Jet lag, Kids and Family Traditions

I am an early riser. I love that sneaky time before anyone else is up and you can imagine what life must have been like before cars. I love the freshness of the air and the promise of possibilities. The Hindu’s believe the early morning is the most sacred because it is when God is closest to earth.

When our kids were born I stopped liking the early morning so much because it wasn’t my choice anymore. After having been up half the night, 5AM was not my sneaky alone time, rather the fourth shift.

And then we moved to London and the 5 hour time difference to my in-laws, or the 8 hour time difference to my mom’s made 5 AM feel like mid day.

What do you do when you are wide awake at 3AM with a 4 year old and an 8 year old in a house of sleeping elderly parents?

The pajama adventure was born.

Our mornings went like this:

3 – 4 AM We would lie in bed and have sneaky chats in the dark about what we wanted to do that day, how excited we were to be with Grandma and Grandpa. What was happening RIGHT NOW back at home. But the rule was, stay in bed.

4 - 5 AM Small light on, quiet book reading. Sometimes a nap!

5 AM Enough already. We have bed sores and are BORED and going nuts being quiet.

Out the door, in pajamas. It started because I never had enough forsight to lay out clothes the night before But then the boys and I decided life is a whole lot more exciting if you are doing something a bit unexpected, and wearing your pajamas outside fits the bill.

Places we have been at 5 AM in pajamas:
• Playgrounds. Not much competition for the good swings.
• Beaches. Have you ever watched the steam rise from a Vermont pond at the sunrise?
• Other people’s gardens. There is a lot of wild lawn art out there. Go count the cement frogs!
• Swimming. Hotel pools usually open at 6AM
• Grounds of historical landmarks. Yes, that was us in pajamas on Abraham Lincoln's front lawn at 5:37 am
• Adventure walks. Stick the word Adventure in front of anything and it becomes a whole lot more interesting. These Adventure Walks would be around the block but who knew what you would find!

One rule: Pajama adventures always end at the local donut shop. Who else is open that early?


Tricks for Getting Kids Over Jet Lag Quickly

1. Stay awake as long as humanly possible. Go to bed at the local time.

• A well placed new toy can be worth an hour.
• Avoid television – out in five minutes, especially if a couch or comfortable chair is involved.
• A bath! Not only does it get rid of the nasty airplane feeling/smell it can change at attitude and increase energy level. Warning: do not leave a jet lagged kid alone in the bathtub, even if they are 5/6 and use to taking a bath alone. I have had a kid fall sleep in the tub!

2. Switch your watch and your conversation so it makes sense to local time.
Eat meals at the local time.
Go to bed at the local time.

3. When kids wake up too early, do quiet, boring things in the hopes they go back to sleep in the first couple of hours.