18 month old to US

[pickledsausage]

Any top tips for dealing with the time difference please? Flying London to Philadelphia then visiting New York after. We’ll be there for 6 days. He’s in a great routine at home but I’m now quite worried we’ve bitten off more than we can chew 😬

I took DS to Thailand at 18m and the Caribbean at 22m. Daylight helps so get them up at normal time if asleep and get outside. Be flexible and take normal sleep things with-our own sheet and blackout blinds.

DS is a fab sleeper and always adjusted really well so don't panic.

You're brave! That's a nightmare age for flying...

My daughter has always adjusted to time differences really easily. Just stick to the routine for the new time zone as soon as you get on the plane, to the extent possible.

Ooh we’re doing this too. When do you fly?

Mine have always settled in and back really well. DS1 was 2.5 when we went to Jamaica, DS2 was 18m when we went to Florida. They were absolutely fine. Adjusted better than me.

Did it with twins at eight months,17 months and again at 23 months. Not too difficult at all. Arrange a flight that gets you to the US for approximately 5 or 6pm. Pick up hire car. Go go hotel (or wherever you are staying) whilst stopping for supplies at Target or Walmart ( or similar) on the way. Bathe followed by food and milk and PJs.
Long day, lots of excitement the baby will be tired. You need to go to bed early too and next morning, you will be ready to go,
I always found it harder flying back and always took me two or three days to get back to normal routine.

Agree with advice to book a flight that lands around 5-6pm and put them straight to bed on arrival. Providing they’ve only napped on the plane then they’ll sleep overnight and wake up on the right time zone.

I’d take enough nappies for day 1 though, feed a pouch I’d brought with me for dinner on the plane shortly before landing and if you need it for their bedtime routine get milk from the hotel or even have the cabin crew fill up their cup on the plane (presuming cows milk as they’re 15 months). Doing a target run after a long flight and with an overtired child in tow would be my literal idea of hell. Go the next day though so you don’t need to take lots of stuff with you in your luggage.

Where possible we also book the flight back to the UK during the day, again nap in flight and straight to bed when we get land.

We’ve done this lots of times and never had an issue with jet lag.

Thanks for the replies!! You’re giving me hope! We land at 3.30 in the afternoon so hopefully we can push him to stay awake Til 5/6 😬

@ZsaZsaMc

What a coincidence! In 2 weeks. How old is your little one/s?

You don't need to wait until you reach your destination to start adjusting your DS’s schedule. Anticipate the new time zone and shift his schedule back a bit each day. Put him to bed a little later each night and get him up later in the morning. Ideally you want to adjust nap times, but don’t worry about these so much, Nighttime is the big significant chunk of sleep that counts. Once he gets used to going to bed earlier, his naps will start lining up more or less on their own (especially since they aren’t affected by the sun’s schedule). I wouldn’t expect them to be nearly as predictable in timing or length as at home, but other than POSSIBLY waking him up 20 minutes earlier from his afternoon nap, messing with the day sleep will cause more misery than good.

Once you’ve arrived at your new destination, immediately get on the current eating schedule. This will help both you and your ds adapt to the new time zones.

Keep the bedtime routine as similar as possible in your new destination. Bring his comforters, familiar books and cot blankets, and even the same bath soap you use at home.

One thing that most helps adjust to new time zones is sunlight. Be sure to get your children out in the sun and fresh air in the daylight. At night, make sure it is as dark as possible