Travel Wisdom
by Sandy Pedrogao
As you may know, my husband and I have done quite a bit of traveling with our baby. He is currently 16 months old and has already traveled to four different countries. It hasn't been the easiest thing to do, but as he gets older, it gets easier. Andreas has never been a good sleeper, so the thought of taking him on a plane across several time zones is always frightening for me.
Here are some tips for crossing time zones that have helped me:
- Try not to stray from regular routines - babies are creatures of habit and are comforted by routine. They like to know what's coming next. So if you normally read them "Goodnight Moon" before bed, continue to do so on your trip.
- Try to fly at night. Especially for long flights overseas. This way your baby can sleep on the plane, and when you arrive in the morning - local time - he will be somewhat rested to start a new day - in a new time zone.
- When you arrive at your location - expose your baby to sunlight and fresh air. This will help to reset your baby's circadian clock - the body will naturally regulate itself (eg. sunlight means awake time and darkness means sleep time).
- Stick to regular nap times and sleep times - on local time. If you arrive at 7am and your baby usually has a nap at 9am stick to it even though you're in a different time zone and you may have just lost five hours of your day. Your little one will be exhausted from the journey, and will welcome a much needed nap.
- Have your meals & snacks at the same times, and schedule lots of outdoor activities.
I have found that my son adapts to different time zones and copes with jet lag a lot easier than I do. So don't worry about it. Be satisfied with the fact that your baby will be so happy to be on holiday with you and will enjoy your undivided attention for days at a time with no household chores to interrupt.
Did you know:
- Every hour of time change, takes one day to fully adjust!
- Jet lag is often worse when traveling east to west rather than west to east.