Managing Sleep while Traveling Multiple Time Zones with Kids!
This one is inspired by my fellow hockey families that travel abroad for the season! We make the move to Europe and back to North America twice each year for my husband’s work as a professional hockey player. I’ve done this trip with children from when they were babies up until 6 years of age and have attempted a couple approaches and feel like I’ve landed on the most successful way to manage sleep with time changes!
I’m going to separate this blog by direction, as that tends to have a factor in how we tackle sleep. I’ll also include some ideas for traveling shorter time zone changes and general travel tips at the end.
There is a saying about time zone travel that goes something like: ‘West is best, East is a beast.’
Traveling multiple time zones East is typically more difficult than traveling west. This is because when we travel East, the travel day exhausts us, yet the time change means our body’s circadian rhythm isn’t ready for night sleep when it is nighttime in our location. Westward travel, however, has us staying up later than our bodies are used to, which is easier to do.
I’ll be using the example of traveling New York to Germany (crossing 6 time zones) for this, but you can use this plan to create your time zone adjustment plan with your kiddo even if the time change is different.
The general rule of thumb when traveling multiple time zones is to expect 1 day of adjustment per hour of time zone you traveled through.
*When reading through these recommendations, don’t underestimate the importance of a dark sleep space when adjusting to time zone shifts. Controlling your child’s exposure to light is arguable the most important thing to do!*
4+ Time Zone Change: Traveling West → East
Because our travel each year involves us moving to our new location for at least 3 months at a time, I use a somewhat gradual approach to adapting to the new Eastern time zone we are heading to.
*If you aren’t planning on being in Europe for a long-haul trip, you can consider keeping your child on their body clock from back home and have late nights and late mornings in Europe. This can work especially well for visiting countries like Spain and Greece, of whom culturally have later schedules. I’d just very much recommend using a blackout solution for the morning hours, as light plays a huge factor in setting our circadian rhythm.*
Often, when traveling east, jumping right into the new time zone with your child’s bedtime backfires. If your child usually goes to sleep around 7:00 p.m. in New York and you try to put them to bed at 7:00 p.m. when you arrive in Germany, their body thinks 7:00 p.m. is actually 1:00 p.m. (6 hours behind) and is likely to treat bedtime as a long nap and then be up for hours in the middle of the night. I’ve been there, it is nicht spaß (‘not fun’).
Their usual bedtime on the German clock will be 1:00 a.m. Therefore, this approach involves adding in an extra nap during the day on day 1 in order to stretch them towards a later bedtime, one that falls closer to the bedtime they are accustomed to back home.
For this example, I would recommend trying to help your child stay up closer to 12:00/midnight on night 1 in Germany, or closer to their typical bedtime back home. This may mean adding in an extra nap or 2 to help them get there, depending on when you landed and the age of your child. In the morning, as long as the environment is conducive to sleep, (dark, cool, white noise) they will likely sleep their usual 10-12 hours. This is when we start our shift.
If they went to bed at midnight German time and are still sleeping at 10:30 a.m.; wake them up.
Immediately expose them to light, as light is one of the biggest factors in setting our circadian rhythms.
Continue to go about your day adjusting meal times and nap times as necessary based on a 10:30 a.m. wakeup time, aiming for tonight’s bedtime to be 10:30 p.m. This may mean you have to cap naps during the day if your child is extra sleepy from the trip so far.
Continue this shift of waking your child an hour earlier each day until you are back on your usual schedule in your new time zone.
If your child wakes in the night, it’s not necessarily important to try to make them sleep, as that may be asking too much during a time change. The number one priority to helping them adjust to their new time zone is to keep them in their DARK space for any wakings overnight. Allow them to have quiet play in the dark, or with a very dim light. As soon as you notice tired cues again, help them back to sleep the way you do at home (rocking to sleep, nursing to sleep, giving them space, etc.).
4+ Time Zone Change: Traveling East → West
Ok, now let’s talk about traveling back to New York from Germany. Heading West involves us trying to stretch our child later than they are used to instead of putting them to bed at a time way earlier than they are ready, which tends to be easier to do. However, it can come with super early morning wakeups.
On day 1, try to stretch your child to their usual bedtime on the clock in the new timezone. So if your child was back to their 7:00 p.m. bedtime in Germany, try to stretch them as close to 7:00 p.m. as possible (this is like keeping them up until 1:00 a.m. in Germany).
If they wake early, keep them in their dark sleep space until 6/7:00 a.m. You can take them out of their bed and have quiet play if they seem wide awake, but keep them in the dark and help them back to bed at their first signs of sleepiness. Keeping them in the dark is KEY to their adjustment as light plays a large role in setting their circadian rhythm.
If they are sleeping still (or spent some time awake and are now sleeping) at 7:00 a.m., wake them no later than 8:00 a.m. Expose them to light immediately and adjust your day accordingly, aiming for tonight’s bedtime to be back at their normal time or slightly later.
Traveling 1-3 Timezones
The first question to consider is ‘Must you adjust?’ If the trip is short, it may be best to stick with your child’s typical sleep times from back home and not adjust them for the trip. This can work well traveling East and allow you to have some later nights/later mornings.
It could mean, however, that you are putting your little to bed very early if you are traveling West. But, because westward travel is an easier adjustment, you could just keep them up until their typical bedtime on the clock. Keep in mind that they may wake at their usual time biologically, which may be as early as 4 or 5:00 a.m. on the clock. Keep them in their dark sleep space until at least 6:00 a.m. and then start your day. It may take them a few days to adjust, but jumping right in to the new time can be helpful for smaller time zone shifts.
Another option is to start the adjustment before your trip. You could take 1-3 days before you leave and start shifting their schedule later for Westward travel. Shift all meals and naps 30 minutes later each day and you’ll be well on your way before your trip.
Other Travel Tips
Remember, LIGHT manipulation is very important when working with time changes.
Being able to have their sleep space cave-dark is a key component to helping adjust the circadian rhythm and simply to help children sleep well (hello, melatonin production!). You can read this blog post about blackout solutions, but if you travel often, I highly recommend trying a SLUMBERPOD. Save $20 on one using my code: RESTGROWTHRIVE$20.
Utilize light exposure during waking hours to help! Expose your child to light first thing in the morning and also throughout the day in your new destination.
Shift mealtimes too! This is another external cue to help us work on shifting our circadian rhythms.
Ultimately, remember that your body is adjusting and jet lagged as well. Your jet lag experience may even line up with your child’s, so if they are up in the night, yours may be too. Jet lag is certainly a distruption, but remember that it is only a temporary one!
In addition to light manipulation, help your child sleep well in an unfamiliar environment by recreating their home environment the best you can. Bring their white noise machine and if over 12-months, their lovey or favorite stuffed animal. Bring their favorite book to read during your bedtime routine. Have a consistent bedtime routine that they can depend on, even in a new place.
If you are reading this, I assume it’s because you are traveling (or moving, fellow expat hockey peeps!). I hope this post helps you have a smoother adjustment and have a great trip!
