Jet Lag and Babies

Leave them at home.

Check out these websites for some helpful tips. http://www.deliciousbaby.com/travel/family-travel-tips/jet-lag-and-babies-toddlers-and-kids/ http://www.havebabywilltravel.com/tips_info/tips_baby_toddler_jet_lag.htm http://www.babycenter.com/404_do-babies-get-jet-lag-how-can-i-avoid-it_7288.bc And then Flyer Talk had a posting. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/travel-children/441050-transatlantic-travel-baby-jet-lag-also-af-ib-av-better.html Pam

Lee, if I had done that my kids would never have met their cousins, nor their grandparents, aunt and uncles. And in our global world a lot of families have to fly across time zones to keep connections alive. Honestly, what I've found is that the babies just go along on their own schedule. Not much you can do about it. They do actually quite fine that way - it's the parents who will find it very very tiring not to be able to attend to their own jet lag issues because baby's needs take priority.

Not a baby but a napping just turned 3 year old- let them take the lead for the first day. We flew from Cleveland to Paris and the first day was rough. We took a taxi to our apt. and let her nap (the red eye didn't end up in much sleep for any of us). She was still a bit tired the next day but by day three, she was on local time and all was good.

A few years ago we moved from the west coast to Germany. I flew alone with our 1 year old (my DH had gone ahead for work). Since the company paid for our tickets, I had to go Seattle-LA-Atlanta-Germany. It was a looooooong day. Needless to say I consulted our pediatrician on how to gently help our baby to sleep. For the month before we travelled, I tried dramamine, benadryl, and melatonin. One pediatrician prescribed dose, waited a week, then tried the other item. That way it wasn't a surprise on the airplane how our child would react (some meds can spin them up, not the best scenario on a 10 hr flight). In the end, the jetlag on the other end is just something you have to deal with and can't really prevent it, but it may be helped if you can get some good sleep on the plane.

Try to get the baby as much on schedule day one as you can. Let him/her nap, but only as long as usual. Be prepared for crankiness, but hopefully only on day one. Some airlines also have bassinets that fit on the wall for the bulkhead seats. I'd request those seats and the bassinet if you can. And just be prepared on the plane. Whatever you do to help your baby sleep at home, make sure you've got it on the plane, and plenty of it.

If you're kids are early risers you don't have to do much other than relish the opportunity to sleep in. I have a friend whose kids typically get up very early (5 am) when at home and go to bed around 8 pm. In Europe they typically slept until 9ish local time and stayed up until around midnight. Which was only about a two hour shift not a full adjustment of the jet lag. But worked out much better for traveling then had the kids adjusted and were getting up at 5 am local time and needed to be back in the hotel for 8 pm. For the first week they where home the kids where falling asleep at 7 pm and waking up at the ungodly hour of 4 am. But once again not much of a jet lag.

Make sure you have them sucking on something from the time the door closes on the plane until you level off at altitude. Same thing on the down side, get them sucking on something before you start decending until after you land - even if you have to wake them up to do it. The most noticable change in pressure is the first 18,000' but there will be some changes from door-closed to level off. Trapped air in their ears hurts horribly and will have them screeming. Once it starts hurting, it's difficult to catch up and get the pressure to equalize. It's also difficult to sooth them once they're in pain. I won't comment on taking babies on vacations - we left ours at grandma's until they were big enough to eat and sleep well on the road and carry their own little backpack.

Don't count on 'em sleeping in, tho. We thought we'd get my son, who gets up at 6:30 like clockwork, to adjust his schedule to a little later. The first day he slept until 9:30, but after 4 days, it was back to 6:30 as usual, just like at home. Gotta be in his genes somewhere.

That was real helpful, Lee. You've weighed in on questions about jet lag and travel fatigue more than once before, but the best you can do for Camille is a ridiculous reply? Don't be such a tool.

Thank you all for your helpful replies, well almost all of you. We are actually traveling with our granddaughter and her parents, so there will be lots of help during the flight. Will remember to keep her sucking on her bottle on ascent, too. Good thing she loves her pacifier. We are actually going to Hawaii, however, there is a 6 hr time difference so jet lag suggestions are helpful. At least, we'll all be on the same schedule for a few days.

I think Lee was saying that tongue-in-cheek!

I'll admit that we never took an infant or toddler on a long trip of more than 2 hours "lag" but we did travel a lot with them and I don't think it will present too much trouble for you. Since they nap (I hope) a lot in their normal lives, they will likely do so on the plane as well. Chances are they will arrive more happy and refreshed than you are. As for getting on the right sleep schedule once you are there; be sure to do something active with them in the evening to tire them out, then put them down to sleep at the regular (new) bed time as it gets dark. They may not sleep well that first night, but I'll bet that by the second night, they will be pretty much on schedule - following the normal daylight/dark patters. Definitely have them suck on something on takeoff and landing. I would be very leery of trying any sleep drug no matter how "mild" it might be. On a side note; while traveling with babies or young children may not be an ideal way for adults to see Europe (or anywhere else) it is a useful way to introduce the children to new situations, even as babies. Adaptability is a valuable skill to teach a child at any age. So keep telling yourself that during those difficult times - "this is good for them...this is good for them....this is good for them..."