How to Travel Without Ruining your Child’s Sleep
So you’ve worked hard to get your baby into a great routine. Your baby is sleeping through the night, naps are going well and you’ve worked to create the ideal sleep environment for your child. All of this is great and something you should be so proud of, however, the reality of life is that you’re not always going to be able to have that perfect schedule and environment. The anxiety leading up to a trip or family vacation with a little one can be overwhelming, especially while worrying how it will impact your little one’s sleep routine.
This is something that I have lots of experience doing. We don’t have any family where we live and travel often to see them. My husband and I are also very much “get up & go” type people so we have taken our daughter all over the place in the first two years of her life. And while we love to travel and take her to new places, sleep is usually not something I am willing to compromise on. Here are some tips on traveling while maintaining your little sleeper’s good habits!
Try to schedule travel time around nap times. If driving or flying somewhere, try to plan to leave at naptime. Car/plane naps are almost always successful especially in children under 1. Allowing them to nap while you are traveling will not only make the travel experience a bit easier, but it will also ensure that your little one is well rested when you reach your destination.
Practice naps at home in the pack-n-play. If your child isn’t used to sleeping in a pack-n-play or whatever it is they’ll be sleeping in while traveling, allow them some time to practice sleeping in it at home. This way, when they are in an unfamiliar setting, being in an unfamiliar sleep environment won’t be too shocking to them.
Try as hard as you can to recreate their sleep environment. Obviously when traveling, your baby’s sleep environment won’t be exactly the same but there are some things you can do to make it feel like home. Travel with familiar things like a sound machine, their comfort items from home (if they follow safe sleep guidelines), and try to make the room as dark as possible. There are some really great suction cup black out shades on Amazon that work great to black out a room. The use of a SlumberPod is also a great thing to keep the room dark but also help your baby stay on schedule if you’re room sharing.
Follow the 80/20 rule. While traveling, it's inevitable that schedules are going to be different because you’re going to be out and about and wanting to do things. The 80/20 rule is a helpful tool to help your little one stay on track. 80% of the naps/nighttime sleep will remain on schedule and in their crib, while 20% can be changed or happen on the go! For example, if you know on Thursday you have a late dinner planned, make sure naps that day follow schedule and are in the crib so your baby can handle a later bedtime. Following something like this will help avoid our child from becoming overtired, because let's face it, traveling with an overtired toddler is never an enjoyable experience.
Prep work! Prep work! Prep Work! This rule really applies to toddlers. There is one thing toddlers don’t like and it’s surprises. Toddlers want and need to know what’s happening.
Relax! (or try to). Remember that not everything is going to go perfectly while traveling with a baby or toddler. Take the good with the bad and take each day as it comes. Try as hard as you can not to reestablish new sleep habits like co-sleeping, feeding to sleep, rocking to sleep, etc in order to make the transition back home a little easier. Remember, you little one can do it and the more you expose them to different surroundings and environments, the more flexible they’ll become. Have fun and make memories with your little one!
And…if you find that traveling has done a number on your little one’s sleep schedule, we are always here to help you get back on track!
