Dealing With Time Change on Long-Haul Trips With Kids

I am the first person to say “take them with!” when it comes to long-haul flights and trips with kids. However, I'm also the first to tell you sometimes it can be HARD! Traveling long distances with kids is not easy but definitely doable.

My oldest daughter was, and still is, the best traveler but my youngest causes my husband to second guess every trip we plan on taking with them. I’m still not afraid because for me, the journey is just a small part of the memories and adventure I get to have with my family.

After our family trip to Hawaii last year, I had minor PTSD from the return home flights with baby Ella—but it was so-o-o-o worth it.

Here are some tips for travel on long-haul flights and dealing with your kids during big time changes.

On the Flight:

Be prepared mentally: Look, the calmer and more “go with the flow” you are, the better. Flying with kids and babies IS stressful, especially if you are flying in the U.S. or from the states to anywhere else. Americans are jerks when it comes to family travel. I've never been thrown more shade in my life then when I was in first class with my oldest traveling to Hawaii. (She was better behaved than the adults, by the way.) Heck, a young woman next to me on my way back from Hawaii last year asked me to take her husband’s middle seat (for a 10-HOUR FLIGHT) and when I told her sorry but my husband and other child were directly behind me and I need them nearby for help with my infant in arms, she cried and was texting her husband about how horrible I was and how her trip was ruined because she was next to a baby. Yup seriously. (Although truth told, SHE was the baby!)

An entire blog could be dedicated to the shade we have gotten from complete strangers when traveling with our kids. Anyway, there's no changing this and it makes travel even more stressful, but if you can just get your mind in the right space it helps! I tell myself over and over this is just a small part of the adventure and the trip will be amazing.

Make sure to have everything you might need for the flight in your carryon: See my post on things to bring on the plane. Having it all accessible and ready to go will make things go more smoothly. Don’t only focus on what the kids need. Make sure to have what you might need as well. Not sure what to pack? Here are some tips on what you won’t want to forget when flying with small.

Give your "little" an Ibuprofen or Benadryl before takeoff: If you know your kids might have problems with their ears or falling asleep, give them something that will help me them feel better. Obviously, don’t medicate them for no reason! However, our pediatrician told us to give our baby meds before we board to play it safe. Everyone's opinion on this is different, but I play the "better safe than sorry" game when traveling with kids.

When You Get There:

Don’t focus on acclimating to the time change: Depending if you are going backward in time or forward when you arrive, make sure to take some time to settle in and nap if necessary. Don’t just embrace later nights or earlier mornings for the time change acclimation. The longer you stay the more your kids will adjust, but it is vacation. You don’t have to go to bed early OR sleep in. Watch the sun set together or greet the sunrise at breakfast.

Stay at an Airbnb, other house rental, or true suite hotel: Having a place to yourself makes travel so much more comfortable when you have small children. If you have separate rooms you can put the kids down for a nap and not have to lay quietly in a dark hotel room in the middle of the day! Honestly, now that I have experience with this type of travel rental it is hard to go back to typical hotel rooms, except for two (or more) bedroom suites.

Bring your own Travel Crib: If you have a baby or toddler, bring their travel crib with you so they have a familiar place to sleep. This has helped with both our girls up until the point when our youngest learned to crawl out. We have small toddler cots that fit in a suitcase so depending on where we are going and how much room we have for the girls, I will bring that along for either CC or Ella.

Find the nearest grocery store and pharmacy: Travel always requires some last-minute snacks or needs you left at home. Finding a quick spot to hop in and buy some essentials will help make the trip more comfortable for everyone.

Bring a sound-blocking machine from home: New places have new sounds and can be scary for littles. Just like having a similar place to sleep that includes their nighttime noise machines will make them more comfortable, and drown out any unfamiliar sounds that might wake them up or scare them in a new setting.

Overall these things have helped me when traveling on long-haul flights and through changing time zones with young kids. Most of all, my biggest advice is the take a deep breath and enjoy the experience. Don’t plan everything and go with the flow! There is limited controlling little kids and babies, so the less you try the more you will enjoy the experience of traveling with them.

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