Tips For Baby Sleep During Travel
Traveling with your babies can be such a fun and exciting adventure! But I’d be lying if I didn’t share that many parents worry about their children’s sleep while traveling. And oftentimes it can feel like sleep (or lack thereof) can literally make or break a good family trip! However, as a mom of 3, 3 and under, I’m here to encourage you and share that you can travel and still get sleep with your babies! I’m including all my best sleep tips below so read on!
Travel sleep tip #1: Expectations
First things first, let’s get our mindset right before you travel. Yes, there are tips and tricks you can use to help encourage good sleep while you travel but it’s important to keep in mind that most children (and most adults for that matter) just don’t sleep as well outside of the safety of their familiar home. That is completely normal and okay.
Your child’s sleep may get completely off track while you travel, through no fault of yours or theirs, simply because traveling is tiring and overstimulating and different. This is also very normal.
So it’s best if you go into your trip understanding these facts and being prepared for sleep to be a bit wonky. It may not be that bad but I’d rather you be fully prepared instead of blindsided.
It’s also important to remember that traveling with small children is what we call a family trip… and not a vacation. It’s not going to be a relaxing time because you’ll still very much be parenting the whole time- just in a different location than usual! When you can head into your trip with reasonable expectations and understanding of what’s normal, it can make a big difference in your attitude and also in the way your children respond to you.
Travel sleep tip #2: Conducive sleep environment
Next big piece to tackle is that sleep environment. You know how important it is for your baby’s sleep at home and it is equally important while traveling. You want to do whatever you can to mimic your conducive sleep environment from home.
Darkness: You’ll want to be able to get their sleep room very dark for naptime and bedtime. Personally, we use and love the SlumberPod for achieving this. The SlumberPod is a privacy pod that fits over your pack n play (or mini crib, toddler cot, or toddler inflatable mattress). It creates a pitch dark environment so that you don’t have to worry about covering windows with trash bags and tapes. It’s also a wonderful option for when you have to share a hotel room with your child. When using the SlumberPod, we can put our little ones down for bed and still stay up late watching tv or moving around the room without worrying about disturbing them!
You’ll also want to be creative and see where you can offer a darker sleep environment for naps on the go. Whether that be a car seat cover or window shades for the car windows, see where you can help encourage your child to nap on the go whenever possible by blocking out extra sunlight.
Portable white noise: After you get room darkness checked off the list, you’ll need to grab your sound machine too! This can be the same one you use at home but if you want to go above and beyond, it’d be a great idea to bring a portable white noise machine for those car and stroller naps too. Portable sound machines like the Hatch Rest Go are great because you can charge them up and then take them on the go wire-free! The Hatch Rest Go even has a clip for extra portability and hands free use!
Other items to bring:
Pajamas and sleep sack- just like they use at home!
A couple of their favorite bedtime books
Any loveys they are used to sleeping with
Lotion for massage after bath time
Extra pacifiers if used for sleep
Now that you’ve figured out how to make the sleep environment ideal while traveling, let’s give your baby some practice!
Travel sleep tip #3: Practice at home
About 3-4 days before you travel, I suggest setting up your child’s pack n play (or inflatable toddler bed) in their room and have them sleep in it. This can be really good practice because your child likely hasn’t slept in these spaces for quite a while- if ever- and getting them used to it can be a huge help.
Whatever sheets you use for these practice nights, I recommend you don’t wash them between practicing and traveling. That way when you put the sheets on the pack n play during travel, your child will recognize the familiar scent and feel even more at ease in their new travel sleep space.
If you have a SlumberPod, I also recommend you practice with it 3-4 days before you travel. If your child is unsure about the SlumberPod being fully zipped up, start with it only partially zipped and gradually zip it more and more each night. Another alternative is to turn the lights in the room off before you place your baby in their travel crib with SlumberPod so they barely even notice that you are placing them within the SlumberPod.
Travel sleep tip #4: The 80/20 rule
It’s a great idea to work on following your usual sleep schedule but you are on vacation so we know that sometimes schedules need to get thrown out the window and that’s okay! It’s important to strike a balance between prioritizing your child’s sleep when possible and also enjoying your family trip and not feeling stuck inside all the time.
I recommend following the 80/20 rule for the above reason. This means that, if possible, try to be on your typical sleep schedule and sleep routines about 80% of the time you are traveling. During this 80%, stick with your usual bedtime and naptime routines, aim for sleep in their most ideal travel environment, and follow the same sleep schedule you would if you were at home. Then 20% of the time you can loosen up more and skip the bedtime and naptime routines (usually this happens with naps on the go), offer naps in the car, stroller, while baby-wearing, or maybe even skip a nap if necessary, and don’t stress if the sleep schedule gets messed up.
Take comfort in the fact that well rested babies are able to handle those off days better because they are well rested from that 80%!
Travel sleep tip #5: The early bedtime
This sleep tip goes hand in hand with the 80/20 rule. When you inevitably have those off days here and there while traveling, don’t fear the early bedtime. Say you have a day full of crappy and short naps and you can tell your child is tired and crabby and over it! Offer an early dinner and get them down for bed early too. This not only can stave off excessive overtiredness but it can also give your baby a chance to recover some of the lost day sleep by heading to bed early.
Contrary to popular belief, offering an early bedtime will not lead to an extra early morning wake up time. In fact, your child is more likely to wake up early if they are overtired and awake too long between the end of their last nap and bedtime than if you were to push them to a later bedtime.
Generally speaking, 6pm is the earliest I would offer bedtime but use your judgment- along with your baby’s typical schedule- to guide you on what is considered an early bedtime in your case.
Final thoughts for managing baby sleep and travel
It’s not unusual for travel and poor sleep while traveling to cause a sleep regression. Try not to panic if this happens. The best things you can do if this occurs are to:
Focus on what you can control while still traveling: sleep environment and sleep schedule for your baby.
Continue with your consistent and predictable bedtime and naptime routines so your baby knows exactly what to expect.
Stay consistent in your approach to sleep while gone so that you don’t inadvertently add in new sleep habits that you just have to break later on.
If you do accidentally add new sleep habits (rocking to sleep, replacing pacifier over and over, bedsharing, etc.), try to return to normal sleep habits as soon as you get back home. Pull your old sleep coaching method out and apply it in order to reset the expectation that your child can (and should) fall asleep independently like they used to.
Be patient as it may take a few days of being home and being consistent to get back on track. Remember, if you add in new sleep habits, they are unlikely to magically go away just because you are at home. You will probably need to actively work on removing them to get out of this regression.
Seek support if you need help getting back on track! Read more about my one hour consultation calls to help you get back on track after travel.
