• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • Products / Baby Gear
    • Best Mom & Baby Products
    • Ultimate Baby Registry Guide
  • Pregnancy
    • Prenatal
    • Breastfeeding
  • Baby
    • Month 1-3
    • Month 4-6
    • Month 7-9
    • Month 10-12
    • Second Year
    • Toddler
  • #MomLife
  • About Us
  • Nav Widget Area

Rookie Moms

Pregnancy > Parenthood

You are here: Home / Sleepy / 5 travel sleep tips with a baby

5 travel sleep tips with a baby

66 shares
  • Facebook54
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn

A huge thank you to Nicole Johnson, sleep coach and owner of The Baby Sleep Site, who offered these sanity-saving travel tips just as I’m beginning to obsess about sleep issues and toddler jet lag! In addition to being a sleep expert, she is also the mom of two boys (one of whom never let her sleep).

Travel light with a baby on an airplane

 

Once you’ve mastered the scavenger hunts and conquered the easy outings with your baby, it’s time to step it up and take an overnight trip with your little one. Grab your best girlfriend, or make it a family affair, but to deal with the anxiety about how your baby will sleep when she’s away from home, try these five travel sleep tips. They’ll also help keep you sane in the process.

1. Don’t Let Jet Lag Throw You For a Loop.
If you are going on a short (3 days or less) trip to another time zone, consider keeping your child on your home time zone for the duration of the trip. If your trip is longer than that, it will be virtually impossible to keep up with that 10 p.m. bedtime or waking up at 4 a.m., for example, so move your child to the new time zone as soon as possible (without torturing her with sleep deprivation!).

A good way to ease a child into a new timezone is to split the time difference on each of the first two days. So if the new time is three hours off her regular bedtime, put her to bed 1 ½ hours earlier or later (depending on where you are) and limit “sleeping in” to just the first day. Like adults, most children will adjust in a few days.

2. Establish Your Routine. Early.
Before traveling, make sure your baby’s routine is well-established. The more predictable his bedtime is at home, the better it will transfer to a new place. A good routine might include dinner, bath, pajamas, brush gums/teeth, read books, sing two songs and into bed. Try to stick to routine as close as possible on the trip for maximum success during the trip and when you get home and need to get back to normal.

3. Bring Home With You.
Reinvent home as much as possible when staying at a hotel or with family. Introduce a lovey that will give your child comfort being away from home. Consider taking your own blankets, white noise machine or music, books and any other security objects to ease the transition to a new place.


4. Consider Your Hotel Room.
Whenever possible, opt for a suite at an economical hotel, giving you adjoining rooms for roughly the same price as a single room at a higher end hotel. This can make your trip more relaxing, giving you the space to nap your baby and unwind after the kids are asleep at night (without having to hide out in the bathroom!).

Plus, having a quiet place can encourage your baby to sleep through the night. Also, pull the blackout shades over the windows to keep the room extra dark, for a few added zzz’s in the morning. (If, when staying with a friend, there aren’t curtains, a blanket will do.)

5. Allow plenty of time.
Traveling with little ones is no small feat. Relieve stress by building in extra time to get to your destination, allowing you to settle in, adjust to time changes and deal with delayed flights. If flying, consider taking an early morning flight to allow for a later nap in the hotel, should your child not sleep on the plane. (Planes are just too exciting for some little ones!)

If you’re driving, consider leaving around nap time, if your baby falls asleep well in a moving car. If he doesn’t, leave at least an hour earlier as the excitement of going on the trip can sometimes delay drowsiness.

The first time you travel, it might not probably won’t go perfectly, but keep trying. Maybe your baby was too excited to nap on the plane, or the hotel room just didn’t smell like home, or you forgot your toddler’s blankie. The more you travel, the more routine it becomes for both you and your child. The adventure is worth it for both of you and nothing beats being able to kiss her goodnight and then snuggle with your hubby or girl talk with your best friend.

nicole_200x200_bThanks again to Nicole Johnson, sleep coach and owner of The Baby Sleep Site. She has become an expert on infant and toddler sleep and has made it her mission to help other parents solve their child’s sleep problems, too.

February 17, 2010 6:30 am RookieMom Heather Filed Under: Sleepy, Lists and numbers, Mommy, Month 6, Travel

Don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter

Primary Sidebar

Search our site

10 Amazing LGBTQ+ Children’s Books to Celebrate Pride Month

10 Amazing LGBTQ+ Children’s Books to Celebrate Pride Month

10 Best Strollers In [2022] – For Every Mom’s Needs!

10 Best Strollers In [2022] – For Every Mom’s Needs!

The 15 Best Nursery Gliders for 2022! [Traditional to Unique]

The 15 Best Nursery Gliders for 2022! [Traditional to Unique]

Toddler Won’t Stay in Bed? 6 Must-Know Tips for Toddler Sleep Regression

Toddler Won’t Stay in Bed? 6 Must-Know Tips for Toddler Sleep Regression

The Best 20 Stay at Home Mom Jobs in 2022!

The Best 20 Stay at Home Mom Jobs in 2022!

Our Best Tips for When Your Baby Wakes Up Too Early

Our Best Tips for When Your Baby Wakes Up Too Early

Join our Rookie Moms Facebook Page

Rookie Moms

Disclosure

Review Policy
Privacy Policy

This site is an Amazon affiliate.

Popular Articles

150 Unique Middle Names for Girls

Footer

Browse By Age

  • Pregnancy
  • Month 1-3
  • Month 4-6
  • Month 7-9
  • Month 10-12
  • Toddler
  • Preschooler

Problem Solving

  • Sleepy
  • Eating
  • Breastfeeding
  • Home
  • Baby Registry
  • Pregnancy
  • Baby
  • Toddler
  • Preschooler
  • Baby Gear
  • #MomLife
  • Holidays
    • Holiday Gift Guide
    • Holiday Entertaining

© Copyright 2016 · Pretty Lifestyle WordPress Theme by: PDCD