Your 3 Day Guide to Surviving Baby Jet Lag

20 Comments

  1. Gemma Hall

    Thank you so much for this article. My 21mo adjusted well in the UK. we got back to Aus 1am local time and all seemed well for the first day. But then she woke so upset at 11pm, seemed confused, really wanted to sleep but too upset in the cot. I read your article and it helped so much. After 3hours awake she went to sleep. It’s just nice to know that getting her up is ok and what to do from here so thank you 🙏🏻

    Reply
    • Alyssa Taft

      You are very welcome! Always feel free to reach out at support@babysleepmadesimple.com if you have any questions!

      Best,
      Alyssa, BSMS Client Support Manager

      Reply
  2. Aubrey

    Thanks for all this! Your post has definitely been the most helpful out of everything I’ve looked at.
    We just traveled from Utah to England with a 7 hour time difference. On night one, our 19-month-old was up for about 1.5 hours, and we just started the next day at 11am. Should we even let him nap, or just try to stretch his wake windows and put him down for an earlier than normal bedtime?

    Reply
    • Artemis

      Hi Aubrey,

      I’m so happy to hear you found this helpful!

      It’s tricky to travel with little ones. I find it always works best to get on your regular schedule as soon as possible. If you need more guidance, our travel guide is great for that:
      https://courses.babysleepmadesimple.com/offers/fXz99Krr

      Let me know what else you need!
      Artemis, BSMS Support Team

      Reply
  3. Kelly

    We’ve just returned to the UK from America – 6 hour time difference. It’s been 7 days today and every night so far, my daughter has woken up somewhere between 10-12 and stayed up for 4 hours before she goes back to sleep until the morning. It’s like she’s treating bedtime as a nap? Her usual nap length is 2.5 and I already tried letting her sleep as much as she wanted because I thought she needed to catch up on sleep but there’s been no difference. Should I try and limit her sleep to 2 hours instead? Maybe 2.5 hours is too much for her at the moment and she can’t readjust? She’s only 10 months old but she’s been on 1 nap for 2.5 hours for about a month and a half and sleeping through the night… until we’ve been back! Please help!

    Reply
    • Artemis

      Hi Kelly,

      I’m so sorry to hear how Jet Lag has disrupted your daughter’s sleep. We would LOVE to help you get back to where you were – with a little one who sleeps amazingly for naps and nights.

      We can help you get there! Our program + support package will help you achieve this:
      https://www.babysleepmadesimple.com/baby-sleep-consultant/

      I highly recommend you get the support option so we can help you work through your unique schedule due to the time change. I think this will be a great option for you – getting to chat live with a sleep consultant who can help you and your unique circumstances.

      I can’t wait to possibly work with you, Kelly!

      Artemis, BSMS Support Team

      Reply
  4. Xenia

    Hello team this is fantastic ! We just returned home to Australia from Europe with our 5mo and the nights have been brutal – she would do a first stretch of 4-5h and then want to play from 2-3am till the next feed and eventually sleep in the morning. We are exhausted to get her out in daylight as need to also catch up on our sleep – any tips you would have ? I was thinking of leaving the blinds up in the morning so that she could at least see the daylight. Thank you !

    Reply
  5. Madeline

    This is very helpful, thanks! Any advice for if you’re traveling in the opposite direction (baby wants to go to sleep/wake up super early instead of sleep in)?

    Reply
    • Artemis

      Give them 1-2 days to see if they’ll adjust on their own. If not and they’re still waking really early on day 3, I would let them nap a little more to stretch them to an appropriate bedtime. Even older kids that no longer nap might be tired enough for a one-hour siesta (especially with lots of physical play & outdoor time in the morning.) If you can push bedtime to 7 pm or later, that should help them wake up later in the morning too.

      I hope this helps! Checkout our travel guide here:
      https://courses.babysleepmadesimple.com/offers/fXz99Krr

      Artemis, BSMS Support Team

      Reply
  6. Jennifer W

    Thank you! This article was very useful! My husband and I are soon going to be flying from London to San Diego (staying there 1 week) before flying to New York and staying there 3 weeks. I will apply as much of these tips as I can but I am very nervous about how all those time zone changes are going to affect our baby who is almost 7 months old. Any extra tips on surviving this?

    Reply
  7. Teresa

    Great article, thank you!
    We just returned from Europe and my 23 month old adjusted great on the way there, but coming back to CA with a 9 hour difference has been terrible. We are on night 3 of him waking up for 3+ hours each night. We have been letting him have a 3 hour nap, then waking him up. We have a snack in the dark, then I rock him and pat his back, he just can’t fall back asleep for hours. Do you suggest we just continue on this path?

    Reply
    • Artemis

      Happy you’re finding the article helpful!

      I would start tightening up the schedule as the blogpost says and wake your child at 9 am latest. Then limit the nap to 2 hrs and start to dial down the energy of the house 2 hrs before bedtime. Start your bedtime routine 30 minutes before it’s time to sleep and get your little one nice & drowsy.

      Keep trying, you’ll get there!

      If you want to sleep train & hop on a call with one of our sleep consultants ASAP, get our sleep program (with support). It’s on sale! You get 15% off when you enter the coupon code ‘2022’ at checkout. Here is the link:
      https://www.babysleepmadesimple.com/baby-sleep-consultant

      Hoping to see you there!
      Artemis, BSMS Support Team

      Reply
  8. Lauren

    Hey Jilly, should we be concerned about overtiredness? For instance, if 16 month old is having awful nights (not sleeping more than 6-7hrs when he usually does 11-12), during the day should I still keep his nap to 1.5hrs? That’s his norm. I’m concerned that limiting the nap will mean he’s overtired and not able to sleep at night. (He’s having an awful time adjusting back to our home time zone after a 9-hr shift. First two might have been really rough so far with 2-3hrs awake straight and other wake ups too. He just screams if we put him in his bed but also resists being helped to sleep with nursing or carrying) Thanks for the article and appreciate any additional tips!

    Reply
  9. Merrian Brooks

    This is really helpful. In my own sleepiness the last thing I need is generic advice. This is sooo helpful and answers the questionss of what to expect and what to do in practical terms when they wake up. I’ve read a lot of articles and this one by far is the most helpful. We are an expat family with a one year old and though I love the work I do I have not been looking forward to jet lag. This helped calm my nerves before the trip and i just read it again on night one!

    Reply
    • Micaela

      So glad to read <3 Thank you for this comment! Micaela BSMS Support Team

      Reply
  10. Sherry

    Love this – more helpful tips than what I received from my sleep consultant (who kept repeating 1 day for each hour…not practical when there’s a 16 hour time difference!) who didn’t have any practical tips to offer despite paying for the consult. Our little guy did great at destination – adjusting pretty much day one. Coming home though….he keeps wanting someone to be in the room with him (he’s 2 and has his own room, but the crib in the hotel was beside our bed) and waking repeatedly in the night. Unfortunately we’re all back to work and a 6am wake up is required for all!

    Reply
    • Jilly Blankenship

      I’m so happy you enjoyed the guide!

      Yes, your LO probably got used to sleeping near you. You can sit in a chair next to his crib while he falls asleep at bedtime and for all night wakings. Each day move your chair a little farther from the crib, toward the bedroom door. After a few days pop in and out of the room for him to get used to falling asleep on his own again (which will help him sleep better at night.)

      Communicate with him a lot during the day. Let him know that now that you’re back at home he can sleep in his “big boy room” with his stuffed animals and you’ll be checking on him all night. Let him know your expectations.

      This plan works really well in about 3-7 days.

      Good luck!
      Jilly

      Reply

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *