https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sun, 03 May 2026 22:21:20 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/jet-lag-and-toddlers-help#post-2467308 Fri, 19 Feb 2016 04:37:19 +0000 Pumuckl 2467308@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We have also traveled a lot with our LOs (up to 9 time zones) and can only echo what others have said. We let ours take a nap when we get there (if we get there during the day) but wake them up and just try to spend as much time as possible outdoors as possible. We also try to quickly get into a normal routine (breakfast, lunch, dinner etc). For us the first night is usually rough and we just take the kids to our bed once they wake (usually 4-5am) and not let them get up. Often they'll fall back asleep. By the second night things are smoother, they'll get up at 6am or the like and we usually just let them get up then and start the day early but push for a normalish bedtime. By the third night things are usually close to normal. The one day per timezone rule I have found to be pretty accurate especially when traveling eastbound.</p> <p>Since we travel a lot at home too we have travel cribs for each and just bring these along since they are so used to sleeping in them. We also try to create as much of the same sleep enviroment as possible. So same sleep sack/Zippy, pillow for my older LO, pacis, loveys and their water bottles. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/jet-lag-and-toddlers-help#post-2467301 Fri, 19 Feb 2016 02:20:58 +0000 808love 2467301@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Just take LO out in the sunlight the first two days to reset the internal clock. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/jet-lag-and-toddlers-help#post-2467296 Fri, 19 Feb 2016 01:13:07 +0000 lamariniere 2467296@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>You can't avoid jet lag. We took DS from the east coast to Hawaii at 11 months. We've also traveled a number of times from Europe to the US and back and Asia too. There are so many variables between the actual travel, being in new places and sleeping in a new environment that something will throw off sleep. There's no good formula but we try to get our LOs on local time by having them nap and then waking them up after a set period of time (2 hours). Taking them outside in daylight also helps. I've heard you have to count one day for every timezone crossed to get over jet lag and that has been fairly accurate for us. When we traveled last summer from Europe to the US there was an 8 hour difference and it took 5 days for my LOs to get over the bulk of the jet lag. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/jet-lag-and-toddlers-help#post-2466898 Thu, 18 Feb 2016 18:17:42 +0000 MenagerieMama 2466898@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We live on the east coast and family is west coast and we've also done a europe trip. LO is highly schedule oriented but has done fine. Mostly the vacations are so stimulating that we just keep her up when she needs to and replicate her sleep cues as much as possible - like bring her white noise machine, etc. She does pretty well considering. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/jet-lag-and-toddlers-help#post-2466859 Thu, 18 Feb 2016 17:47:14 +0000 erinbaderin 2466859@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We took our son to Vegas (3 hours earlier than us) at 22 months and he did really well. He didn't sleep too well on the flight so that first full night he was pretty tired, went to sleep at his usual time (Vegas time) and was more or less fine for the rest of the trip. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/jet-lag-and-toddlers-help#post-2466828 Thu, 18 Feb 2016 17:25:54 +0000 gingerbebe 2466828@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Well, we took my highly scheduled son to Hawaii for a week from the West coast when he was 13 months old. Travel day was pretty bad - he didn't sleep more than 40 minutes on the plane and he was super overtired by the time we got him to the condo so he only napped a tiny bit. We have a 3 hour time difference, so he was up at 430am the next day despite being exhausted, although I made him stay in his crib until like 630am. He was largely on the same nap schedule and bedtime by the 2nd day, but he still woke up early in the morning for 2 more days. (The rest of the week was a crap shoot because he got roseola).</p> <p>On the way back from Hawaii, we tried Benadryl and that was way better - he slept 2.5 hours in my arms, which never happens - and things just went a lot smoother because he had some rest. </p> <p>While we were in Hawaii, we had him sleep in a walk-in closet and tried to replicate his normal sleep environment as much as possible. We brought a PNP mattress to keep him comfortable, along with his loveys, his Marpac Dohm, and brought blackout curtains as a precaution. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/jet-lag-and-toddlers-help#post-2466821 Thu, 18 Feb 2016 17:22:53 +0000 Mrs Panda 2466821@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Following because we will be taking a trip in a couple of months across the world! A 15 HR time difference, with a 2 yr 3 mo old and a 4.5 yr old. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/jet-lag-and-toddlers-help#post-2466814 Thu, 18 Feb 2016 17:17:25 +0000 lioneyes 2466814@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My dad has been talking about taking a family trip to Hawaii (from the East Coast) next Thanksgiving. LO will be 2 years and 2 months. I am totally nuts about his sleep, and he is a great sleeper...but very regimented about his schedule and timing. </p> <p>My question is- is there a way to prevent/deal with jet lag in toddlers? I assume by then he will be on 1 nap and still sleeping in a crib. </p> <p>This trip is once in a lifetime thing, and my dad is very excited about it. So I am not going to say no because I like LO on a schedule. But do you think we are in for a hellish week, or are there steps we can take to make things better? I don't really care as much about re-entry, I am fine with re- sleep training once we get home, but I don't want to travel all that way and have a terrible trip because of LO's sleeping. </p>