Tips for coping with a night flight

[katytrott]

Leaving tonight and am wondering if anyone has any good tips for coping with the night flight, particularly with our kids (2 and 7). I guess any tips for the next day would be appreciated as well!

 

[Alesia]

I don't, but you may try asking on the transportation board. There are a lot of very experienced flyers over there

 

[lizabu]

If its a long flight I'd rather have a night flight. I have a couple drinks and sleep through the whole thing. I haven't taken kids on a long flight though but I'm pretty sure they would want to sleep too.

 

[DizneyLizzy]

The only time I've ever been able to sleep on a night flight was on a trip from Buenos Aires to Washington, DC and it was due to the Benadryl and red wine cocktail I had as soon as my dinner came. I fell asleep when the plane was over Bolivia and didn't wake up until we were over central FL (must have been an automatic response to the proximity to Disney!).

This was a school trip that I went on as a teacher chaperone, and I know a lot of the parents who came with us gave their children Benadryl as well to help them sleep. This was literally the only time I've been able to sleep on a night flight. Benadryl and a glass of wine (for the adults) children's benadryl for the kiddies.

 

[DisneysPrincess25]

When I flew home from disney in October we had a night flight. I thought it was a lot of fun actually. I had a window seat and all the lights were so beautiful

 

[kohlby]

I did a night flight back from Alaska with a toddler and it was not fun. He did not sleep at all. I am incapable of sleeping on a plane so my husband couldn't even take a turn to let me sleep. So, my best advice is to plan to sleep in the next day. It's really going to depend on your specific kids how well they do it. If I were to do a night flight - or even a night car drive - I can guarantee my oldest will not sleep and nor will I. (Middle and youngest likely would sleep, but half as much as usual).

Are you flying across a lot of time zones? I'm in the US and my grandparents used to take the grandkids to Europe every so often. The combo of not being able to sleep on the plane combined with the jet lag was tough on me the first day. (I was 8 the first trip and still remember the awful tired feeling the next day). One thing my grandparents did was not let us nap a lot the next day. They would only let us sleep if it was before lunch time for the place that we were. I'd be so incredibly tired but would have to stay awake. That day was pretty much wasted. However, by having us go to bed at a normal bedtime for the local time, our bodies were fixed right away. We adjusted easily to the time change after that first groggy day.

 

[Brian_WDW74]

I've moved this thread to the Transportation board.

 

[bumbershoot]

If you haven't booked it, don't book it. If you have, just gear yourself up for no sleep on the plane and an utterly wasted first day there. Because that is highly likely, and it's best to expect the worst so IF it doesn't happen, you can be extra pleased.

My son would not have slept on the plane at 2, and will not sleep on it at 7. Too much going on.

And since a parent can't sleep unless the children are, if there are kiddie sleep problems, you're up too.