Travel Tips

How to Survive Jet Lag

Last updated 16th October 2017

There’s no avoiding it, with long trips across the globe comes jet lag, but with our tips you can get your children back on track in no time.

Before you fly

Adjust your child’s bedtime by 20 minutes each night in the direction you’re travelling.

Book a flight that coincides with their bedtime so they go to sleep right away.

Factor jet lag into your itinerary by giving yourself a couple of days to relax and get over it.

Consider a stop-over somewhere to break up the journey. This will help your family to adjust gradually.

On the flight

Keep everyone hydrated on flights, including yourself, especially if you’re breastfeeding.

Set your watch to the new time zone as soon as you take-off.

When you arrive

Avoid the temptation of going straight to bed, try to power through to the end of the day to a normal bed time hour on the local schedule.

Get out and about in the fresh air, it will help to wake everyone up and, equally, help them sleep in the evening.

Meal times

Feed your children at local meal times, but keep them light in the evening, being too full can stop children sleeping well.

Be armed with healthy snacks for grazing between meals.

Bedtime

Have a nap at normal naptime and make sure you sleep when your children sleep.

Don’t let them over sleep though as it will take longer to adjust.

If they wake up in the night and are hungry, encourage them to stay in bed, give them a light snack and a book to read.

Try to stick to routines as much as possible, but be flexible, letting children lie in or go to bed a little later than usual.

Top Tip

It’s worth bearing in mind that jet lag is worse when travelling from west to east.