How to beat Jetlag for kids: Tips from JetlagandMayhem.com
Seasoned traveller with kids and author of handy travel blog Jetlagandmayhem.com Nicola Burke is here to help us get through the jetlag phase… phew! A great website for handy travel tips, we hope you get some sleep soon. Here’s what she has to say:
So you’ve returned to Hong Kong after a wonderful trip abroad feeling relaxed and rested. Only to find a week has passed and your kids still won’t sleep at night! Jetlag can be tough but here are some tips to try to beat it…
Nicola and family are expert travelers but even experts get jetlag!
- Flying East is acknowledged to be far more difficult than flying West. For example, when I take my kids to see family in London, we encounter very little jetlag. On our return to Hong Kong it’s a different story with up to a week of sleep interruption.
- You might not have any choice on this but where possible, choose a flight that allows you to arrive in the day time. It is much easier to readjust the body clock in daylight hours.
- Factor jetlag into vacation. If you had been planning to share one motel room with the kids, you might want to look into booking a hotel with a one bed suite etc to allow you to be in separate rooms.
- Get onto local time asap. I normally approach the first day with a more relaxed attitude but from day two, it’s back to normal with no extra naps!
- Go outside and soak in some daylight. This will help to regulate your bodyclock.
- Move bedtime to a later slot for the first few days. If I put my kids to bed around 9pm instead of their usual 7:30pm, I find it helps to get them through the night.
- Keep kids stocked up on food and healthy snacks throughout the day. For babies, you might want to give a few extra milk feeds.
- When the kids wake up in the night, don’t rush in immediately. See if they will resettle and if they don’t, keep lights and voices low and help them understand it’s not playtime and they should stay in bed. On a recent trip back to Hong Kong, when my daughter woke at 4am, I let her read her books in bed on the understanding she would go back to sleep when she felt tired. Needless to say the next morning I found her asleep, faceplanted on the pages.
- There are some great homeopathy blends available to help kids sleep using herbs like lavender. Or you can try a dose of antihistamine to help with drowsiness e.g. Piriton
- Your kids might surprise you by adapting easily. Or they might frustrate you by remaining awake. Either way, don’t let it put you off making that trip – nobody stays jetlagged forever!
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