Travel with Kids

10 Tips For Surviving Jet Lag When Traveling With Kids

10 Tips For Surviving Jet Lag When Traveling With Kids

Last updated: October 22, 2026. Updated jet-lag and sleep explanations, child medication and restraint qualifications, age-appropriate rest and hydration guidance, and the distinction between personal travel routines and general advice. Date information added October 30, 2026.

Our family’s long-flight journey to Bali

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Originally published in July 2022. The travel and sleep experiences here are personal; check current health guidance and carrier policies for your family.

Our five kids have traveled over 30 international flights around the world. Our longest flight was from Auckland to Los Angeles for 14 hours; we understand jet lag well. What’s the best way to deal with it? How can you minimize the adverse side effects of your vacation?

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Jet lag might leave you crummy, but it may also allow you to get a few early mornings or explore later for the first day or two while little bodies adjust. We try to use this to our advantage and enjoy adjusting to a new time zone. 

I’ll share what we’ve found helpful; give your family time to adjust, since the timing varies by traveler.

What Is Jet Lag, And Why Do We Have To Deal With It?

Jet lag happens when rapid travel across time zones leaves your internal body clock out of step with local time. The CDC’s jet-lag guidance explains this temporary mismatch. Travel fatigue and lost sleep can add to how tired you feel.

Sleep-deprived during a delayed connection

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This sleep disruption is temporary until our bodies adjust to the new time zone and the cycles of that location. The effect varies with the time-zone change and the traveler.

Jet lag can be present in headaches, insomnia, or fatigue.

Sleeping on a plane is never fun (except maybe for those lucky folks in first class) and can be impossible. Our oldest daughter experiences great anxiety about sleeping on a plane and rarely does.

Anxiety can make it harder to sleep on a plane. On past flights, I’ve found anxiety could make it hard to sleep even with eye masks, earplugs, sleep aids, or pillows.

Only over many, many international flights have I been able to get some sleep on flights. I was so nervous and kept stressing about how tired I would be that I could never sleep.

Let me tell you a secret: you don’t have to sleep. Enjoy your movies, books, music, or whatever brings you joy on planes. I love the free movies on long flights and tend to catch up on new releases as we rarely watch anything at home. I also love writing for my blog while on planes, which helps me relax and enjoy the many hours soaring through the sky.

We rarely force our children to sleep on planes at all. Their bodies will tell them when they are tired. We take screens away if they ignore their body’s exhaustion cues (think red, tired eyes, and dark circles while staring at their screen). Within minutes, they usually put themselves to sleep.

If they only sleep 3-4 hours, that’s OK. You know they are tired, but it’s not worth the stress to you or them to force them to sleep.

Tips For Sleeping On Planes With Kids

While we love many travel essentials for flying, especially our inflatable pillows and Seat To Sleep pillows for kids, sleeping on a plane is about more than good products.

As I mentioned above, trying to relax is most important. Having little or no expectations of sleeping on the plane and any sleep that happens will be a bonus. If you are caring for a baby or a toddler, it’s best to expect no sleep. Don’t worry; you can catch up in the following nights.

When we book our tickets, we try to leave the middle seats open in case there is an extra seat. If the center seat is filled, we may ask whether the passenger would be willing to switch to the window or aisle; they may decline, and a seat or seat swap is never guaranteed. Follow crew instructions and applicable seat and restraint requirements. If an extra seat is available, it may give kids more room to rest.

We have used melatonin on past trips. For children, discuss whether it is appropriate, and any timing or instructions, with their pediatrician before travel. The American Academy of Pediatrics’ guidance recommends a discussion with the child’s doctor and healthy sleep habits before considering it.

We have let children sleep on the airplane floor on past flights, but we would not recommend that arrangement. Plan rest in an appropriate seat or approved child restraint and follow the crew’s instructions. The FAA’s child-safety guidance recommends an approved child restraint for young children. A travel blanket can help with comfort while seated; it does not replace a restraint.

Sleep includes non-REM and REM phases, with deeper sleep occurring within those cycles. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s explanation describes how sleep stages and patterns vary with age. A short nap can feel helpful, but it is not a replacement for adequate sleep.

Flight Direction Matters In Jet Lag

The direction of travel can make a difference. On many westbound routes, such as Europe to the US, local arrival may fall on the same calendar day because of time zones, but routes and schedules vary. Westward adjustment is often easier for some travelers; individual experiences differ.

If you are going east, like from the US to Europe, you’ll be spending your “night” on a plane. You might arrive at 3-4 am in the time zone you left, but it’s now morning at your destination. As difficult as it is, aim toward the destination’s sleep schedule while allowing for your child’s age, usual naps, and fatigue. Even 3-4 hours can help. Adjustment varies with the traveler and time-zone change. Yes, you might not even adjust completely before heading home.

If you are going north or south, you are likely staying in your same time zone or within a couple of hours. In this case, treat plane time like you would off the plane. If it’s night, sleep, and if it’s the day, stay awake.

Our Typical Long-Flight Pattern With Kids

Early Morning Flights Going West

If your international flight leaves early in the morning, you will likely go to the airport in the middle of the night. Kids find this exciting and can seem full of energy while struggling to stay awake. Typically, you’ve been up much later doing all the last-minute packing and maybe didn’t even sleep.

We let the kids enjoy the excitement of getting to the plane and try to get them some food (everything is better with a full stomach). Once the plane takes off, we tell them they cannot have screen time until they’ve taken a nap (if we want them to sleep). 

Usually, we will all doze off the first 2-3 hours of the early flight and then stay awake until we reach our destination. We all feel fine, can get food, and then have to get to an earlier bedtime before we crash hard. 

You may wake early, perhaps around 4–5 am, but we use this to enjoy more of the day. Give your family time to adjust; the timing varies.

Red-Eye Flight Going East

Our US-to-Europe trips have included overnight flights (read about our experience moving to Portugal from the US), which we have found tricky. Flight schedules vary; on arrival, plan for local rest while considering your child’s age, usual naps, and fatigue.

For these trips, meals are served in the first 2 hours of the flight, and we let the kids stay awake for this. Sleep is very disruptive when the flight attendants are all over, giving out food.

Once the meals are cleared away, we give the kids a warning that screens are going off and help them settle. Our kids have sometimes slept six to nine hours on these flights, although every child and journey is different. We have used this inflatable pillow on past trips; check your airline’s rules for any sleep product and keep the child’s seating and restraint arrangements safe.

Leslie’s original tips encouraged keeping screens off and settling again after an early waking. A fixed five-hour target is not a rule for every child; consider their age, usual routine, and fatigue.

Tips For Dealing With Jet Lag For Kids

Once you’ve arrived and are dealing with jet lag, what’s the best way to handle this with your kids? Here are my 10 tips:

1. Get your eating schedule on the same schedule as your destination. You can do this even before you leave. Surprisingly, your food schedule significantly impacts your sleep schedule. Get your meal times on what is typical in your destination as soon as possible.
2. Aim for local sleep times, while respecting your child’s usual sleep needs. Short daytime naps can help with fatigue; long naps may make nighttime sleep harder. Keep babies’ and toddlers’ age-appropriate naps in mind rather than applying a blanket no-nap rule.
3. If your kids can sleep on planes, schedule flights in the afternoon or evening. And then, stay up when you arrive until a reasonable bedtime.
4. Try adjusting your bedtime before your trip to the time zone. You can move rest time in 30-minute increments and help the adjustment go easier once you arrive.
5. If children wake in the middle of the night after arrival, try keeping things calm, quiet, and dark. We have used melatonin in the past, but a night waking is not a reason to give or repeat a dose without the child’s clinician’s instructions. Ask their pediatrician for a plan before the trip.
6. For a night arrival, a calm bedtime routine may help the family settle. Consider a hotel close to the airport for the first night.
7. Consider living in your normal time zone during vacation. If you are only changing a few hours or days, you might want to stick to your current schedule, which might mean late mornings and nights but a lesser adjustment overall.
8. Stay hydrated. This is especially difficult when flying for an extended period. The flight leaves everyone parched, which can compound jet lag’s effects. Keep suitable drinks available and drink regularly. Our old routine was to finish an entire water bottle (and have the kids do the same) before security, then re-fill at a water station in the airport and try to get another before take-off. The amount each child needs varies; do not force a whole bottle to match our past routine. You can also consider a drink with electrolytes.
9. Set yourself up for success on the plane. If it would be helpful to sleep on the plane, wear comfortable clothing, bring pillows like our favorite or this one, bring any medicines according to your child’s clinician’s plan, and try your best to rest during your new “night” on the plane.
10. Go outside! Daylight helps when adjusting to a new time zone. Go for a walk or do an outdoor activity the first day.

Have a safe flight! ✈️

Leslie

Additional Reading

30 Must-Have Tips for Flying With a Toddler

Tips for Flying with a Baby

30 Family Travel Items You Need Before Your Next Trip!