Before venturing on my first flight with my 2 1/2-year-old son, I had a lot of concerns. My overactive brain thought about every problem that could likely occur . . . except for the one that actually did. Sure, having a toddler scream and kick on a plane would have been awful, but having him struggle through the time change was worse. Instead of this hurdle being over in a few short hours, it lasted days.
Two hours to an adult really isn't a big deal, but to a highly regimented toddler, it was something that, in hindsight, I shouldn't have underestimated. For days he was taking naps at the wrong time and for the wrong length, eating at odd hours, and waking far too early. All of these little changes made for a grumpy, exhausted, and overstimulated child. This, of course, meant I was also all of those things.
Sure, eventually he acclimated, but not without some strong compromises. A lot of time was wasted on our vacation because of missteps along the way. Knowing what I know now, there are some things I will be more mindful of in the future and one thing we did right.