What It Means
Jet lag is what happens when you cross time zones faster than your body clockCircadian rhythmThe body's roughly 24-hour cycle of physical, mental and behavioral changes, such as sleepiness at night, kept in time by a clock in the brain that follows light. See more can follow, so sleep and wake times stop lining up with the clock where you've landed. CDC's Yellow Book notes that time zone changes and broken routines can upset sleep in babies and children just as they do in adults. For travelers, CDC advises shifting bedtime before the trip and switching to the destination's routine on arrival.
Try It: Plan a Child's Bedtime Shift Before a Flight
Enter the trip and your child's usual bedtime on a 24-hour clock (20 means 8 p.m.). The starting numbers are an example.
Earlier than usual, because you're flying east.
Later than usual, because you're flying west.
More than 3 hours from home: on arrival, follow the new time zone's sleep and wake times, and spend daytime in well-lit places.
A small change. Shifting bedtime before you go may cover most of it.
How People Say It
- "She was wide awake at 3 a.m. the first night in Rome."
- "We're nudging his bedtime earlier all week before the flight."
- "Keep them out in the daylight tomorrow, it helps."
The Breakdown
Formula
Pre-trip bedtime = usual bedtime minus 1 or 2 hours when flying east, or plus 1 or 2 hours when flying west, as CDC suggests.
Worked example. A family flies east across 6 time zones. Their child usually goes to bed at 8 p.m.:
| Step | What happens |
|---|---|
| Days before the flight | Bedtime moves 1 hour earlier, to 7 p.m. |
| Gap left to cover | 5 hours |
| On arrival | The new time zone is more than 3 hours from home, so the child follows local bedtime and wake time |
| First days there | Daytime in bright, well-lit places |
What the result means. The shift before the trip only closes part of a big gap. The rest is made up after landing by keeping to local sleep and wake times and spending the day in well-lit places. CDC also suggests arriving at least 2 days before anything important, which gives a child's sleep time to settle before a wedding, a game or the first day of a program.
Good to Know
Buhata's sleep scheduleSleep scheduleThe set times a person goes to bed and gets up each day, planned so they get the hours of sleep recommended for their age. See more page lists CDC's recommended hours of sleep by age, a useful check while a child adjusts. Ask your pediatrician before giving a child any medicine or supplement for sleep. If a child's sleep is still upset well after the trip, talk to the pediatrician; the CDC Yellow Book's chapter on jet lag disorder is the clinical reference.
FAQ
How do you help a toddler with jet lag?
Start moving bedtime an hour or two before the trip, earlier for an eastbound flight and later for a westbound one, as CDC suggests. After landing, keep to local sleep and wake times and spend the day in well-lit places.
Should bedtime move earlier or later before the trip?
Earlier before flying east and later before flying west, by an hour or two, according to CDC's traveler advice. If the destination is more than 3 hours from home, switch to its sleep and wake times on arrival.
How early should we arrive before a big event?
CDC suggests arriving at least 2 days before any important event, so there's time to adjust to the new time zone.
Do It in Buhata
Calendar, Reminders
Put the flight on the Calendar and set a Reminder for each evening of the week before, with that night's new bedtime.
Open BuhataRelated Terms and Categories
- Circadian rhythm
The body's roughly 24-hour cycle of physical, mental and behavioral changes, such as sleepiness at night, kept in time by a clock in the brain that follows light.
- Sleep schedule
The set times a person goes to bed and gets up each day, planned so they get the hours of sleep recommended for their age.
- Flying with a baby
Air travel with a child under 2, which starts with one choice: a lap infant on an adult's lap, or a ticketed seat with an FAA-approved car seat.
- Motion sickness
Feeling sick from the movement of travel by car, boat, plane or train, which CDC says is most common in children from 2 to 12 years old.
- Packing list
A written list of everything to bring on a trip, ticked off as each item goes in a bag so nothing important gets left behind.
- Travel insurance
A policy bought for a trip that can repay prepaid costs if you cancel for a covered reason, and pay for medical care or evacuation while away.
Sources
CDC Travelers' Health, "Jet Lag"; CDC Yellow Book, "Traveling Safely with Infants and Children"; CDC Yellow Book 2026, "Jet Lag Disorder"
- wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/page/jet-lag
- www.cdc.gov/yellow-book/hcp/family-travel/traveling-safely-with-infants-and-children.html
- www.cdc.gov/yellow-book/hcp/travel-air-sea/jet-lag-disorder.html
Last updated .