Mom Seeking Advice on Time Changes with Sleep Schedule

We just got back last week from a 2 week trip abroad with my 16 month old and 3 year old. The first day we arrived in the early AM, but had several more hours of local travel ahead of us, so they napped on and off whenever they needed to. We finally reached our hotel in the PM and they napped from about 10-12PM local time (I was hoping they would just sleep all night, but to no avail). They then were up until 2AM and then slept until noon or so the next morning. That was the tougest part for my husband and I, as we really didn't care to be awake at that hour after such a long trip and our own jet lag!

From there, we basically tried to keep them on their home schedule, which worked great for us. It meant they went to bed around midnight each night and then slept late in the morning, or as late as noon. That worked really well for us because we all went to bed at the same time at night and got at least 10 hours sleep every day, which is a miracle in itself. Also, we were in a Mediterranean country where our family eats dinner really late at night, so the late bedtime worked great. We did naps around 6pm (yes, sounds strange, but I swear it worked out). On the way back, we got back to Chicago at around 4pm and by the time we settled in at home and had dinner, the kids got to bed around 6:30 and slept until about 7 the next day, voila, they were back on schedule almost immediately. I wish I could say it was as easy for us old folks to adjust!

I have heard of people trying to adjust their kids to the local schedule right away, and for some people that might work okay. For us, however, we enjoyed being able to take our kids out for a stroll at night without having to worry about bedtimes or sitters. They did great and the time change didn't seem to affect them significantly, other than the intitial fatigue from travelling.

Hi C.,

I have traveled overseas, although never with my little ones, but I think the same advice given to adults for jet lag would apply. Try to "live out" the day you arrive as though you were always on that time and perhaps just go to bed a little earlier. If you go to sleep right away, your body will take longer to adjust. Have a great time! I'm envious...it's been awhile since we've traveled! :-)

I am currently in England with my 13 month old and two and a half year old. We left Chicago at 8 pm so the kids would sleep on the plane. They slept for most of the flight. When we arrived it was about 9 am local. We did our regular schedule the first day- although they were very tired. I just woke them after their normal nap amount instead of letting them sleep. Then that night they went to bed around their usual time. The trannsition was pretty easy.

On the way back we will fly at 2 pm and arrive around 2 pm. I plan to do the same thing- encourage them to nap on the plane and then go back to our regular schedule on the local time.

We traveled to France with our DD when she was younger and did it the same way, it seems to work pretty well. Good luck and enjoy your trip.

By the way, if you haven't chosen an airline yet, British Airways flies just about anywhere and is extremely child friendly. They let you pre-board, have special kid meals, toys, bassinets, kids' movies, and little kid seats.

We took our 15 month twins last spring to Poland for 2 weeks. The first 3 days were really hard. They slept on the plane because we flew at night. Then when it was time to go to sleep (8:00 is their normal bedtime) they cried for 15 minutes (new surroundings maybe) and then fell asleep. They woke up in the middle of the night for 3 nights wanting to party! We tried sleeping with them in the middle of the night but they tossed and turned and wanted to walk around. No one got any sleep then. On the 3rd night, we decided we had to be tough. We let them cry for almost an hour during the night and then they fell asleep by themselves. The next night they cried for 20-30 min. and by the 5th night it was peaceful. I don't know if you can handle your child crying his or herself to sleep for a few nights, but it was the only thing that has worked for us. We had to do this when the twins were around 7 months old too because they would wake up all the time at home. After 3 nights of crying, everything has been peaceful since. I hope this helps.