots of water before, during and after the flight.”

3. Choose your flight carefully.

Decide on a flight that will help you the parent arrive in the best shape to manage your child’s probable time-adjustment challenges.

There’s no one perfect choice, though. Danna Brumley, for example, suggests taking an overnight flight: “I’d definitely take one that departs late afternoon or evening, which makes it easier to rest, if not sleep, during the flight. ... If it’s nighttime, you’ll have an easier time convincing them it’s bedtime!”

However, Erignac prefers a daytime flight, as she does not sleep on an overnight flight. “If I am not well-rested, I will be in no shape to handle my kids’ jet lag! I (also) find having a layover is not a bad thing —  it gives the kids a chance to stretch their legs and possibly run around a bit.”

4. Consider melatonin.

If you are hoping kids will sleep on the flight, Roland recommends melatonin, an over-the-counter supplement sometimes used as a sleep aid, as a safe supplement for children.

“Melatonin supplementation is perhaps the best studied of therapeutic interventions for treating jet lag,” she says. “The benefit of using melatonin is likely to be greater the more times zones crossed, though it has less benefit for westward flights.” Her recommended dose is 0.3 to 0.5 mg, depending on the child’s weight, but you should always check with your pediatrician on whether melatonin is a good option for your child and on the specific dosage.

Roland also recommends that the child has their own seat, in order to really lay down and rest.

5. Plan for a soft landing.

First, upon arrival, remind your children (if they are verbal) about the time change, which will help reduce confusion, even if it does not reduce physical symptoms of jet lag.

Next, be sure to plan a low-key entry for the first few days. Erignac and her kids head to the countryside of France for a week of rest before the round of family visits.

Brumley’s first day on the ground in Europe, while quiet, is usually targeted at adjusting her kids quickly to local time. “We stay awake as late as possible, have dinner early, and then go to bed. Adults can take a nap and wake up in an hour or two later but kids have trouble doing that. I arrange activities that keep kids interested and require moving and walking.”

If you are staying with friends or family, Maidenberg recommends communicating your child’s sleep schedule needs with hosts in advance and encouraging them to plan low-key activities. 

Consider eating in. If you’re in a hotel, try to book a suite with a kitchen so you can avoid eating out for every meal. 

6. Divide and conquer.

Particularly during those initial days, divide duty and accept that not everything can be done together as a family all of the time. Give each other breaks. “Once I had two children, I refused to travel alone with both of them unless I had someone to help me,” says Brumley. 

Erignac and her husband have traveled separately, one with each child, to break up the crush of a jet-lag entry. When her daughter was 3, Erignac flew to France one week earlier with her older son. When her husband and daughter arrived, she was rested enough to relieve her husband and help manage their exhausted daughter.

The couple sometimes splits duties during a vacation. She takes the kids to the beach while her husband visits a coffee shop. In turn, he’ll do the grocery shopping with their son and daughter while Erignac visits a local yarn store.

7. Let go of expectations.

Not surprisingly, sometimes your best efforts for managing jet lag go out the window. Get over it by anticipating it as part of the trip, as you might anticipate getting lost or missing a train. It might even make for a funny family story (at least in retrospect).

Brumley shares an especially memorable experience with her two children, then ages 3 and 6: “We went to Paris, where I was working as a guide. We rented an apartment and the kids were running around in the middle of the night, wanting to watch cartoons and turning up the TV volume too loud, laughing, romping! The neighbors were not amused and didn’t hesitate to let us know.”  

8. Don’t forget about re-entry.

Say everyone does adjust beautifully to the time change. You still have to cope with the return, of course. Brumley recommends building in at least one “recovery day” when returning — “if you can work it in your schedule.” She recommends doing the same routine when coming home: staying awake as long as possible.

Roland, however, notes that recovery from a trip through more than eight times zones is quite different than the three hours difference if coming home to Seattle from New York. “Apparently, the brain may confuse dawn with dusk,” she says. To counteract that effect, she says the current expert suggestion is to “actually stay indoors after long eastward flights for a few hours after dawn, and for a few hours before dusk after a long westward flight.”

Jet lag is a strong likelihood when traveling through time zones with a child. For our next trip to England with our son, we’re up for the challenge now that we’re better prepared. Anticipation, communication and flexibility among all players are key to managing the inconvenience of a grumpy junior travel companion.

Editor’s note: This article was originally published in 2015, and updated in March 2022.  

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About the author.

Bryony Angell lives in the Skagit Valley. Family outdoor travel and birding culture are her beat. You can see more of her writing at  bryonyangell.com .

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How to Help Kids With Jet Lag

On This Page

• Jet Lag Causes
• How to Prevent Jet Lag in Kids
• How to Handle Jet Lag in Kids

Whisking kids along to faraway destinations is a great way to introduce them to the world—or to see distant family and friends! The downside? Traveling with toddlers and kids can come with headaches for parents…like jet lag. So, what is the best way to prevent and handle jet lag in toddlers and kids? Here’s how to make sure jet lag doesn’t ruin your next trip!

What causes jet lag?

Essentially, jet lag is when your body’s normal rhythms are out-of-sync with a new time zone. It most often occurs when you travel across three or more time zones but can impact any new-time-zone travel. Anything that disrupts the circadian rhythm can lead to sleep problems, including traveling (especially to the east) or moving the clocks forward in the springtime for daylight saving time .

Crossing time zones to the east is tougher for us than crossing time zones traveling west. That’s because our natural circadian clock actually wants to be awake 25 to 26 hours a day. So, it’s easy for the brain to absorb an extra hour or two—but removing a few hours from our day (like when you fly from Los Angeles to New York) gives us a bad case of jet lag, which can take several days to recover from.

Tips to Prevent Jet Lag

When you travel with your toddler on short, close trips (under five days and fewer than three time zones) try to stick to your home time zone and keep your regular day schedule and bedtime routines.

But if you’re planning to travel with your toddler east across three or more time zones, gradually move your tot’s sleep and wake times a little earlier. Start a week before your trip and move things 15 minutes earlier every day or two (starting with an earlier wake-up and then shifting all naps and meals a bit earlier as well). By the time you leave, your tyke will be on (or closer to) your destination’s time zone. If traveling west, do the same thing, but move everything later in 15-minute intervals.

If you can, schedule your travel so that when you arrive, you can get settled, grab dinner, and hit the hay. Everyone is usually tired after a long flight, so this can help get your vacation off on the right foot.

Tummy aches can be a symptom of jet lag, so make sure the family eats smaller meals just before travel that are not heavy or fatty, which is harder to digest. Have kids 1 year and older drink lots of water—and avoid caffeine—before, during, and after the flight to fend off dehydration, which can worsen the symptoms of jet lag. 

Poor sleep in the days before your flight can increase the likelihood of jet lag. So it’s important to prioritize quality sleep in the days leading up to travel.

How to Deal With Jet Lag in Kids

When you travel with a toddler on short, close trips (under five days and fewer than three time zones), try to stick to your home time zone and keep your regular day schedule and bedtime routines.

The key to making a good transition to a new time zone when traveling east is to get plenty of daylight and avoid sleeping too much during the day. Once you arrive, jump into the new time zone, and provide your child with lots of morning daylight and exercise to reset their brain’s melatonin release. The first day or two, wake your child if they’re sleeping more than 1 hour later than their normal waking time. For little ones, move naptime earlier if they’re very tired during the day. For big kids and teens who normally don’t nap, it’s okay to allow them to cat nap for 15 to 20 minutes if they’re super sleepy. This is enough to refresh them, but not enough to wreak havoc on their nighttime sleep.

Adjust your eating schedule to your new time zone using healthy snacks to fill in the gaps. If your child wakes up in the middle of the night starving, it’s okay to offer a bland snack, like a banana or a cheese stick, with the lights dimmed, of course! 

It can be tricky to settle down to sleep in an unfamiliar location at a strange time, so offer your child familiar sleepytime cues and bedtime routines. Familiarity breeds comfort and sleep! That means, travel with cherished items like a favorite bedtime book, their familiar white noise machine, a comforting lovey, even their own familiar sheets!

About Dr. Harvey Karp

Dr. Harvey Karp, one of America’s most trusted pediatricians, is the founder of Happiest Baby and the inventor of the groundbreaking SNOO Smart Sleeper. After years of treating patients in Los Angeles, Dr. Karp vaulted to global prominence with the release of the bestselling Happiest Baby on the Block and Happiest Toddler on the Block . His celebrated books and videos have since become standard pediatric practice, translated into more than 20 languages and have helped millions of parents. Dr. Karp’s landmark methods, including the 5 S’s for soothing babies, guide parents to understand and nurture their children and relieve stressful issues, like new-parent exhaustion, infant crying, and toddler tantrums.

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The Best Way To Handle Your Baby Or Toddler's Jet Lag

J et lag and early parenthood are kind of alike. They are two circumstances where you have to come toe to toe with sleepless nights and groggy days. With jet lag, you head off across the world and past multiple time zones to then arrive at your destination in a confused, unadjusted daze. Your body is shaken up and you don't know what is day and what is night. 

Early parenthood is another circumstance where delirium becomes a mainstay. Between getting up multiple times every night and keeping a tight napping schedule — it's an exhausting uphill battle for most parents.

By bringing your little one on a trip with a big time difference, you combine these two sleepless struggles. The thought of doing so can be daunting enough to make you wonder if traveling with young children is even worth it . Not only will you be fighting jet lag, but your baby or toddler will be too. But fear not; there is a method you can follow to make the transition a wee bit easier on both of you.

Read more: Tips For Making Road Trips With Your Newborn Less Stressful

Do Some Prep Work

It's no secret that babies and toddlers are more sensitive than the rest of us. The slightest changes in their environment can either send them into a laughing fit or a pool of tears. Unfortunately, this heightened sensitivity applies to their reaction to jet lag. Julia Mallon, a certified IPMI Sleep Consultant, explained to Gulf News : "A child's biological clock is much more susceptible to jet lag because the brain is so much less mature. When traveling, your child does not adapt to the sleep receptors [or cues] as readily as an adult [can]."

Because of this, you'll want to make the time change as gentle as possible on them. One way you can ease your young one into the new time zone is to prep them a few weeks ahead of time. By slightly shifting their feeding and sleeping schedule in the direction of the upcoming time zone, you can make the final clock change a smidgen less jarring.

Stay Away From Sleeping Medication And Go The Natural Route

You'll always want to stick to your kid's previous routines when traveling internationally with them . While many people may get their own routine back on track with the help of antihistamines or other sleeping medications, this is not an option for babies and toddlers. 

The chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Drugs, Dr. Daniel Frattarelli, told the BBC : "It's not a good idea. When using Benadryl to sedate, you are using it for its side effects rather than its therapeutic effect. It can be dangerous -- especially in children under 2. Kids have died from this." Even supplements like melatonin are cautioned against for their potentially harmful effects on healthy childhood development.

Instead of using an artificial method to get your child's sleep on track, we recommend you use some more natural sources — daylight and darkness. By getting your child exposed to the sun first thing once they wake up, you can help reset their circadian rhythm to be on par with the new time zone. In addition, you'll want to make sure to dim the lights in the evening and make their resting area as dark as possible when you want them to sleep. By doing so you can help their body pick up on the right cues for sleeping and waking. 

Read the original article on Explore .

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What Causes Jet Lag and What Can You Do to Manage and Prevent It

• Effect on Body Clock
• Traveling West to East
• When to Seek Medical Care

Jet lag occurs when you travel across time zones , and experience challenges adjusting to new sleep and wake times. It can make it difficult to fall or stay asleep, wake up in the morning, and feel rested during the day. Jet lag typically happens when you cross three or more time zones in a relatively short period.

Jet lag is temporary, and there are ways to manage and prevent it.

Learn about jet lag, its causes, what it feels like, how to prevent and treat it, and more.

Kathrin Ziegler / Getty Images

How Jet Lag Affects Your Body Clock

Your body's internal clock ( circadian rhythm ) regulates your sleep and wake times in response to light and dark cues. Traveling across time zones means the sun will rise and set at a different time than you're used to. For example, if you travel six time zones east (e.g., New York to Paris), the sun will rise and set six hours earlier.

Since your body clock is regulated by light and dark, flying across multiple time zones causes an abrupt shift that your body is not equipped to adjust to immediately.

What Does Jet Lag Feel Like?

Jet lag symptoms vary depending on how far you've traveled and your body's circadian rhythm. It can make you feel tired, exhausted, or similar to being sick.

In addition to feeling tired, other symptoms of jetlag include:

• Brain fog (i.e., feeling unable to think clearly)
• Difficulty falling asleep at night, staying asleep, or waking up in the morning
• Digestive issues (e.g., constipation or diarrhea)
• Mood changes and difficulty regulating your emotions
• Physical fatigue

What Causes Jet Lag?

Jet lag is caused by the difference in your body's internal clock and your new location's light and dark hours.

That difference is one hour for each time zone crossed. For example, traveling from California to New York (three time zones apart) would mean being physically located in New York with a circadian rhythm set to California, three hours behind.

Your Clocks Don’t Align

When you travel across time zones, your body's clock remains synced to your previous time zone. It's like setting a bedtime and alarm clock based on a different schedule. The mind, body, and internal clock may take several days to adjust to the new time zone—typically one to 1.5 days for every hour crossed.

While the actual cause of jet lag is a shift in sleep and wake times, other factors can make the symptoms feel better or worse.

Sleep Timing

One strategy to prevent jet lag is slowly shifting to a new sleep schedule before traveling. When traveling east, for example, slowly move bedtime and wake time earlier. Conversely, when traveling west, slowly move bedtime and wake time later.

Since light cues regulate the sleep and wake cycle, natural sunlight can help you adjust to a new schedule in a different time zone. Sunlight is the most powerful environmental tool to help you become more awake in the morning and earlier in the day.

Experts recommend opening the curtains first thing in the morning and then going outside in the sun as early as possible.

Travel Fatigue 

Fatigue caused by your travel experience can worsen jet lag symptoms. The physical and mental demands that often accompany travel can contribute to jet lag. Travel fatigue can be prevented with the following strategies:

• Planning ahead
• Resting before and after travel
• Avoiding illness
• Getting proper nutrition and drinking plenty of water

Altitude Sickness

Traveling across time zones can also include changes in altitude, which can cause you to become ill. Some symptoms of altitude sickness are similar to those of jet lag, including feeling tired, exhausted, ill, and having difficulty sleeping.

The combination of altitude and changing time zones can worsen symptoms. Like jet lag, the symptoms of altitude sickness typically go away after a few days.

Dehydration

Travel, especially by plane, increases the risk of dehydration . Symptoms of jet lag become worse with dehydration. Drinking water while traveling is vital to prevent dehydration and jet lag.

Coffee and Alcohol

Coffee and alcohol are both dehydrating, so they can increase symptoms of jet lag. However, caffeine may help treat jet lag symptoms. When using caffeine for jet lag, consume it only in the morning to prevent difficulty sleeping at night. And be sure to drink water, too.

Other Factors That Affect Jet Lag

Physical activity and exercise can help prevent or alleviate jet lag symptoms and improve sleep quality. Getting your body moving in the morning while in the new time zone can help you sleep better and adjust faster.

Your thoughts and perceptions of the experience can also make a difference. Focusing on the symptoms will make them feel worse. Holding on to a belief that certain behaviors will help can lead to doing those things, like drinking plenty of water, taking a walk in the morning sunlight, and then feeling better.

Why Is It Harder to Travel From West to East?

Traveling from west to east is more challenging than traveling east to west because the body's internal clock adjusts to time zones faster when traveling west. More specifically, you can adapt 1.5 hours a day when traveling west and only an hour per day when traveling east.

For example, traveling three time zones away will take about two days to adjust when traveling west and three days when traveling east. For most people, it tends to be easier to stay up late at night and sleep in than to fall asleep and wake up earlier.

Ways to Prevent Jet Lag

One of the best ways to prevent jet lag is to slowly shift to the new sleep and wake schedule before travel, making the transition easier when you arrive in the new time zone. Other options to prevent jet lag are to drink plenty of water, get sunlight exposure in the morning after arriving, and exercise in the morning.

How Jet Lag Is Treated

Jet lag typically goes away after a few days when your body has adjusted to the new time. Most people don't need medical treatment for jet lag. Lifestyle choices such as sticking to scheduled sleep and wake times and using light and dark as tools to regulate sleep patterns can help with the adjustment phase.

Some experts recommend melatonin for temporary use to treat jet lag. However, its effectiveness is unclear, and there are associated risks.

How Long Does Jet Lag Last?

Jet lag is based on individual factors, like your typical sleep schedule and how many time zones you've traveled. So, if it typically takes one day to 1.5 days to adjust to each time zone traveled, traveling four time zones away would take four to six days to adjust. It can take weeks to recover fully, especially when traveling across more time zones.

When to Contact a Healthcare Provider

Jet lag symptoms typically go away on their own as your internal clock adjusts to the new time zone. If symptoms worsen or last longer than two weeks after traveling, it is important to seek medical care to alleviate symptoms and rule out any other symptom causes.

Jet lag is caused by traveling across time zones faster than the body can adjust to the new sleep and wake schedule. Symptoms of jet lag include feeling tired, being physically exhausted, and feeling sick. Light and dark cues regulate your internal body clock, so sunlight in the morning and darkness before bed can help to make the shift easier.

It can also help to shift to the new schedule before travel, drink plenty of water, and be physically active in the morning when in your new location. Jet lag typically does not need to be treated, but it is important to see a healthcare provider if the symptoms worsen or last longer than two weeks.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Jet lag . May 1, 2023.

Kumari R, Verma V, Singaravel M. Simulated chronic jet lag affects the structural and functional complexity of hippocampal neurons in mice .  Neuroscience . 2024;543:1-12. doi:10.1016/j.neuroscience.2024.01.026

Sleep Foundation. Jet lag: navigating symptoms, causes, and prevention . March 22, 2024.

American Psychological Association. Jet lag . April 19, 2018.

Harvard Medical School. Jet lag . July 6, 2023.

Roach GD, Sargent C. Interventions to minimize jet lag after westward and eastward flight .  Front Physiol . 2019;10:927. doi:10.3389/fphys.2019.00927

Janse van Rensburg DC, Jansen van Rensburg A, Fowler PM, et al. Managing travel fatigue and jet lag in athletes: a review and consensus statement .  Sports Med . 2021;51(10):2029-2050. doi:10.1007/s40279-021-01502-0

National Health Service. Altitude sickness . July 31, 2023.

Zubac D, Buoite Stella A, Morrison SA. Up in the air: evidence of dehydration risk and long-haul flight on athletic performance .  Nutrients . 2020;12(9):2574. doi:10.3390/nu12092574

Arendt J. Approaches to the pharmacological management of jet lag .  Drugs . 2018;78(14):1419-1431. doi:10.1007/s40265-018-0973-8

Johns Hopkins Medicine. Exercising for better sleep . 2024.

Ambesh P, Shetty V, Ambesh S, Gupta S, Kamholz S, Wolf L. Jet lag: Heuristics and therapeutics .  J Family Med Prim Care . 2018;7(3):507. doi:10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_220_17

By Ashley Olivine, Ph.D., MPH Dr. Olivine is a Texas-based psychologist with over a decade of experience serving clients in the clinical setting and private practice.

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Taylor Swift joked that 'jet lag is a choice.' A sleep expert has thoughts about that

Regina G. Barber

Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs embraces Taylor Swift after defeating the San Francisco 49ers during this year's Super Bowl in Las Vegas. Swift, who flew in from Tokyo to attend the game, jokingly told him, "jet lag is a choice." Ezra Shaw/Getty Images hide caption

Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs embraces Taylor Swift after defeating the San Francisco 49ers during this year's Super Bowl in Las Vegas. Swift, who flew in from Tokyo to attend the game, jokingly told him, "jet lag is a choice."

Taylor Swift caused a stir after the Super Bowl this year by answering a question about her flight (on her private jet, no less) from Tokyo to Las Vegas. When her boyfriend Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs asked her "how do you not have jet lag right now?" she responded, perhaps jokingly, "jet lag is a choice."

But sleep experts like Jade Wu would like Swift and others to know that "jet lag is very real. It's biologically ingrained."

Jet lag is a form of circadian misalignment, an umbrella term for any time your body clock is out of sync with your current time zone or where the sun is in the sky, says Wu, a behavioral sleep medicine psychologist and researcher at Duke University.

Jet lag is not 'a choice' — here's what to know

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It happens when you cross multiple time zones in a very short amount of time, she says. A direct flight from Tokyo to Las Vegas, for instance, takes about 10 hours and sets your internal clock forward by 17 hours (in Standard Time). So if you land in Las Vegas at 7 p.m., your body might still be on Tokyo time, which is noon the next day.

What happens to your body during jet lag

For many folks, jet lag can leave them feeling groggy and out of sync with their surroundings. "Our thinking is slower, our mood is worse, our metabolism is not as good. We can't sleep when we want to sleep but we can't feel awake when we want to be awake," says Wu.

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Planning a long-haul flight here's how to outsmart jet lag.

That's because almost everything in our bodies — like our blood pressure, our organ systems and our cognitive function — runs on an internal clock, says Wu. "These clocks are synced up to each other. During jet lag, suddenly all these clocks are confused. They're saying: 'Wait a second, I thought it was daytime. Why is it night?' "

That includes the master clock in your brain called the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). "Think of all the clocks in your body as a billion-person orchestra. The SCN is the maestro. And if the maestro can't keep time, then the entire orchestra falls apart," she says.

How to minimize jet lag symptoms

To mitigate the effects of jet lag, a little preparation goes a long way, says Wu. Here are some tips to help manage symptoms of grogginess.

• Rest up beforehand. Take supplemental naps ahead of your journey, but don't force it if you're not sleepy. The goal is to get as much rest as possible so that when you're in a period of less sleep, you'll feel a little more alert.
• Time shift your sleep . Gradually adjust your schedule toward your target time zone before you leave. Let's say you live in Chicago and your usual bedtime is at 11 p.m. and you're traveling to Lisbon, Portugal, in a week. Start heading to bed (and getting up) about 15 to 30 minutes earlier each day. By the time your trip rolls around, your bedtime should be about 8 p.m. How does that help with the time change? Rather than trying to fall asleep at 5 a.m. Lisbon time (11 p.m. Chicago time), you'll now be trying to fall asleep at 2 a.m. Lisbon time — a more reasonable hour to hit the hay. If you need help with this step, try using jet lag apps like Time Shifter to create a schedule.
• Book a flight that works with your nighttime sleep schedule, not against it. If you're flying to Taipei, Taiwan, from Los Angeles, for example, take a very late flight so you can get your eight hours of nighttime sleep on the 14-hour plane ride. When you arrive, it'll be morning local time, and you'll have enough rest to start your day.
• Be careful with alcohol and caffeine. Alcohol can block or interfere with deep sleep , making sleep more fragmented. And Wu discourages using caffeine to fight jet lag because it can lead to unpredictable outcomes. Sometimes it can make you exhausted or wired or both. However, if you're heading east, you could aim to have some caffeine to help stay up. Avoid it if you're going west. 
• Consider the direction you're headed. If you're going west, say to Seoul, you'll have to stay up and wake up later. If you're going east, say to Madrid, you'll have to sleep and wake up earlier. "Going west is easier because your body [naturally] wants to go to bed later. Going east is hard because you have to fight [sleep]," says Wu.  If you're traveling west, take a short nap on the flight so you can go to bed at a reasonable hour once you reach your destination. By the time you land, hopefully you'll be sleepy enough to "sleep a nice, solid night and wake up in the morning local time," says Wu. If you're traveling east, try to stay up during your flight. "When you land, you're not going to be sleepy yet by the local bedtime. So you may need to take a sleep aid to help you fall asleep that night," she says.
• Once you reach your destination, quickly try to adjust to the local time. "Get lots of light first thing in the morning," says Wu. Exposing yourself to daylight early in the day can help sync your circadian clock to your new time zone. "Go outside, exercise, walk, hike, go around town. The quicker you get actively engaged in the rhythm of the local schedule, the more quickly you'll adjust."

The digital story was written by Malaka Gharib and edited by Andee Tagle and Meghan Keane. The visual editor is Beck Harlan. We'd love to hear from you. Leave us a voicemail at 202-216-9823, or email us at [email protected].

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