stay awake or go to sleep? long haul flight

[BareFootAngel]

am travelling to oz in two weeks arghhhhhhhh!
any hints on when to sleep to reduce yetlag? our youngest is 8 so not really a problem there but our flight is at ten pm and not sure what to do re sleeping .thank you

[AlmostAnAngel]

lol nbl...have sent you a "cat" has cant find your email either

[nappybaglady]

didnt realise they were big kids

[AlmostAnAngel]

pmsl ..not sure my 16 year old will like me if i give her teddy blanket and hotmilk!! lol ..sorry forgot to say dds are 16/14/and eight lol will email you ,

[nappybaglady]

Hi BFA

OK, here's the plan. Kids will be totally overexcited when they get on plane. Let them fiddle with the headsets and videos for a while. Let them eat the meal that will be served probably within an hour or so of takeoff. Then lights will go off and you can use whatever means necessary to convince your kids that it's time to sleep ie usual teddy/blanket/hot milk (stewards will do thisif asked) or just threats of being told off by pilot if they disturb other people.

Forgot to mentin that the plan starts long before takeoff. At checkin make it clear that it's your first flight, you don't know the ropes and would the lovely person at checkin please try to wangle as many spare seats around you as possible so that your kids might have chance to stretch out. if it's a quiet flight you might be lucky (we had 8 seats between 4 of us on our way to NY)

When you arrive in Oz go straight to Australian time. This may mean you all need a daytime nap for a few days but it will help to adjust. Above all make sure that you eat meals at the right times even if you don't really feel hungry because this really helps to sort out your bodyclock/hormonal rhythms.

have temporarily lost your email so if you want to chat more would you email me again and I'll fill you in on lovely Port Douglas

[BareFootAngel]

and i am scared rigid

[BareFootAngel]

were going to port douglas

[janinlondon]

Have only taken my family to Qld and Vic - but I lived there for 27 years, so have been all over.

[BareFootAngel]

so where did you all do in oz?

[BareFootAngel]

thanks all some really great hints here..pinot!!lol @twitch,,

[pinotgrigio]

Hi BFA,

On my recent flight to Oz (10:30 takeoff) they just fed us dinner and then it was lights out. We were due to land in at 6.15 am and so at 3am it was lights on and breakfast was served.

Of course, it being lights out didn't mean that DD slept, along with me and the nearest few aisles. I spent 12 hours helping her put her headphones back on every 2 minutes and pressing play on Postman Pat 800,000 times.

It hasn't affected me though. No.

[fqueenzebra]

Agree with albert, but also, the only way I can sleep on the plane is to drink a little champagne; works a treat for some of us.

[janinlondon]

BFA what we do on that flight is divide the whole trip (approx 24 hours in our case) into three - one night, one day, one night - because when you get to Oz its early morning and you have to do a whole day before you can go to bed. So the fist leg is an hour or two awake (sheer excitement and they serve dinner as well) - then off to sleep till just before we land in Singapore/KL. An hour or two awake before we land - then awake in the airport for 2-3 hours, an hour still awake on the next flight, then nighty night again. It has worked for us a few times with DD (aged 18 months, then 3.5, then 5.5). Hope this helps!

[CarolinaMoon]

My longest flights have been across the Atlantic, so not quite in that league, but yeah - sleep as much as poss, the flight is tiring anyway. Drinks lots of water (take a big bottle on board with you) to combat the dry recirculated air. Don't booze too much either - v dehydrating.

You just have to eat when they bring the food round - better than going hungry, which will make you feel worse, even if it means eating at 3am or whatever.

[albert]

I always find the best way is to sleep on the plane and then immediatly go to local time when you arrive and stay up until bed time regardless of what time that translates to in English time. Does that make sense? I've done masses of long haul and have found this is the only way for me to survive. Obviously the first couple of days might be a bit tough but you do adapt very quickly. Have a great time!

[Blu]

TRy and sleep lots - but set your watches for Aus time, and treat the flight time as if it was on the Aus day. i.e sleep at what would be Aus sleep time.

Then when you arrive, do your very very best to stay awake until Aus bedtime.

[jessicaandbumpsmummy]

enjoy it! I couldnt do that flight if you paid me - 9 hours to america was bad enoguh! I cant sleep on planes anyway!!!

[BareFootAngel]

lol sounds like boarding school .lights out night night! ..what i mean is if your travelling though time zones how do they work out when sleepy time when breccy time