Top Travel Sleep Tips
Honestly, taking a trip with babies and young children can be downright exhausting. But it can also be so fun and a wonderful opportunity to expose your child to new places, people, and cultures! Plus, I think we are all about ready to get out of our homes after this year+ quarantine…
Here are some travel tips that can help your family have a more restful adventure:
General Sleep Travel Tips
Some children travel better than others. Keep in mind that travel with young children is never easy!
Early morning travel tends to be best. When you start your travels late in the day or night, you risk beginning your trip with an overtired kiddo! If you are driving – aim for early morning or nap time departure.
When planning your trip, be mindful of babies’ and toddlers’ need for sleep and don’t overdue it. Jam-packed schedules and high expectations will likely just cause stress for everyone and lead to way less sleep.
Getting outside or water play always helps wear littles out! Mid-morning playtime can be especially helpful for toddlers to help them zonk out for a hard nap after lunch.
Time zone changes can be really tough for young children. If your trip is going to be longer than 3 days, try to get on local time as soon as possible! If it’s a shorter trip, you can try not changing the child’s schedule at all or opt for a partial adjustment depending on how big of a time difference you’re jumping.
Night Tips
1st or 2nd night away will likely be the hardest as your child adjusts and works through any sleep lost during travel.
Consider getting a suite or an Airbnb to allow for separate sleep space if possible. We’ve had great success with renting homes or condos and usually get a better deal than a hotel anyway! Bathrooms/closets can work great for babies too!
Babies should always be in a travel crib/pack n’ play for safe sleep space until they outgrow it or don’t safely remain in it.
For children that outgrow the pack n’ play – a toddler blow-up bed is an easy solution! We have this one. Prepare them ahead of time on what the sleep expectations are what the sleeping situation will be like. Get them excited for this new adventure!
Stick to the normal bedtime routine as much as possible. Predictable routines signal the brain and body that sleep is coming, so use that to your advantage when you are in a different place. If you use white noise at home, using a travel option like this one can help your little one sleep soundly in a different environment!
If staying with other family members, it’s usually best if parents do the bedtime routine instead of grandparents/aunts/cousins/etc. Family members out of the norm might be too stimulating or even upsetting depending on the child. If your little one is sensitive, sometimes it can also help to separate them from activities about 15 minutes prior to beginning the bedtime routine to let them decompress and start relaxing.
Nap Tips
It’s fine to have more naps on the go than at home! If you can, try for their best nap or first nap of the day in the crib/pack n play to make sure they get some decent rest. Squeezing in some quality day sleep will make nights easier!
Aim to have the room as dark as it is at home, or even darker. Travel black out curtains or black trash bags with painter’s tape can be great (and packable) solutions.
Early bedtime is usually preferred over a late nap, but take what you can get based on travel obligations or flexibility.
Be prepared for naps not to be as good as they are at home. Naps are more likely to be short and your child may not resettle and extend naps like they normally would at home.
Once you return home, expect some degree of a sleep regression. Depending on how long you were gone, how worn out your baby is, etc. you might need to revisit some sleep training strategies to get fully back on track. But don’t worry! With some consistency they can get right back to those solid sleeping skills within a few days.
Traveling with littles is a lot of work - it’s rarely a “vacation,” but it is still a chance to build special family memories. And hey, worst case scenario - it can make for hilarious stories to look back on once you’re recovered. I hope these tips help your family on your next travels! Post contains affiliate links.
