Traveling and Sleep with Babies and Toddlers
Sweet summer time has finally arrived! Are you planning on traveling with baby this summer? Here are some helpful tips that we have found to make traveling easier on your whole family.
Traveling with Baby During the Day or Night:
Do you have a short road trip planned? Here are some ideas to keep everyone in the car happy and content.
Try to keep your morning routine the same (ie. breakfast and playtime).
If time allows, you may want to take the first nap at home to set your little one up for success for the rest of the day. A well rested kid can handle some off days with motion naps, short naps or off schedule naps.
Keeping your little one’s environment similar to home may help when sleeping in the car. Lectrofan micro and alpha are both portable sound machines that are great for travel, HEAVENSENT15 saves 15% and free shipping (not an affiliate).
Another great purchase for a day road trip would be window shades to help dim the light coming into the car.
Don’t forget to pack extra snacks and car activities to keep your child busy when not sleeping.
Are you starting your road trip at night? These tips may help ease the tension of not having your little one in their crib.
Go through their normal sleep routine beforehand (bath, pajamas, bedtime book/song, etc.) along with your normal bedtime as this will help their bodies prepare for a normal night sleep even though it may be in a different location.
Get into the car a little bit before their normal bedtime if you’re leaving early in the night– this will allow them to wind down!
Try and transfer your sleeping little one into their car seat before 2 am if you’re leaving in the middle of the night, because that is when sleep pressure is at its highest.
Again you will want to use a portable white noise machine Lectrofan micro and alpha HEAVENSENT15 saves 15% and free shipping (not an affiliate).
Traveling with Baby in Different Time Zones:
Time Zones can play a big factor when traveling. The biggest piece of advice I can give you is to address the time zone difference when you get to your destination. There is no reason to try and “train” your little one to stay up past their bedtime or put them down early in the hopes they will be ready for the new time zone before your trip.
If you are struggling with the time zone change, fake it until you make it! Routines should stay the same as they are at home, but schedules may be off because it is vacation, of course. Remember kids are resilient and they will adjust, do not feel guilty if a couple naps are missed.
In order to help your little one adjust to a large time zone difference, get up and go outside. The natural sunlight will help their circadian rhythm regulate; although remember to keep middle of the night wake ups borning and interactions to a minimum. A key factor in helping bedtime be smooth, naps should remain the same amount on vacation as they are at home. In this case, it is okay to wake a sleeping baby to help them stay on routine.
In all, be flexible and manage your expectations while traveling with kids. If you can help it, try to make at least one of your naps not on the go, this can be helpful when it comes to bedtime.
Your traveling schedule may not be exactly what it normally is like, lunches and dinners may be earlier or later than normal so be sure to pack snacks to help while on the go.
Most of all, remember to have fun and make memories with your children!
Not sure how to travel with children and keep your sanity?! Grab our mini course to learn about all the different ways to manage sleep on a trip while not totally going insane— but we also tell you how to get back on track as a bonus!
