Kids and Jetlag

[soccerchick]

Hi,

We are traveling to Paris in October and we are taking our DD who will be just shy of 3 yo. Have any of you traveled with small children over time zones and have any advice to share?

Thanks for any input!

 

[RUDisney]

We brought our children, 5 and 6 at that time, home from Russia last November. It was a 10 hour flight home and the time difference between Moscow and EST is 8 hours. Let me just tell you that the kids did great.

Now, mind you, after 10 hours of flying, our bodies were telling us that it was midnight when we landed at JFK. Then, we had to drive what should have been 2.5 hours home, but it took us 4 because of the NYC traffic. The kids both got sick in the car. I think Kristina's body was telling her enough was enough. Ivan got sick because of the smell that was in the car after Kristina got sick. Thankfully, my Mom is always prepared and she had plastic bags in the car and there were enough nap kins saved from Dunkin Donuts and McDonalds to clean up without having to pull over. She also had purell for our hands after cleaning up. Sorry about the picture I've put in your head.

Anyway, they adjusted to our new time zone in a matter of 2-3 days. I, on the other hand, thought I'd never get to see 10:00 at night again for the rest of my life. I finally felt human again after about 2 weeks.

The kids had some coloring books to keep them occupied and a game boy, not much else. They sat next to the windows and watched the horizon and plus the flight attendants were constantly bringing snacks and drinks and we were up and down alot to use the bathroom... the kids thought it was cool and liked the loud "whoosh" of the toilet.

Going to Paris should be easy because the flight over will be at night, so your DD should sleep. Back shouldn't be that bad either since her jetlag will not be as bad as yours, since her job is to play all day and whether your a SAH Mom or work outside your house, your job is to do everything for everyone.

Have a wonderful trip!

 

[lisaost]

Well we flew with DD to and from Arizona when she was 4 - a bit shorter than Paris but still she was wiped after both flights. DH and I went to Paris three years ago (ah it seems like only yesterday ) and we were fine for the early part of the day - even went to the Louvre for a while. But around 4pm or so we couldn't move a muscle and crashed at the hotel for three hours of wonderful sleep. Luckily, Parisians eat pretty late and we didn't miss dinner at all. I would say that might be a bigger issue than you think - not sure if you've ever been there before but they eat late and evening meals are LONG which might be a difficult scenario with a tired 3 yr old.

Enjoy your trip! It was the best vacation I have ever taken and I will take my children some day because I can't wait to go back.

 

[NotUrsula]

By which I mean that if it was my son, I would expect him to be completely adjusted by the 6th day there. Paris is six hours ahead of us, same time zone as London, where we visit frequently. At age 5, DS continues to adjust at the rate of 1 hour per day, which has been the case for the past 3 years. The first night, he doesn't want to sleep until 2 am, next night 1 am, next night midnight, the next night 11 pm, the next night 10 pm, and by the sixth night he's back to his normal routine.

We do the same progression in reverse when we come home. DH and I always adjust completely by the third day. I find that the adjustment is always worse coming home than going.