OVERCOMING JET LAG

Are any of my friends traveling to a new time zone with kiddos?

Before you set out, I want to make sure you’re armed with some helpful information regarding sleep. So how do we maintain good sleep habits while we’re traveling? If we’re crossing time zones, how do we deal with the inevitable complication of jet lag?

1. Avoid the Red-Eye
This almost never works out well for a young child.

2. Travel Prepared
This is one of those times when it’s OK to give in to their demands. Be sure to pack your carry-on to the brim with toys, healthy snacks, books, gum, and portable battery chargers. Nursing or bottle feeding on take-off and landing can be helpful for the ears. Also be sure you keep your toddlers hydrated!

3. Should you adjust the sleep schedule to the new time zone?
If you’re traveling for less than five days, it’s probably not worth making adjustments to the new time zone. Experts say that jet lag lasts, on average, for about a day for every hour of time change, so if you’re taking a four day trip and you’re looking at a six-hour time change, it’s hardly worth getting baby fully adjusted to the difference just to turn around and have to do it all over again once you get home. If, however, you’re going to be gone for longer than five days, then you’ll want to adjust to the new time zone as quickly as possible. So yes, night one, straight into the new time zone. It might not be a seamless transition, but we’ll work on that.

4. Stick to your bedtime routine.
A predictable bedtime routine sends signals to the brain that sleep is just over the horizon, so the brain starts preparing for it by firing up the melatonin production, relaxing the muscles, and slowing down mental activity. And black out any external light sources two hours before baby’s bedtime. If that means putting garbage bags over the windows with masking tape, then come prepared and do it!

5. Sunlight’s on your side.
As much as we don’t want any sunlight getting in the room while baby’s trying to sleep, we want lots of it when they’re awake. Getting a significant amount of sunlight during the day charges up our melatonin production and helps get the circadian rhythm adjusted quickly to the new time zone, so getting outdoors during the day will work wonders in helping baby sleep well at night.

6. Add an extra nap
After a long flight, an extra cat nap can do wonders for a baby. Just remember to leave enough space between waking up from her last nap and bedtime so that there’s time for fatigue to build up in the interim.

7. Keep things familiar
Remember to pack child’s favorite PJs, lovie, sleep sack, pillow, and so on. Once your little one is asleep, it will help them to stay that way if their surroundings are similar to the ones they’re used to. And if you don’t usually share a bed with your little one, don’t start now. Let me just repeat that. Do not bed share while you’re traveling unless you want to bed share when you get home as well. Children get attached to this scenario in the blink of an eye. Many hotels have cribs available.

Know that traveling is exhausting and we all get short-tempered when we’re tired, so be patient with your little one and enjoy your trip!

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