This Is The Best Time To Fly With Kids To Avoid Jet Lag

Traveling with kids means packing everything under the sun and remembering to charge all the tablets for the flight. But what if you could also try to avoid the crankies when you finally arrive at your destination? If you’re worried about disrupting your kids’ sleep schedules, we asked sleep experts the best time to fly with kids to avoid jet lag. There’s no super simple answer, but there are definitely things you can do to minimize the impact. For starters, you’ll need to understand how jet lag works.

Kids are even more sensitive to jet lag than adults.

“Jet lag happens when your internal body clock — your circadian rhythm — is thrown out of balance due to the fast travel across different time zones. Children’s biological systems are still developing, making it difficult for them to adjust as their internal rhythms will be less adaptable than those of adults and more sensitive,” says Martin Seeley, sleep expert and founder of Mattress Next Day.

He adds that kids are more likely to experience jet lag than adults because insufficient sleep stacks up faster for them. One or two bad nights can do them in, whereas an adult’s sleep needs might be more flexible (and they can supplement with caffeine).

The direction you’re flying plays a big part in jet lag, too. “When you fly east, you lose time. If you lose time, then you need to fall asleep earlier than usual to try to stay on your schedule. This is more of a disruption to your schedule and can exacerbate jet lag,” says Andrew Colsky, LPC, a behavioral sleep medicine clinician and host of the radio show Sleep Science Today. “Flying west adds hours to your clock. This extra time allows you to go to sleep later — closer to your normal time — and it is easier for your clock to stretch forward more easily.”

When children travel from one time zone to another, their internal body clock stays set to the time at home while all the signals around them, like meal times, sunrise, and sunset, indicate the destination’s time, Seeley says. It can cause trouble falling asleep, waking up at an appropriate time, and more fatigue, crankiness, or tantrums. There can also be physical symptoms, like constipation or nausea, he adds.

So, obviously, nobody wants that.

The Best Times To Fly With Kids To Avoid Jet Lag

In general, flying at night seems to be the move. Here’s what Colsky and Seeley recommend depending on your child’s age.

Babies (newborns to age 1)

“Try to fly at night,” Colsky says. “This is because babies need a lot of sleep already, and their circadian rhythm is aligned with the nighttime hours. By traveling at night, they will be sleeping when they normally do and may not experience jet lag.”

Seeley gets more specific, saying outbound flights are best taken during your baby’s usual nap (so midday or early afternoon) and return flights should happen overnight. Think about which direction you’re flying and plan from there.

Toddlers (ages 1 to 3)

“For long flights, if your child is a good sleeper and you have the option for a night flight, that will be your best choice. This is because they will be asleep mostly at their regular sleep time and may not experience jet lag. If the flight is a short one, try to schedule it for after a regular nap time. This timing will align with their regular routine, and you can entertain them while they fly, again keeping their natural sleep rhythm intact,” Colsky says.

“The best time to fly outbound is overnight, if they sleep easily or in the early morning. The best return flight time is in the afternoon,” Seeley agrees. “It matches their natural nap window, meaning they can rest mid-flight and be more adaptable upon arrival to avoid overtired tantrums.”

Kids (ages 4 to 12)

Kids in this age bracket can be reasoned with when it comes to sleeping on the flight, so flying at night wins again. Colsky says you can prep them that they’ll be sleeping on the plane and get them excited to wake up in a new and exciting place. If the flight is short, flying in the morning when they’re still well-rested will help preserve their sleep rhythms, and they can watch the progress out the window, he says.

Seeley seconds this for outbound flights, adding that he would plan a return flight for early evening and “start dimming lights and screen an hour before landing to mimic bedtime cues.” This way, you can ease them right back into their home time zone.

Teens (13 & up)

Kids in their teens sleep more and later than at other ages, Colsky says, so treat them like babies and travel at night if you can. “Try to wake a teen in the morning for a flight and prepare for pushback,” he says. “It is easiest to travel at night, especially for eastbound flights, as teens are old enough to entertain themselves, and if they are bored on a long flight, they are more apt to sleep at night.”

How To Help Kids Get Over Jet Lag

Realistically, when has an airline ever worked with our plans perfectly? If you can’t find ideal flight times for avoiding jet lag, here’s what you can do to help minimize its effects on your kids (and your vacay):

• Keep it light and bright when they should be awake and dark when they should be asleep, Colsky says. This helps their circadian rhythm adjust.
• Tough out the crankiness the first day without extra naps. If you have to take one, keep it brief, lasting 30 to 45 minutes, and avoid taking any after 2 to 3 p.m., Colsky says. Stay up until bedtime at the new location.
• If your kids aren’t ready to go to bed at your new location’s time, let them stay up a little later the first night and then gradually shift the bedtime forward each night from there, he says.

While you can’t always control your flight times, it’s nice to know that you might be able to hack your kids’ circadian rhythm and avoid jet lag from time to time. And even if you can’t, there are ways to make it less intense for your kids and yourself.