Flying with kids or babies in tow is no simple feat, but there are ways to make it easier. One of which is carefully selecting the time of day you choose to take off. According to research, there are optimal periods that vary by your child’s age, whether they’re a newborn or a teen. “Many parents assume overnight flights are always the best option; that isn’t necessarily true for every age group,” Omar El-Gohary, chief executive and superintendent pharmacist at IQ Doctor, explains. Further, some parents disregard the possibility of jet lag altogether, as Julissa Baez, pediatrician and clinical professor at New York University, has observed in her practice. “The most common misconception…is that babies and young children do not get jet lag,” she notes. Although children of all ages are affected by the travel fatigue differently, the direction of travel matters greatly. Eastbound travel, such as the UAE to Australia, is generally harder on children than traveling west to Europe or the US. To help you make the most of your summer travels, we break down the best flight times for kids by their age category below.
0-2 years old: Morning
While popular opinion suggests red-eye flights are best for babies, Baez recommends 6 to 9 a.m., the time frame infants naturally sleep. The thinking behind this is that it avoids disrupting the all-important bedtime routine and, as El-Gohary sees it, removes “pressure for babies to sleep on cue.” While your baby is small enough to have an unpredictable nap schedule, taking an overnight flight could be deemed a risk. “A baby who refuses to sleep on a night flight can leave parents dealing with over ten hours of overstimulation, crying and exhaustion in a confined space,” El-Gohary says. To align with natural wake windows, morning departures work best, particularly if you “keep naps flexible on travel day.”
Tips for flying with 0-2 year olds:
- Avoid arriving at the airport too early
- Feed during take-off and landing to help with ear pressure
- Pack one completely new toy for mid-flight distraction
- Don’t try to force destination bedtime immediately after arrival
2-4 years old: Late morning to early afternoon
Toddlers are notoriously difficult to travel with as they have big emotions and an abundance of energy. That’s why a late morning or early afternoon flight is best—after they have tired themselves out running around at the airport. “They’ll be rested, thus preventing meltdowns from over-exhaustion,” Baez says. You are doing yourself a favor by skipping the early morning wake-up, because “disrupted sleep routines can trigger emotional dysregulation for the entire day,” El-Gohary adds. To further prevent the risk of a breakdown, Baez urges parents to bring familiar objects such as pajamas, toys, and blankets along for the trek.