Originally Posted by
gelaro
IMO, as the parent of an infant and a toddler, I think red eyes are probably better because they are normal sleep times. I recently took my family from DTW to SAN for a vacation. I took a day time flight out (which you have to) and the kids slept for an hour on the first leg, and then were very awake on the second, and it was hard to keep them quiet and in one place.
On the red eye on the way back, right after take off, both of them slept all the way from SAN-ATL.
Given the options, as a parent I would rather take them on a red-eye, and as a passenger, I would rather other parents take them on a red-eye.
+1
If you have to travel long-distance with a baby or toddler, it makes more sense to fly at night, when the chances of the child sleeping for much of the flight are greater than during a daytime flight.
Our daughter-in-law has to return annually from the UK to Australia, for re-certification in her job. This year, she had to take her 15-month old daughter with her.
She reports that the night flights LHR to SYD (with intermediate stops) were much easier (because the child slept much of the time) than the return, mostly daytime, flights.
You simply cannot make a toddler stay in one place for a 14-hour flight. It's much less disruptive for all concerned to choose a night flight.