Help- 9.5 Month Old Has Jet Lag

Hi M.. We've travelled with my son (now 2) A LOT! We live in the UK and have done several trips to SFO and a trip around the world including Australia so I've been there.

What we do is get him right back on his schedule in the local time. If we arrive during the day we put him down for a nap as close as possible to his normal time and let him sleep no more than 3 hours (his usual nap is about 2). We then keep him busy until bedtime(ish). We're flexible an hour or so either way depending how tired he is. He then wakes up (and this is like clockwork on every trip we've ever taken) at about 1am and is AWAKE. I let him get up and we do a passive activity - books, a video or something like that for about 2 hours. I then tell him it's bedtime and we go through our normal bedtime routine (minus bath) and he goes to bed and sleeps through until morning. This usually lasts 3 days and on the 4th night he sleeps through. We keep his naps to routine - though he sometimes sleeps a little more or less than usual which is fine.

The other thing I would say is that if you haven't used the Tylenol, etc before to make her sleepy beware. It makes my son really unsettled. We tried it on a flight once and never again!

Good luck. I feel for you but don't worry she will get back on track eventually. D.x

1 mom found this helpful

Just as most people are stating 2-3 weeks is the norm. My daughter has a hard time with regular spring and winter time changes so travel time changes are eve more rough on her. Tylenol and Motrin will not make your baby drowsy - just more comfortable if the teething is bothering her. Not all babies experience pain when teething either so the Motrin might be a moot point. Not sure why you're giving her both other than Motrin lasts 6-8 hours and Tylenol 4 hours. I'd reconsider the meds. You're better off adjusting her "sleep" times as many have suggested. Good Luck.

Hi, M. M--

I can imagine how difficult the situation is for you and your husband. Just like us adults, her circadian rhythm will go back to its normal routine. My main concern is her taking "Motrin and Tylenol to make her drowsy." Even if there is something wrong with her, I would not let her take those drugs. What she needs is more patience and love from you for she may be suffering also and just could not express it.

E. C

Try putting her down later at night (around 8:30).I think that will help.

She should be laid down for a nap after about 2 hours of awake time during the day hours, so several naps a day...about 3-5 naps.

My older son has been traveled with us to the East coast and Hong Kong mutliple times. When we went to Hong Kong, he was 20 month old. It took him about 6/7 days to adjust. We tried to keep him occupied and feed him at regular time during the day and when he woke up at night, he usually was hungry, so we gave him some snack and milk. Then we let him play for a while and then turn out the light and put him to bed. His sleep schedule improved gradually and by the end of the first week, he was fully adjusted. Hope this helps.

Hi there,

We live in Italy, so have experienced jet lag with our now 20 month old on a few occasions! It is so hard, I feel for you! What I ended up doing is taking her to bed with me (husband slept on the couch) and breast fed her whenever she work up. If you aren't breast feeding, then you could try using a bottle? After a night or two of this it helped.

Hang in there. She will get back on schedule eventually!

Good luck!!!

H.

Hello,

I am Australian and have travelled many time there and back. It is very easy for me going home but coming back is really hard. I would give it a couple more weeks. It usually takes me 2 weeks to adjust. What we did with our little one is try to put her to bed a half hour earlier each night.

Does motrin and tylenol make them drowsy? I never heard that.

Good luck

P.

5 days? Thats all. It usually take my girls and I a week to start to adjust. This direction is harder than towards Austrailia.

Hi M.,

I have a sister in law in Australia and a MIL in England. It takes them both at least a week to adjust when they come here. Everyone is a little different. Maybe your daughter just needs a few more days.

Someone told me once, and I believe it, that the absolute hardest part of having a baby is the lack of sleep!

Good luck to you!

Our Dr. told us it takes approximately one day of recovery for every hour of time change. If Australia is 10 hours different in time zone, expect to take 10 days to get back to normal. This seemed to be true when we traveled to Europe.

Dear M.,
Sometimes nothing you do will bring an immediate solution. I don't know when for you would be the time that you and your husband would most like to sleep. For me coming back from Europe it would be early evening. Because it can take almost two weeks for everybody to readjust, I would recommend to try and find someone the take your daughter for a couple hours and babysit while you and your husband sleep. In my experience things get easier when I am more patient and I am more patient when I get a little sleep... Unlike your daughter you and your husband still have to function ant work...
It's like if you have a cry baby. You can't cure it just like that, but you can deal with it better when your sleep needs are met...
By the way it will get better. Now my kids are 11 and 13 and as long as they are quiet everybody adjusts in their own way. We are back to normal after 10 days. Good luck. A.

We took our 5 month old to China. Going west is always easier for me, and it was an easy adjustment going there for the baby, the return was another story. It took about 2 weeks to get back on track with the sleeping. When you're going through it, it seems neverending, but they do adjust eventually. Hang it there. One thing that helped a little was limiting daytime naps to 1.5 hours at the most during the adjustment. Good Luck!

Give it a few more days. When I went to Europe the first time my son who was an infant adjusted right away. Coming home he took a while to get adjusted. the next trip when he was older he had the problem reversed. My daughter who was an infant when we traveled the first time took forever to adjust when we got home. I want to say it took about 10-14 days for her to get back to normal. Sorry, but sometimes I think it just takes time. Hope you had a nice trip.

It takes a while for them to readjust, up to 2 weeks. Tylenol and motrin won't make her drowsy. You just have to bite the bullet and let her readjust on her own. You can't force it. Be patient, you messed with her routine a little and now she is messing with yours :-) It will get better. Take care