I can't emphasize how important this is. I once a read a book called "Your Survival Skills Are Killing you". It was all about the human brain and how it functions and what it prefers under various circumstances. It talked about how the human brain craves routine and as an example it mentioned that this is why most people get sick right before going on vacation. Even though going on vacation is exciting, it is going to interfere with the routine. At the time I chose to respectfully disagree with that statement, because after all I know that I am not a routine type of gal. I like to be spontaneous and I love change. Fast forward to last year when I attended a talk for parents at a Montessori School and the speaker spoke about the development of babies and toddlers and said many wonderful things but what stood out to me the most was when she said that babies crave routine. Their brain needs a routine and this allows them to be calm and not constantly wonder about what is going to happen next which then allows the brain to focus more on learning and exploring.
So what does it mean to set a routine for a baby? The best example would be the eating and sleeping schedule. If your baby has a good routine for sleeping and eating, even if the time zone changes they will adapt quickly. Here is personal example from when we visited Sicily this summer with my then 9 month old. At home, his night time routine was to eat a small amount of solid food, followed by a diaper change, a nursing session, and being put in his crib. When we arrived at the house we were staying at in Marsala, this pretty much remained as his going to bed routine. Albeit, in the middle of the night he woke up sometimes and had to come snuggle with us in our bed, but bedtime routine was always the same. He followed a similar pattern with his 2 naps during the day.
Set a routine. I promise you it will be the best thing you ever did. It is way better than overpacking to make sure you have all the things!
2. Plan the Travel Time During Baby's Sleeping Hours
This is not a secret and many parents use this method already. They book an overnight flight in the hopes that the whole family will get to sleep on the flight or that the car will be quite on that long drive. If it is possible then it is a great option. Especially if the travel time matches with the night time at your destination. Baby will end up getting less hours of sleep but they are quick to adjust themselves, again if you have done a good job taking care of setting that routine for them. Also remember that night time travel is better than travel scheduled around a nap in broad day light. Unless you have a very young one, your baby will most likely want to skip that nap out of excitement and wonder. Eventually though, they all settle down...some sooner than others.
3. Forget About Getting Rest....As A Parent
Have you heard of the phrase, "permanently exhausted pigeon"? I feel like nothing resonates better with parents. Just because you have a good routine and buy your tickets for when your baby should be sleeping, it does not mean that you have guaranteed yourself a comfortable journey. The goal really is to have a calm and happy baby who is not causing you worry and stress. Everything else is an add on bonus. Truly! Sleep? Oh that 's for the weak! Forget about sleeping...unless you have a magical baby that will sleep 8+ hours in a car seat on his/her own plane seat (which by the way if you do, you are so lucky and I am not sure why you are reading this!), you will either have to hold your baby on your lap or I even saw some parents wearing their baby which is definitely safer if you happen to doze off but certainly not more comfortable for your posture.
Everything in life is about your attitude. Set your expectations right and you will have a much better attitude to handle everything. On our most recent trip, my 9 month old slept pretty much the entire flight to our destination and I even got to watch 1 movie. All fine and dandy except that my right hand fell asleep from the weight of his head on some vein in my arm responsible for taking blood to my hand! How could I complain about a hand that was asleep when I got to watch a movie on the flight though? At least a part of me was sleeping.
4. Wear That Baby