How To Vacation with Littles Like a Pro
Whether your traveling a few hours away by car or hopping on a plane to a different time zone, traveling (especially with your sweet little in tow) can be SO exciting, but also a little scary and stressful. I totally get it. There is lots of preparation, and if you’re like me, anxiety, that goes into planning a trip with your family, especially when babies are involved.
I recently spoke with a mother of a 6 month old who told me “we want to sleep train, but we really can’t because we travel frequently back to my home country, which is multiple timezones away.” Wan’t to know my advice?
Keep living life and making those plans to travel! Just because you’re traveling a few hours (or a few times zones) away, doesn’t mean your baby’s sleep needs to be a total disaster. You can still have a well-rested baby during a vacation. Want to know how? Here’s my advice.
Control What You Can
Part of the reason why traveling with our kids is stressful is because there are so many factors that we can’t control. Will my baby take a normal nap or fight it? How long will they sleep? Will they be grumpy at dinner? The list could go on and on, but here is my advice. Focus on the things you can control.
Start The Day Well- Rested
You may not be able to guarantee how long or when your baby will nap, but you can provide one solid nap a day to prevent an overtired baby. If your little is taking 2 or more naps a day, try to get that first nap of the day in the hotel (or wherever you are staying). Starting the day off with a well-rested baby, allows for some leeway regarding naps during the rest of the day. Don’t stress if they occur on contact, in the stroller or in a carseat somewhere. Snuggling your sweet baby or offering a nap in a different location than they’re used isn’t going to derail their good sleeping habits. Once you return home, you will be able to get them back on track in no time.
The Sleep Environment
Don’t forget to pack your sleep travel essentials when packing your suitcase! That should include a black out shade, white noise machine, swaddle or sleep sack (depending on the age of your little), and a comfort item from home like a pacifier or lovey.
The Nap & Bedtime Routine
Keeping these routines the same as at home, will provide your little some familiarity and consistency. It will cue their little body and brain to enter sleepy mode.
The Power of The Catnap
Vacations are usually jam-packed with carefully planned, fun-filled activities. Although, those plans may unravel if you have a cranky, tired baby on your hands. Most babies leave the cat nap stage behind them somewhere around 4-6 months. However, there are some occasions where a catnap is absolutely necessary, and sometimes that happens on vacation.
Picture this, you’re on vacation and know you will be heading out to dinner soon. You know your baby is going to be up a bit later than their normal bedtime. In order to prevent unhappy, sleepy baby, who is melting down at the dinner table, offer a catnap! A 20-45 minute nap can work miracles for your little one, who is normally used to going to bed a bit earlier.
How Do I Help My Baby Adjust To a Different Timezone?
Traveling through a different timezone (or two or three) can be even more stressful than just traveling a few hours away. If you’re traveling west to east, you actually may benefit from the time zone change. Traveling in this direction will allow for your little to stay on their own schedule, wake later and go to bed later so you can make those 7pm dinner reservations. Sounds like a win to me!
If you are traveling east to west and it is not possible to maintain your baby’s current schedule, offering a catnap in the late afternoon can help your little stretch to a later bedtime. Other parents find that splitting the difference of the timezone is an easy way to help their little stay awake longer. In timezones with a difference of two-three hours, pushing bedtime an hour or later combined with all the distractions of vacation can help your baby stay awake a bit longer. Doing this each day will eventually get your little accustomed to a new sleep schedule while you are away.
What do I do When I return from Traveling with My Little?
Once you get home from vacation, return to your normal routine as quickly as possible and leave any vacation sleep woes behind you. If you have been consistent with your routines and sleep training techniques up until this point, you can continue to use those same techniques to get your little one back on track. Be sure to be as consistent as possible and within 3-5 days, you should have your little sleeping soundly again. If your baby’s sleep wasn’t great before traveling, you can still use the tips above to help you get through your travels. When you return from your trip, I can help you establish a solid sleeping routine for both you and your baby, through my baby sleep support options. I will craft a customized plan that will help teach your baby the skills they need to fall asleep and stay asleep independently no matter where they are in the world.
Whatever happens with your baby’s sleep while you are away on vacation, the memories will all be worth it.
