Top Travel Tips for Helping Babies and Toddlers Sleep Soundly While On Vacation

At the end of my time working with a family, we have a Graduation Call to celebrate the wins and I always answer any questions the parents have. One of the most asked questions is for tips to continue with sleep success while traveling.

The wheels don't have to fall off regarding sleep, just because you aren't at home.

Whether you're flying across the country or heading out on a weekend road trip, ensuring your little one gets their much-needed rest can sometimes feel like a real challenge. But don’t worry! With the right preparation and a few clever tricks, you can make sure your child sleeps as soundly on the road as they do at home.

Stick to a Routine (as Much as Possible)

• Babies and toddlers thrive on routines, even when they’re in unfamiliar environments. Try to keep your routine the same on vacation as you have it at home!

• Usually read a book but forgot one? Look up a short story on your phone, or make up a story and tell it to your little one at book time.

• Bring your white noise machine and use it!

• Bring a few books from home to read during your bedtime routine.

• If it's a late night and bedtime is while you are out and about, bring the items your child normally sleeps with on your late night adventure, such as:

  • Sleep Sack

  • Pajamas

  • Sound machine

    and when its bedtime, or when you are about to leave to head back to the house, do a very brief version of your bedtime routine. Sing the song you always sing at bedtime, while putting your child in pajamas and sleep sack, then say night night, turn on your portable sound machine, buckle them into the carseat and head home.

    
    

    Likely, they will fall asleep on the way home, and that's okay! When you get home, have it as dark as possible, and without talking or eye contact, carry your baby to their crib, lay them down, and walk away! If they have sleep skills, they will do just fine settling into their crib soundly.

    
    

    If they lack sleep skills, and the transfer to the crib at bedtime is a rough one, I can help! You can schedule a call with me to discuss your child's sleep struggles and we can chat about how I can help!

    
    

Bedroom Set-up

• If your child is in a new place, try to replicate their bedroom setting. The familiar feeling will help them settle down quicker.

• Is your baby's room dark at home? Set yourself up for success with portable black out curtains, or find yourself some black trash bags and blue painters tape and tape those trash bags over the window! (so long as your child isn't close to the window. Safety first!) That is a great way to quickly and effectively darken any room!

Choose the Right Travel Gear

The number one mistake I see parents make while traveling is to start co-sleeping when they weren't co-sleeping before. Don't get me wrong, this is not me saying no to co-sleeping. If that works for your family, then I am all for it!

But, if you aren't co-sleeping, and don't want to be when you come back from vacation, don't start co-sleeping on vacation! Your child will think that is their new normal and might expect to sleep in your bed when you get back home!

• Bring items that help with sleep, like a travel crib, portable blackout curtains, or a favorite blanket or stuffed animal.

• If you’re flying, consider bringing a familiar car seat to make naps easier, as it’ll feel familiar to your child. This was a game changer when my daughter was two, flying from Texas to California! She slept the entire flight soundly in her car seat! Woohoo!

• Lightweight, portable cribs or bassinets are key for both road trips and hotel stays. Call the hotel or Air BNB you are staying in and ask if they have any portable crib options!

• The slumberpod is a great way to help darken your child's sleep environment!

  
  

Be Flexible and Patient

• Things won’t always go as planned, so try to stay flexible and patient.

• Try to not over plan your day with super stimulating activities all day long.

• Have backup plans in place (i.e., quick solutions for calming them, like a stroller nap or letting them relax for a while in a different setting).

Extra Tips

• If your child is eight months or older, my advice is to try to make some sort of a

private space for your baby to sleep. This could be the bathroom (if it’s big enough with air flow) or the closet! Yes, I've done both! Anywhere that you can build some sort of a partition between you and your baby, so that if she has a wake up in the middle of the night she is not so excited to see her two favorite people that she ends up wide awake thinking it is playtime! Of course, getting an extra bedroom for your child is great if that is an

option for you.

• Try very hard not to skip a nap. An occasional car nap or stroller nap is a great option, but try not to make a habit of it for every nap while on vacation. It simply is not as restful as a nap in the crib. However, a car nap is better than no nap if you have no other option.

• If possible, have the first crib sleep in a new environment happen at bedtime, and not for a nap. This is helpful due to sleep pressure being at its highest at bedtime vs naps, so you are likely to see better sleep success at bedtime!

Traveling with babies and toddlers can seem like a daunting task, but with these tips, you can help ensure that sleep is one less thing to worry about. By sticking to routines, creating a sleep-friendly environment, and being patient with the process, you’ll find that both you and your little one can get the rest you need—even on the go."

Now, if you baby doesn't sleep well at home, likely they won't sleep great away from home either. But the good news is any baby can learn to be a good sleeper! With a bit of coacing from me, you can teach your child to be a fantastic sleeper in a short time. You can schedule a call with me here to book your free consultation!

If your child was a great sleeper before vacation, but came back struggling to sleep well, I can help with that too! Don't hesitate to reach out!

Happy Vacationing!

Kayla