SPRING BREAK IS FINALLY HERE!!! The weather is turning, the sun is shining, and you are getting ready to head out on your first vacation of the year! Except you’re totally freaking out about derailing your child’s sleep schedule enough to where it causes a regression. Don’t worry, you’re not alone! Most parents fear that vacation is going to reverse all of the progress they’ve made. Or if things are already not going great, that it could make it worse! Sometimes the mere thought of it frightens parents so much that they swear off traveling all together. I am here to tell you, that you DO NOT have to do that! It is possible to have children who travel really well, you just have to keep a few things in mind….
Over-scheduling
The biggest mistake parents make is that they over-schedule themselves while on vacation. It’s easy to do, because you’re so used to packing in all of the fun things you loved to do on vacation before you had kids (trust me, I get it, girl). For example, instead of going out to dinner, and ice cream, and mini golfing all in one night, maybe you have an early dinner at your beach rental, and grab some ice cream while at the minigolf spot then the next night you go out for a nice family dinner. It’s possible to still do fun things with your children! You just need to spread it out over the course of your time on vacation.
Be on the lookout for vacation jet-lag – Typically this happens when you get home or the day after a long day out and about. Kids are often more active and it can tire them out sooner than you realize. You can bump bedtime earlier for a few days or pay attention to mood changes and upset.
Naps might be skipped and bedtimes might be late, and that’s ok! An occasional car nap or slightly later bedtime for a day or so probably isn’t going to do too much harm to your schedule. However, If your child spends a couple of days skipping naps, and/or going to bed late, they may become so overtired that they have a complete meltdown and seem to forget all of their sleep skills and healthy habits. (I 100% did this to my parents in Disney World at the young age of 3, and my parents still talk about it to this day…it was a disturbing sight hah!). When there’s a day where a nap is going to be tough to fit in, always try to at least squeeze in a 30-minute power nap vs having a kid who’s overtired. An overtired child is always harder to manage vs. one who got a quick refreshing power nap!
Keeping Boundaries and Consistency:
It’s 100% normal for children to test the boundaries around sleep when they are somewhere new, especially when they have a bit more access to you than they normally would. This could mean that your little one cries for a bit at bedtime, or has a night waking or two. The best way to handle it is to not approach much differently than you would if the regression happened at home. CONSISTENCY IS KEY! Children thrive on it, and respond to the same expectations that you have at home, so do your best to keep that consistency in your routine, sleep space, and day. If your child typically naps at 12:30pm, maybe head back to the hotel or beach house for lunch while your little one naps, or go for a walk with them napping in the stroller. Or in the case of bedtime, if you usually give them a bath, read them a book, and sing a song before they go to bed, do that every night while you’re on vacation too. They will recognize it as their queue to go to sleep.
Making the environment an ideal sleep space as well as comfortable and familiar
You’ve worked hard to make your child’s sleep space super comfortable at home, so why should vacation be any different? I know I personally LOVE to be as comfortable as possible when I travel. There are times when I’ll even bring my own comforter if I can fit it in my travel bag! (yes, I’m high maintenance, don’t judge me). My husband and I will even bring a sound machine for both our daughter and ourselves if we are staying in separate rooms! Here are a few things you might want to consider bringing for your little one to ensure their travel sleep space is just as cozy as their own room:
- Bring their favorite blanket, stuffed animal, or nightlight. If you have doubles of anything, bring those too! You never want to be stuck with a lost or dirty lovie and nothing to replace it.
- Bring a portable sound-machine or if you’re able to pack yours from home, and place it on the side of the room where your little one is sleeping to drown out any external noises that are in or outside of the room. The familiar sound will also bring some comfort from home.
- Another big mistake parents make is bed-sharing with their toddler while traveling. Most hotels have a crib or cot you can use or rent, or take your pack and play along and use that as a crib.
- Hanging a sheet or having a partition between you and your child will also help. One of my favorite travel necessities is The SlumberPod (use code MOONLITDREAMS$20 for $20 off!). It’s a tent that goes over top of a pack n play or cot, which helps to not only separate them from you, but it also blocks light and other distractions. Plus, it’s kinda fun to “sleep in a tent!” They’re a little pricey, so you could also get something like a stretch fit pack n play cover for children that maybe aren’t standing just yet, or aren’t standing super independently. We have one and it’s awesome. Plus, it packs up small, so we legit bring it everywhere. However, if you have the option to put your child in their own room, do it!
- Pack some Sleepout Portable Black Out Curtains – or even bring some black trash bags and tape them up on the windows. This is great in the event that you are somewhere there are no curtains or blackout blinds on the windows. The Slumberpod or pack n play cover also double as black out, so it’s a nice two-for-one deal!
Traveling on a plane
When it comes to surviving a plane ride with a baby or child, the best thing you can do is just accept the fact that you’re traveling with kids! So plan ahead, and bring as many things as you can to keep your child occupied and comfortable. Whether it’s a tablet, books, snacks, or their favorite toy, it’ll be beneficial for the plane right as well as later on the trip!
Depending on accommodations, the type of flight, or seats, a nap on your shoulder or in your lap is going to be just fine. If it’s feasible, and you’re allowed, get a seat for your child, and bring their car seat on the plane! Be sure to check your airlines guidelines and what types of car seats are approved to go on planes. They also sell these fancy little “travel toddler beds” that are made specifically for airplanes. Everything is packed in this tiny little rolling bag that you set up at the foot of the seat and it has a little pad and blanket that you lay on the seat so your little one can lay down. It’s pretty cool! JetKids by Stokke is one I found recently (they’re not cheap, but if you’re going on a LONG ass plane ride or you’re frequent flyers, it could be a good investment!)
Lastly, try to make them as comfortable as possible given your situation. If you are flying, offer them something to drink while the plane is ascending and descending, so their ears pop naturally with the altitude changes. If you have an infant that is still nursing or taking a bottle, try your best to time their feedings with when the plane is scheduled to take off and land, or save a bit for those moments.
Time Changes and Jet Lag
Surprisingly, well-rested children handle jet lag much better than we do as adults. If your baby has had a great schedule leading up to the trip, they should slide into the new time zone without too much trouble.
It is best to adjust to the new time zone as quickly as you can. If you’re able to start adjusting things the day you land, great. If not, be sure to start fresh the next morning as though you were home with normal local time. If you really feel like your little one needs an extra nap to catch up, try to limit it to 45 minutes, and avoid having it be too close to bedtime. If it’s a choice between a strangely timed dinner-hour nap or an earlier bedtime, 100% go with the earlier bedtime if it’s doable.
Sunlight is going to be your best friend while both you and your little one are adjusting to the new time zone. Sunlight is the most powerful time cue our bodies have, and our internal body-clocks are heavily affected by the rising and the falling of the sun.. Try to plan meals and socializing around the new time zone as well, and get an hour or two of fresh air in the early afternoon. When evening rolls around, you should do the exact opposite. Use those blackout curtains, or trash bags that I mentioned earlier, and keep light to a minimum an hour before you want your little one to go to bed. This will help to naturally stimulate Melatonin production, which makes it easier for them to settle.
It can take a up to a week to adjust, so it’s best to ensure that you allow for that. If you won’t be gone that long, split the difference and do your best! You just may need to hit the reset button when you get home, but remember; it’s only temporary, and if you do your best to stick to your plan both on vacation and when you return home, all will be fine!
Road Trips
If you’re planning on driving to you destination, there are a few things that I will also suggest to help stay on schedule, and make the drive more comfortable.
- If you can, start your drive close to bedtime and drive through the night. OR you can leave very early in the morning, so they’ll sleep most of the ride since it’s during a time in the morning when they’re usually still sleeping. Your little one will be more likely to sleep during this time, and you’ll less likely have to deal with a pissed off kid stuck in a carseat for a number of hours. If it’s a shorter drive that last the duration of one of their naps, try to plan it for nap time, and leave about 20-30 minutes before they are scheduled to go down, so they have some time to adjust to the car and get comfortable.
- If your little one is still in diapers, put them in an overnight diaper, so that they are comfortable sitting for a longer time vs needing to be changed more often when wearing a regular diaper.
- If they are still breast or bottle feeding, do your best to keep their feeding schedule the same, even if this means tacking on a few minutes to your destination time and pulling over to feed them.
- Similar to what I recommended for a plane ride, be sure to bring things you know will help them stay occupied like a tablet (with charger & headphones!), their favorite toy, and LOTS of snacks (some for you too of course)!
Be sure to check out both my Toddler and Newborn/Infant Packing Lists, to use as a guide for your next vacation and my Favorite Things page for all of my top travel essentials!