Jet Lag and Babies, Toddlers, and Kids

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After the flight itself, the idea of crossing time zones with a baby or toddler is one of the biggest worries for most parents. Before our first trip with our infant son I scoured my sleep books and the web looking for information about jet lag with infants and toddlers and found almost nothing. Now that we’ve experienced it over and over, here is our Jet Lag Survival Guide for Parents:

Tips to help parents, babies, toddlers and kids

For time differences of three hours or less, consider keeping yourself and your baby or child on home time. Hotel blackout curtains help with this! Over the course of a week or more, everyone will probably adjust to local time naturally but there’s no need to rush things.

As with grownups, the thing that most helps babies and kids adjust to the time change is the sunlight. Get everyone up first thing in the morning, try to get them as much daylight as possible, and attempt to have them outside at dusk as well. During night time, try to keep the lights out and the blackout drapes closed.

Offering them food at local mealtimes (and in general trying to fill them up during the day so that they're not hungry at night) will help as well. Try to choose healthy, filling options, junk foods will only make the problem worse.

Encourage physical activity (for everyone). There's no better way to encourage your body to sleep than to wear it out! Find a playground or encourage your child to do a lot of walking (they'll connect better with their destination on foot too).

Make sure to get yourself to bed early the first few nights so that you’re alert when the children wake you up in the middle of the night. This is one time when you should consider napping when they nap too. For the first few days, it is more important that you are alert enough to care for everyone than that you adjust quickly.

Tips for Toddlers and Jetlag

For big time changes, expect that your child will wake up once or twice the first few nights, most likely at their usual meal times. The first two nights, we let our kids play or eat when they wake up if they need to. After that we give them milk if they need it, but not solid food, and after that we expect them not to wake at night (just like home).

The first few days after a big time change, your kids will probably get some great naps during the day. Take advantage of them! On one trip, we ate a 7 course meal in a Michelin starred restaurant in Paris with my son napping in the stroller!

Tips for Babies and Jetlag

Breastfed babies may take a little longer to adjust as mom's body is manufacturing milk on the home-schedule and may need some time to adjust to the new schedule. Jetlag and dehydration from a long flight can also impact mom's milk supply, so make sure to keep yourself well hydrated.

Young babies rely on routines to help them understand their day. Try to keep your naptime and bedtime rituals similar to the routines you use at home, this will help your baby adjust.

Don't worry that a time change will cause a permanent regression in baby's nighttime sleep. Sleep training is a long, ongoing effort with lots of setbacks when baby is teething, learning a new skill, or not feeling well. Travel is just another temporary setback.

The return back home is often a more difficult adjustment for babies than the transition to a new time zone

Try to gradually help baby get used to taking most of their food or milk during daytime hours (but don't refuse to feed them if they are hungry)

Read Our Blog to Learn More about Traveling With Babies, Toddlers, and Kids

 Related Links:
Naptime and Bedtime on your Family Vacation
Flying with your Baby Toddler or Child
Helping Your Child Sleep on a Plane
Reader Questions: Will Travel Ruin Baby's Sleep Forever?

Comments

  1. Angela

    December 6, 2007 at 4:01 a.m.

    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.

  2. Debbie

    December 6, 2007 at 4:19 a.m.

    Angela,

    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.

  3. Kathy

    January 12, 2008 at 7:42 a.m.

    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!

  4. Debbie

    January 12, 2008 at 9:08 p.m.

    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!

  5. Kathy

    January 13, 2008 at 7:33 a.m.

    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!

  6. Debbie

    January 13, 2008 at 8:09 p.m.

    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.

  7. Natasha

    January 18, 2008 at 5:07 p.m.

    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?

    Thanks!

  8. Debbie

    January 18, 2008 at 9:03 p.m.

    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.

    Good luck!

  9. Helen

    January 24, 2008 at 3:58 a.m.

    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??

  10. Debbie

    January 25, 2008 at 11:32 a.m.

    Helen,

    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.

  11. ankie

    February 9, 2008 at 8:17 p.m.

    Debbie,

    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!!

  12. Lauren

    March 3, 2008 at 8:55 a.m.

    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!

  13. Debbie

    March 3, 2008 at 10:10 a.m.

    Lauren,

    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

  14. Jen

    March 19, 2008 at 6:33 p.m.

    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!

  15. Kimberley

    March 21, 2008 at 12:38 a.m.

    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.

  16. Debbie

    March 21, 2008 at 3:56 p.m.

    Jen

    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

  17. Debbie

    March 21, 2008 at 4:37 p.m.

    Kimberly,

    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

  18. Tatiana

    March 25, 2008 at 10:37 a.m.

    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!

  19. Leanne

    March 29, 2008 at 9:17 a.m.

    Debbie:

    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?

  20. Lila

    March 29, 2008 at 11:59 a.m.

    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.

  21. Debbie

    March 30, 2008 at 9:02 a.m.

    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.

    Debbie

  22. Lila

    March 30, 2008 at 12:44 p.m.

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

  23. Debbie

    March 30, 2008 at 8:49 p.m.

    Leanne,

    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

  24. matt

    April 8, 2008 at 2:44 p.m.

    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.

  25. Debbie

    April 9, 2008 at 2:52 p.m.

    Matt,

    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

  26. Char

    April 19, 2008 at 12:08 a.m.

    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?

  27. Debbie

    April 21, 2008 at 3:08 p.m.

    Char,

    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 hope this helps,
    Debbie

  28. Jen

    April 29, 2008 at 7:35 a.m.

    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!

  29. Debbie

    April 29, 2008 at 1:05 p.m.

    Jen,

    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.

    I hope this helps,
    Debbie

  30. Susan

    May 11, 2008 at 3:17 a.m.

    Debbie,

    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??

  31. Debbie

    May 12, 2008 at 12:36 p.m.

    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.

    Good luck!
    Debbie

  32. Jenny

    May 18, 2008 at 2:35 p.m.

    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...

  33. Debbie

    May 21, 2008 at 10:45 p.m.

    Jenny,

    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!

    Debbie

  34. Jenny

    June 10, 2008 at 7:16 a.m.

    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 :))...

  35. Kavi

    July 17, 2008 at 11:01 p.m.

    Hi Debbie,

    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

  36. Debbie

    July 18, 2008 at 11:23 p.m.

    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.

    Good luck!

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