Traveling to Another Time Zone....

we flew to Montreal from the west coast when my twins were 16 months. we were only there for 4 days but we stayed on west coast time and it worked really well for my twins. it made for a much later start in the mornings, but it was worth it. they never knew the difference.

Fly red eye with plenty of bottles so he can sleep on the plane. Then when you arrive it will be day time and the time shift can begin. Let his body clock gravitate to where it needs to be for him, so if he needs a nap, he gets a nap, if he's hungry, be sure to feed him. He's a toddler and your friends and family will be understanding and very appreciative if he's a happy camper. Coming home, if you can leave early in the afternoon so by the time you get home, it will be time for bed and you can all zonk out in your own beds. The time adjustment will probably take 2 days once your home, but be accommodating as much as you can. You'll all survive. Enjoy!!!

I don't know what you will be doing in Detroit, but if you are with family do you think you can keep him on his normal schedule and time zone without it being a major hassle for you and family? YOur family may have to adjust meal times.
We haven't done a 3hr change, but we have done 2. Realize you are on vacation and somewhere new, so sleep and feeding schedules may be off slightly no matter the time zone. We simply switch to the new time zone as soon as we get there and haven't had any problems.

We flew from Alaska to Washington DC when our daughter was 10 months old, and probably the best advice I can give you is to leave the house with a TOTAL "go with the flow" attitude. Our plan was to keep our daughter on Alaska time (four-hour difference). She has always had a pretty structured sleep schedule -- set bed time and nap time.

So while we tried to keep her on Alaska time, we discovered that she set her own sleep clock (it's hard to get a kid to go to bed for the night at 4 p.m. when her whole environment is saying "it's not even dinner time yet"). And I'm glad it worked out that way -- it would have been some long days for us if we'd chosen to wake up with her the next morning at 3 or 4 a.m.

When we got home to Alaska, we had next to no difficulty getting her back to her structured schedule because the trip home was a major one in itself due to where we live. These little people's bodies wear out easily, so I think that's what makes this kind of thing (reprogramming from time zone to time zone) a bit easier to do.

Good luck!!

Kids adapt to time change pretty well. they don't know what time it is and her time clock will change a little bit just as yours will. We go to ND in the summer and surprisingly due to sun coming up earlier I wake up earlier, which then puts me to bed earlier after a day or so. Same will most likely hold true in your family. As the baby gets woken up earlier, in the morning, her clock will adjust and she'll sleep fairly decent hours........in theory anyway.

Hey L.!

We have traveled to the East Coast about 5 times with our, now almost 3 year old daughter, as well as to France.

My advice: don't try to keep him on West Coast Time - it'll just backfire and stress you out. The first day in the new time zone is the hardest, but children actually adjust to time changes faster and easier than adults. I have found going East to take about 24 hours for my daughter to adjust. Coming back home to the West Coast is easy, because we come home in the evening, go to bed and then she wakes up completely adjusted.

The other pp had good advice - be prepared to go with the flow.

Also, bring extra diapers (about 4 more than you think you need), a complete change of clothing for him, and an extra shirt for yourself. My dd once threw up all over me during a flight and I was so glad to have a clean shirt to change into!!

Oh yeah, bring extra plastic baggies - some small, some large. I used one to stuff that smelly shirt into, for example. Another time, I had to change her poopy diaper in an area with no bathrooms (we were on a loooong line in a secured international airport area). Anyway, I was glad to have a plastic bag to stuff that stinky diaper in until I could throw it away.

Have fun!! M.

Hi L.,

Your best bet is to let your son adjust to the time, the first night he'll be cranky and want to go to bed at his normal time, let him do that and then try and keep him up longer each night. He'll get it figured out pretty quickly though Kids seem to adapt better than us at times.

Enjoy your vacation!

We went to Grand Rapids, MI from Portland, OR when our daughter was 14 months old. Luckily we were staying w/my husbands family who helped ease the burden because she had a TERRIBLE time sleeping. We tried everything!

I would suggest to start by trying to be first in line for the plane, because the 2 front aisle seats have alot more leg room, which can ease transit (you can't sit in an exit aisle...also more leg room, with a child). With an infant you can board first, but other parents know this and line up as well.

Secondly, anything that your son associates with sleep at home you should bring, and if you have a nighttime routine stick solidly to that, even if it means some disruption of other plans. Lastly, if he is having problems, and you are getting no sleep, and staying with family, let others help, or take turns w/ your husband. A tired mommy is no fun or help on vacation. Good Luck!!

I just did Detroit with my 9 month old (although we stopped in Denver for 5 days on the way back, which eased the east-west transition). We arrived on an 8:30 pm flight and she was so amped up she wouldn't go to sleep til almost 11. I went ahead and got her up around her usual time (7:00ish) the next morning and, while she was groggy for sure, and took slightly longer naps that day, it reset her clock pretty well for the remainder of the six day trip. Of course it helped that we arrived in the evening. But either way, I'd recommend trying to set the clock with the wake up the next morning.

Good luck!

Hi L.,
I've taken my now almost 2-yr old from the coast of Oregon to Cape Cod MA three times so far in her life. Each time has been different---usually she adjusts very quickly (more quickly and easily than me), both going and coming. It didn't even occur to me to try to have her stay on one time or another. She usually goes to sleep around dark (ie 7-7:30 :)) and she's used to not waking up until it's light, so it's easy that way. The most recent trip was actually the hardest (for both of us) bc I got tickets that landed us at 10:30pm in Boston, and w/ delays we weren't actually on Cape Cod until about 3am. Neither one of us actually adjusted over the week, I think. Plus there was a "summer virus" that happened that didn't help much. But there's not really much to do about that---it certainly wasn't an ideal trip but we had fun anyway. Don't sweat it trying to plan too much in advance, and definitely bring blankies, pillows, favorite stuffed animal, whatever helps him get to sleep, and you'll figure out what adjustments need to be made or not made.
Have a great time!

We go back East a couple of times a year to visit family. For any trip less than 7 or 10 days, we keep to the West time zone. Works pretty well overall for everyone, esp since it seems that family always wants to get together for dinners or later gatherings - that way baby naps latter, rests and is able to "stay up" with the grownups...plus there's no super early morning wake up the next day! You will find by the latter part of the stay the baby will start to shift a bit earlier in the am and night (so no more 10pm bedtimes, perhaps 9pm for example). That worked really well for us since when we get back we have an easier time at bedtime on West Coast time too!

I take my daughter to Detroit about 3 times a year. I always try to keep her on "seattle time". The summer was rough, because the daylight just seemed to interrupt her circadian rhythm. BUT, it is nice that she "sleeps in" and can "stay up late" while we visit family and friends ;)

I say, do what you can, but don't force it. He will adjust to what his body needs to do.

Have fun in Detroit! Make sure to go to the Franklin Cider Mill for some cider and donuts (and REAL honeycrisp apples!)

I agree with Mara, I have taken my older daughter to MI twice and found it easier for everyone to keep her on west coast time. We didn't force my daughter to stay on west coast time, it was just what her body was used to. Just be flexible; you know what your son needs. Don't over think it and go with the flow. Have fun on your trip.

That's what we did when we went to Connecticut for a week with our 3 month old. We had no problems and it worked out great. We just stayed up till around 2am East coast time and then we got to sleep in really late. ( She sleeps thru the night) THen when we got back to WA, she wasn't on some messed up crazy sleep schedule.

Hi L.,

We live in Idaho but we're from New York. We seem to fly back once a year and we found out real quick how to deal with the time change and the children (3 yr old and 7 yr old).

I leave my watch set to our time zone and my husband changes his to New York time when we get there. We keep the kids on their West Coast time as it is harder for them to adjust then it is for adults and we make my husbands parents just deal with it. We eat with them, but the kids don't!!! It has made the trips nicer and easier on our kids. So the kids eat at their normal west coast time and go to bed at their normal west coast time. When we get back, the kids just need a day to adjust and then they are fine.

We had to do a quick weekend flight (we flew out early Sat. morning for a Sunday afternoon 90th B-day party and flew out early Mon. morning because we had to be back at work). The kids were completely thrown off their schedule - they were 1 and 5 at the time - and it took us a full week to get them back on track when we got back. My husband told his family never again were we doing that to the kids. They aren't happy about it, but is was too hard on the kids!!!

I actually read an article for parents who are moving from one time zone to another that they should spend up to four weeks slowly adjusting their kids to the new time zone before they move.

I hope this helps. Also, another quick tip - visit the dollar store and fill a back pack full of new things and snacks (don't forget his favorit toy or blanket). It will make the trip nicer - as it's all new stuff he hasn't seen - and you won't care if something gets left behind.

T.