5 Tips for Handling Your Baby’s Sleep While Traveling

I had a client last fall who took a trip after we had worked together. We had recently wrapped up their sleep program – nice and neat with a little bow on top – you know, 10-12 hours of sleep at night, age-appropriate naps during the day, a little time for mom and dad…

I bet you can guess what happened. Sleep got WAY off track on their trip.

They assumed the place they were staying would have a packnplay. It didn’t. By default, they ended up cosleeping with their child and sleep was worse off than before we had started working together.

One sure-fire way to throw your baby out of their sleep groove – if they were even in one in the first place – is to take a trip!

You can almost all but expect that traveling will cause some sort of sleep regression because your baby is expected to sleep in a place that’s not familiar to them. I’m sure you can relate, right?? You know, you get towards the end of a hotel stay and all you’re thinking is, “Man, I can’t wait to sleep in my own bed, in my own house.”

It’s the same for your little one!

So, long story short, if you want your child to be – and stay – a good sleeper, you need to plan for travel accordingly. YOU CAN TRAVEL SUCCESSFULLY WITH A BABY!

To make sure this doesn’t happen to you too, here are my best tips for handling sleep while traveling:

Tip 1 – Give your baby their own sleep space.

Just like at home, your baby – and you – will sleep better in their own space. Consider the accommodations of the place you’ll be staying. Once kids are involved, I highly recommend getting hotel rooms with a suite to ensure enough space for everyone. Or a multi-room Airbnb. That way, you’ll have room to spread out even if someone is sleeping.

If that’s not feasible, putting your baby’s packnplay in a closet or bathroom works too.

If you’re inclined, check out the SlumberPod too – it’s a pod that fits over your child’s packnplay and provides complete darkness and privacy, so if you’re needing to room share with your baby on your trip, it’s a must-have item!

Which brings me to my next tip…

Tip 2 – Bring everything you’ll need for sleep from home.

You’ll want your baby’s room to be dark, just like it is – or should be – at home. *This is also your hint that if it’s not 10/10 black in your child’s bedroom at home too, it should be!*

We sleep better in total darkness, as light triggers the release of hormones that wake us up.

The SlumberPod provides a full blackout solution for your little one.

If that’s not an option, you can bring along some foil and painters’ tape and fully cover the windows, ensuring no light is creeping in along the edges.

If there are clocks, TVs, or other appliances with small lights on them, you can cover them with a small piece of black electrical tape.

Trust me, the last thing anyone wants is to be up when the sun rises on their vacation.

You’ll basically want to recreate your child’s usual sleep environment, so make sure you bring a crib sheet from home (find out if there will be a travel crib at your destination first!), packnplay, any pacifier, stuffed animal, or lovey item them may sleep with, and their swaddle or sleep sack.

DON’T FORGET THE SOUND MACHINE! Not only is your child likely used to sleeping with white noise at home, but this will also help to drown out any noises at the hotel, guest house, or Airbnb. You can maybe even sneak in some Netflix (and chill?!) before you go to bed.

If your baby still feeds at night, make sure you bring everything you’ll need for that as well.

Tip 3 – Stick to normal routines if possible.

Your baby is going to be thrown off enough simply by being in a new, unfamiliar place. If you can stick to their regular routines and schedule as best as possible, this will help set you up for success.

Your baby’s routine is a powerful tool you can use anywhere! The more you use a bedtime routine for your child, the more solidified the behaviors around and leading up to sleep will become. They will learn that after you put their pajamas on, zip up their sleep sack, and read two books, it’s time to get in their crib and…go to sleep! Do this same routine no matter where you are at. You don’t have to do a full-on lengthy bedtime routine as you do at home – you can definitely shorten it. Do a 5-10 minute routine – clean them up, read a book, and put them in their sleep sack. They should be able to go down just the same.

Also, easier said than done, I know, try to stick to their schedule. If they usually nap every day around 10:00 and 2:30, try to have them nap around 10:00 and 2:30. If a nap gets skipped, opt for an early bedtime. If you waver too much from their schedule, you can expect sleep to be a bit off, and that’s okay! In most cases, it’s worth it because of the memories you’re making on your trip.

Tip 4 – Make sure sleep is a solid skill BEFORE you travel.

If sleep is a mess before your trip, there’s no chance it’s going to magically be great while you’re traveling. If anything, it’s going to be worse.

My best advice is to make sure your little one has some solid sleep skills before you travel. Give them a solid foundation to fall back on!

The more you can do this – and my few other tips – the more successful your trip will be.

And if things get off track, which they may…

Tip 5 – Get back on track when you get back home.

Traveling usually will affect your child’s sleep.

If this is the case, you simply get back on track when you get home by holding your regular boundaries and expectations around sleep.

Just start your sleep plan from day one again. Be consistent about how you were putting baby down before. Know that it might take a few days to a week to get them back on track. The key is consistency.

If you’ll be traveling with your baby this summer and don’t want it to be a nightmare, I’d love to help you get some solid sleep skills in place before your trip! You can book a free discovery call with me here.