We are flying to Germany with our 4 year old in a few days. I am not worried about the flight - there will be 4 adults and one child, so I think we have that covered. But, I am worried about jet lag once we get there. Does anyone have an advice on how to help our son adjust as quickly as possible to the time change? Thanks in advance!
We do the trip once a year...
Last year (and I am planning on doing this the same this time) I just let my daughter adjust on her own. She would be up EARLY (like 3 AM) for the first few nights but came around fast.
I did cut short her naps, or she would have slept all day, but I did let her have additional naps when she was very tired.
Good luck!
We travel to Europe once a year. The kids usually adjust within a day or two. I wake them up in the morning and try to get them outside early to be exposed to natural daylight. Coming back I try to keep them up in the evening until closer to their normal bedtime and again try to go outside in the late afternoon.
We just returned recently from there. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!
Make sure you drink plenty of fluids and get up an move around once in a while. When you get there switch to the time there and get on their schedule.
Victoria
My daughter went to Europe last summer with my Hubby... she was able to sleep on the plane. The flight to Europe was about 23 hours total from our State. Once there, she slept when she was tired. My Hubby did not 'rush' her around once they landed in Europe... but let her adjust first. She was pooped. So, they slept whenever she was/needed to rest or sleep for the first day or so. Then she was fine. If for example she was tired, she was 'allowed' to say so and that my Hubby would let her sleep in or nap etc. Or, if they were sight seeing... and she got tired... then that was fine...they would rest.
Hi D.,
Your child will adjust faster then the adults. Have a great trip.
Blessings....
I lived in Europe for about 10 years and have a lot of experience with trans-Atlantic flights. Many jet lag symptoms are really related to dehydration, so try to get your child to start drinking extra water at least 24 hours before your flight. Don't just push water on the plane--you need to be drinking extra water well before that. Continue to encourage your child to drink plenty of water on the plane.
Exposure to natural daylight is helpful for resetting body clocks, so when you arrive in Germany, try to spend a lot of outdoor time with your child on the first day.
Often jet lag feels worse the second day after your trip than the first--be prepared for your child to be extra cranky then, and try not to come down too hard on him if he's a little squirrely.
The best advice I can offer is to immediately switch to the new time zone, try to resist the urge to nap once you arrive, and make sure your little one gets lots and lots of outdoor time. The sunlight will help him adjust...
Enjoy!
It will probably easier than you think, as you will both be jet-lagged and adjust together (so you will be awake/sleeping at similar times while adjusting). In my experience, children adjust even better than adults.
Have a nice trip!
