Summertime gives families a chance to take a break from the daily grind, explore new places, and visit family. Our options for travel are limited this year, but many families are still taking road trips and renting homes where they take a break together. Are you unsure about how to help your child sleep well on vacation? Here are some of our favorite tips!
Take the Comforts of Home
Traveling with kids often means packing up an entire suitcase of gear just for them. Babies and young children don’t need tons of bells and whistles to sleep well in a new location, but it can be helpful to bring some of the comforts of home. Consider bringing the sheets off of a baby’s crib so they smell the same. Don’t forget to pack the white noise machine if your child uses one. Remember your child’s favorite pair of pajamas, lovey or stuffed animal.. Pro tip: have a backup duplicate lovey or stuffed animal just in case the favorite gets lost.
Darker, Darker, Darkest
If you’ve been following us for a while, you know that we are huge fans of dark spaces for sleeping. A dark room can really help children fall asleep faster and sleep longer. You may not know how bright rooms will be based on advertisements, so it’s a great idea to come prepared. Bring trash bags and painters tape so you can darken a window in a pinch without making a mess. Portable blackout curtains can also be put up and taken down quickly and make a sleep space darker.
Time Your Travel
Whenever possible, try to plan your travel to begin earlier in the daytime. You can arrive at your destination before bedtime and will be able to set up your child’s sleep space. This can help get everyone acclimated to the new surroundings. If you can’t control this completely, don’t fret. A day of being off schedule from traveling will not ruin things.
Be Flexible!
Remember that we get away for vacations because we want to take a break. Sometimes taking a break from a strict schedule can be a really good thing. I encourage parents to follow an 80/20 rule when sleep training. This means when you get things on track, it’s okay to deviate from structure 20% of the time. Well-rested children are usually more flexible and tolerate a slightly later bedtime or a missed nap once in a while. When you get back home, you can return to your regularly scheduled naps and bedtimes. If you have older children, taking that evening swim or going for a walk on the beach can reap benefits and memories that may outweigh the need for that earlier bedtime on vacation. Of course, you are the expert of your family. If it works to maintain a tighter schedule on vacation, do that. Know it’s okay to take a break every once in a while.
Set Expectations Upon Your Return
Make sure you return back to your original sleep schedules and expectations upon your arrival back home. There is no need to “get used to being back home again” before getting back on track. If habits, such as getting baby up early, or late bedtimes stick around after vacation is over, it may be harder to change things later on. Talk to toddlers and older children so they know what is expected when you are home again. They are capable of following sleep rules.
If you were away for a long time, minor sleep training may help get your child’s sleep on track. It’s best to wait until you are home where things can be implemented more consistently. Our sleep plans can help with this, so please reach out if your family could use a boost getting back on track after traveling.