Long haul flight and 8 hour time difference, tips!

[Daisyandbabies]

Hi,

So I'm going a long faul ( 9 1/2 hours) flight from uk to Canada ALONE with my 20 month old and recently turned 4 year old.

Does anyone have any tips for me on how to manage (mainly the 20 month old) on the flight and how best to deal with the 8 hour time difference once we arrive?

Wouldn't be too bad with my husband there but dreading it alone! I'm also a bad germaphobe on planes as we always seem to get a bad cold afterwards so this doesn't help!

Appreciate any advice/tips!

[moggle]

No tips myself but I started a thread about our upcoming flight to Vancouver with our 18mo and got some useful tips. my thread
I haven't even thought about the jet lag really yet I'm so focused on the flight! We're staying with family, I'm planning to take our gro blind to block out light as I find darkness a big sleep cue for my DD, that's about as far as I've got!

[vvviola]

Time difference wise:

Spend as much time outside as possible on the first day you arrive - it helps reset the body clock.

Don't try to prevent naps, but don't let them sleep too long.

If/when they are awake in the middle of the night, try to keep things as quiet and dark as possible.

Will you be staying in a hotel or with family? When we were in Japan last year, I made sure that the first hotel we stayed in had a swimming pool that opened early (DC were 3 & 7). They woke around 4:30, we were at the pool at 6am when it opened. Meant I wasn't trying to keep them quiet in a hotel room near where others were trying to sleep.

[Daisyandbabies]

Thanks, ladies! We will be in Vancouver, staying with my parents. Think I'm gonna be needing a larrrrge bottle of wine after this flight, and I don't even drink

[BYOSnowman]

We did the same at similar ages. Arrived mid afternoon.

Let them nap on the plane and then tv/games/eating etc

When we got to the hotel we went straight out for a walk and found a playground, had an early dinner and an early night.

No jet lag issues at all and they were up at 7am ready for a full day.

[Daisyandbabies]

Moggle, great thread! Ordering some of those buttons in a jar!
BYOsnowman, that sounds great, I hope mine will be like that! I have a feeling they will be waking at midnight, rating to go, but here's to hoping!

[MrsA2]

For long flights with a 20 month old - desperately hope for a decent nap and then snacks, more snacks, sticker books, colouring (those magic pen books are great as no mess). I also bought a toddler magazine which intrigued her for a while. And then iPad once that all failed...! Good luck!

[insertwittyusernamehereplease]

I am doing the reverse. Flying back home to visit family for the first time in a long time. We have a 5 year old and a 9 month old to drag along with us. I'm dreading the whole experience (awful to say). Will be following here for tips.

[SavoyCabbage]

I would just let them sleep on the flight if they want and not sleep if they don't want and deal with the jet lag at the other end. The flight is hard enough without the extra pressure of thinking 'agh, they should be asleep now!'

Like a pp said, keep them outside and busy on the first day if you can. Once we landed in Australia about 4am, got home about 6am and they went to school that day.

[Daisyandbabies]

Thanks, everyone. We leave 2 weeks today...both kids full of cold and my 4 year old is very prone to ear infections after a cold. Might see if the dr can check his ears before we go, wonder if 4 days before would be sufficient?

[BarbarianMum]

No, go for 2 days

[Daisyandbabies]

We leave on a Monday morning but can try for a Friday afternoon appointment. Will look like a ridiculous, over protective mother taking up an appointment if his ears are fine but 10 hours of screaming with ear pain would be horrendous!