Another travel question

blu-eyedwife

It must be summer with all these travel questions, right?

We're going to Chicago in August for a wedding.  Our options are to take a red-eye flight on a Thursday (leave at 6:55pm, arrive at 12:40am - which would only be 10:40 for DH and I with the time change) or early morning Friday (leave at 6:55am, arrive at 12:40pm)

Part of me thinks it will be a nightmare to travel with a baby in the evening, part of me thinks he'll sleep the entire plane trip and once we get there, and it might help with the whole jet-lag thing.

 

So for you experienced travelers, which option would you choose?  Thursday night or Friday morning?

cantalopes24

I prefer travelling at night or during naptime with the kids. They do usually sleep.

karinothing

I wonder this too since we will be traveling to AZ (6 hours away) at Christmas. My worry about nighttime is. What if they sleep the entire 6 hours and then won't go down again once you get to the new location (and it is still night). Or am I over thinking it?

pennysuedog

Personally I'm a morning person and would take the 6:55 AM flight.  The airport is dead and easier to maneuver through.   LO will have been rested and not apt to be as cranky.

If you go in the evening:

I would be concerned that if you get him to go to sleep in the flight, when you land at 12:40 will he wake up in the bustle of getting bags and a cab and finding your hotel room.  If he wakes does he go to sleep easily again?

Also what if he can't go to sleep on the plane?  Then you have a very cranky over tired baby to deal with.

 

nic326

I  personally would never do a red eye with either of my kids and we fly all the time. I always plan flights during or around naptime and never had problems. DS1 was always hyped up by the whole airport/plane experience and by the time we got off the ground or shortly thereafter he would fall asleep. Red eyes, in my mind, are for adults. I had firsthand experience with relatives this past weekend who did a red eye from Texas to Portland with their babies. Their kids were not only up all night/entire flight, they also didnt sleep until about 9am the next morning and it took them a good 2 days to catch up. The change in schedule, keeping them up late to make a flight, the flight itself and a time change are way to much to put a kid thru IMO. 

blu-eyedwife

As much as I'd love to think LBB will sleep through anything, it sounds like we'll be safer taking the morning flight.  Thanks ladies!

kmart1tm

definitely morning!