traveling with baby
If nothing else, your baby is portable. And fear of disrupted sleep shouldn’t stop you from enjoying a weekend get-away or international travel. Here are tips to let the good sleep roll when you’re on the road with babies and young children.
be prepared
The best thing you can do to prepare your child to be an easygoing traveler is to help her learn how easy it is to fall asleep for herself. Once she masters this skill she will be able to sleep anywhere and you will have the advantage of well-rested travel companion! (This is what we’re working on daily over in The Rested & Connected Effect. Learn about it here.)
Don’t Forget to Pack:
Baby wipes (even if your child is out of diapers, stash packs of these in your car and bag)
Your bedtime routine essentials (favorite book, sleep sack, sound machine, etc)
Extra diapers (if your child typically wears 4 diapers every 24 hours, then bring 5 for each day and stash an extra in your car or bag)
Muslin swaddle blanket (nursing and shade cover, lovey, wiper-upper)
Extra snacks
A children's sleep tent like a "Kid Co Pea Pod" or “SlumberPod”
A travel blackout blind ("The Gro Anywhere” or “Tommee Tippee” travel curtains are great)
Travel Days
Travel day is about survival, despite your best efforts to allow your child to sleep at her regular times, it might not happen. (Hence those extra snacks I mentioned above.) Nap might be on your lap or she might skip it entirely or even take an extra one that you weren’t expecting. If needed, aim for an early bedtime that night (up to 45 minutes early in a pinch).
Don’t fret if it’s not a normal day for sleep but make sure not to over schedule the next day to allow for more normal naps.
At Your Destination
Whether on a road trip or an airplane, in a hotel or tent, bring your nap and bedtime routines along. Have a quick wipe down to simulate a bath if a bathtub isn’t available, read a book, use a sleep sack, and sing a song - whichever steps are part of your regular routine at home.
Your child’s average awake time i a gauge that helps you know how to time their next sleep and is the most important factor to pay attention to while traveling.
You don’t want to undershoot nor overextend the amount of awake time your child has between sleep times by more than 30 minutes if you can help it. And you want to have a sense of when your child will be due for his next nap so that you can plan to have him sleep in the car seat, stroller, carrier, or a bed around that time.
If your child knows how to fall asleep in a bed, he won't forget how to sleep just because he’s in a new location. We all get our best sleep in our own beds but we can still fall asleep elsewhere. Assume your child will be fine, he will pick up on your confidence and tone.
If he struggles, offer reassurance but try to avoid going back to old sleep props. If this happens, let it be a one-time occurrence and try not to allow it to become a habit again. Motion sleep (i.e. carrier, stroller, or car seat) is a better option than sleeping on a parent or while feeding.
If you have to share a room all evening, keep things dark and boring until your child is asleep.
Jet Lag
If you’re traveling to a new time zone for more than a week, get over to the new time as soon as possible (ideally within 3 days). The sooner you adjust, the better. You can wake your child from naps or offer an extra nap to make this happen, but mind their ideal awake times! To reduce jet lag, eat meals at the local time as soon as possible and try to get outside in between.
If you’re staying for less than a week then it’s okay to let baby settle somewhere halfway between home time and new time because you’ll be going home again before you know it.
Home Again
Once home, put your baby down in her own bed at the first nap or bedtime you are home for, even if sleep went sideways during your time away.
Happy travels,
Sierra