It can be shockingly hard to get babies to sleep at home, even when you are ultra-consistent and they have all their own things around them.
Fear of messing up baby’s sleep schedule is a major reason that many parents think it’s too hard to travel with little ones!
Because they are FINALLY sleeping more than 3 hours in a row, darn it!
But you can get your baby to sleep while you are traveling, by practicing, having the right tools and letting the little things go.
I remember that it felt like Lincoln’s sleep habits changed by the month (or even week sometimes) and it was SO HARD to keep things on track.
I was so nervous when our first trip with him was planned when he was only 3 months old. I was afraid he would wake up afraid not knowing where he was. Or he would cry and wake other people in the hotel. Or he wouldn’t nap or I would spend all day at the hotel so he could. Or I wouldn’t get any sleep and be too exhausted the whole trip to be able to enjoy it … I had these nervous thoughts spinning in my head on repeat.
And… it went better than expected! Yes, it took longer than normal to get him to go to sleep. Yes, he woke up a few times crying and I had to cuddle him back to sleep. And one day we both crashed in the hotel room and took a two hour nap (an all-time record for the time). It wasn’t easy but we made it through and had a great family vacation.
Now we have gone on LOTS of trips with Lincoln, and although it’s different every time, I have more confidence in both his and my ability to cope and adapt.
These are the things that I find are key to helping your baby sleep when traveling:
Most important: Practice, practice, practice
Practicing getting baby to sleep in similar settings to how it will be on vacation is key to helping them sleep.
It also helps you to feel more comfortable with how things will on your trip and how to handle new issues as they arise.
When we planned going to Paris Lincoln was 6 months old, and I took him to the local museum a few days during nap time to practice how he would sleep in the Louvre. I was able to figure out what things I really needed to bring with me and what I didn’t.
This helps both at your destination and on the plane ride there!
Make sure to practice:
- How you plan on them sleeping at your destination, both for naps and bedtime. (pack-n-play, stroller, baby carrier, etc.)
- Using the new stuff you get to help them sleep (sound machine, pack-n-play, lovey, sleep sack, blanket, clothes that smell like you, etc.) Make sure that they are still safe to use at your baby’s age to prevent SIDS! My ultimate baby packing list goes over this in more detail.
- Re-evaluate things that are working and things that aren’t. Make a new plan. Practice again!
A sound machine is one of the BEST things that we ever bought to help Lincoln sleep. It helped him start sleeping better at home, in different beds when traveling, and on the go.
Get one like this that doesn’t time out and is easy to carry around and clip on a stroller.
Take advantage of moments for good sleep
- Rest up before you go to the airport. Make the night and day before you fly as good of sleep days as you can.
- If you have to prioritize a nap. Make it the FIRST nap of the day. If the first nap is good, baby won’t be too overtired and will cooperate more with later naps and bedtime.
- Plan naps before big activity times. If you have an activity that baby can’t or probably won’t sleep through, try to plan them just after a nap time.
- Take advantage of times that are more “normal” for sleep. Plan “nap-able” activities like commuting or museums where baby can get a good nap in.
Don’t over schedule!
Some people are all go when it comes to vacations, especially in a new place with so many things to go do and see. You don’t want to miss anything! But having a jammed packed schedule means that everyone has a hard time with less sleep and rushing to make it to activities!
- Plan breaks or nap-able activities (museums, walking through cities, etc.)
- If naps aren’t happening, call it a day early! Sleeping in some days or an early tuck in can help make the next day better.
- First nap most important. Like I said earlier, if you can only get one good nap make it the morning one.
Pay close attention to sleep ques and jump on nap times when you can see baby is getting tired. It is easier to get them to sleep when they are not over-tired.
Disney World wore Link out and it was easier to have a late start one of the days.
Think about where baby will sleep
This was one of those moments for me where parenting expectations DID NOT match reality.
I had a friend who co-slept with both her babies until they were one. I read lots of books about how great it is for bonding if you take precautions to do it safely. And I was 110% bought in.
Four weeks from bringing Lincoln home from the hospital, he was not only in his own bed, but in his own room! I woke up to EVERY sound he made and never slept until we had some space.
I don’t know why I then thought it would be a good idea to just plan on co-sleeping in a new environment while traveling just two months later.
After 6 hours of having my face slapped, my lesson that I now pass onto you is: CO-SLEEPING ONLY WORKS ON VACATION IF YOU ALSO DO IT AT HOME.
They need their space and you need your space.
Instead, think about these things to make up baby’s sleep environment when traveling:
- “Should I bring my pack-n-play with me where ever I go?” No! Unless I am sure that there is no pack-n-play where I am going AND I am driving there, I leave it at home.
Nearly everywhere in the world will have a pack-n-play in the room for you to use. They are heavy and awkward to carry around (and many airlines make you pay to check them). In the rare chance that there is not one available for baby to sleep in when I’m traveling, I create a makeshift bed. A clear closet floor, a drawer or even a bath-tub can work in a pinch.
- Create a separate room or space for baby to sleep in. This doesn’t have to be their own room if that isn’t possible. A bathroom, closet, or a living room can all work if you just plan to stay out of them when baby is sleeping. If there isn’t another room they can be in, just don’t let them see you near them! Hang up a sheet or put yourself out of eyeshot. Because if you accidently make eye contact…they are not going back to sleep.
- Bring comfort or familiar objects to make it feel as “home-like” as possible. These are going to be the things that you practiced with earlier at home (I told you practice was so important!). They help your baby know that it is time to sleep and they are safe to do so. Sound machines, binkies, loveys, sleep sacks, blankets, stuffed animals are all things that are great for this.
I love our sound machine because it’s easy to take with me anywhere. I also have an app downloaded on my phone so I don’t always need to pack one. Make sure your sound machine can go all night long. We briefly had one that only went in 45 min intervals and Lincoln had a hard time going back to sleep if he woke when it was off.
We also use glow-in-the-dark binkies so he can find them in the dark. A sleep sack was great when he was younger, now he is older we use a very soft blanket and a stuffed animal.
- Follow your bedtime routine as much as possible. Whatever your process is at home, try to replicate as much as possible when getting baby to sleep on vacation. It helps to give “sleepy signals” that it is time to sleep. These are the pre-bed actions that you are going to practice, practice, practice at home beforehand. For Link we did bath, feeding, song and binkie to bed.
- Know how to help them sleep on a plane.
- Think about creating a comfortable nap place. It can be in a car seat if they sleep well there. A baby carrier strapped to you usually works well too. I always bring a lightweight travel stroller with a reclining seat with me. When he gets ready for a nap I recline the seat back, put the sound machine near him and put a blanket over the sun visor to block out light and distractions. This works great in places like museums where you are just walking for a long time and don’t need to take them out.
ULTRA-HELPFUL TIP: Do a dream feed. For me, when Lincoln was 5 months old and still waking up FIVE TIMES A NIGHT, this was like a miracle. The idea is you half-way wake them up when YOU are ready to go to bed and “top them off” with milk. Then you put them back down and the next time they wake up gets pushed back.
How to manage time change when getting your baby to sleep when traveling
Most adults struggle with the time change. Kids do too, but they adapt so much more quickly than we can!
Let them follow what would be their normal times if possible. For example, if Lincoln’s normal bedtime is 6 pm MST and ends up being 9 pm EDT, that’s ok with me. We usually stay up late on vacation anyways.
But if we are REALLY off our times I will do a combo of mini-naps and changing bedtime. So that 6 pm MST ends up translating to a 3 pm bedtime where we are at, he takes a nap from 3-4ish and I wake him back up. Then we all go to bed later that evening.
Be as active as you can during day light hours, it send signals to baby to be awake at that time! Then quiet the environment (dim lights, turn down noises, etc.) when it gets dark so baby starts to wind down for bed.
Plan on one hour adjustment per day you are there for baby to really get the hang of it. So that trip two hours away from your time zone takes two days to feel like you’ve got this schedule.
Let it go!
It’s ok to break some of the sleep “rules” for a little bit. Let them sleep in your arms for a nap if you are out and about. Let them have an extra cuddle or feed in the middle of the night. It will be ok and it won’t ruin them, I promise!
I remember I cried a few nights in Paris when we gave Lincoln formula instead of just nursing before bed. I was afraid it would mess up my supply and I hated pumping. But it worked. He slept better and my husband went and got me a pastry while I pumped to make me happy. (He knows me well).
For example: Lincoln sleeps well on the go when I was wear him in a baby carrier.
I used the Boba Wrap then, but I recommend the Lile Baby All Seasons now because you can use it through toddlerhood in 6 different positions.
Read more about in my Ultimate Baby Packing List.
Yes, it will take a bit of adjustment when you get back home. But a week of adjustment isn’t bad when most people only go on vacation one to two times a year!
Traveling with your family is precious memories you will remember forever. You (probably) won’t just remember how tired you were and regret it.
Be uber consistent again on sleep schedules when you get back home, it will regress for a little bit but they will get the hang of it.
Remember they are adjusting too. It is the most hard for them the first few nights, with a new environment and times, but be consistent in insisting on bedtime they will learn.Su
FINALLY: Plan a recovery day for everyone when you get back home! I always feel like I need one of these anyways. Just have a day to catch up on sleep (and laundry) before you jump right back into life.
Lincoln the day after getting back from Amsterdam. You can see how much space he left me on the edge of the bed. One of the reasons I’m not usually a fan of co-sleeping!
Please, please, please! DON’T LET YOUR FEARS OF YOUR KIDS NOT SLEEPING WELL STOP YOU FROM HAVING AMAZIG EXPERIENCES WITH THEM. Kids are resilient and they keep changing. It will be worth it!
In summary:
- Use a travel sound machine!
- Plan for nap-able activities
- Bring a baby carrier for on-the-go naps
- Practice, practice, practice!
What has helped you get your kids to sleep when traveling? What are your concerns with baby’s sleep on vacation?
