So many of us LOVE vacation! Whether you’re off to a tropical resort, to a cabin in the woods, or just to your parents’ house, vacation offers you the chance to escape your real-life and spend a few days or weeks relaxing.
Unless that is, you’re vacationing with a baby or toddler. If that’s the case, scratch the “relaxing” part; your vacation might feel like a whole lot of work! As Glennon Doyle of Momastery.com post once wrote,
“DUDE. Vacation is hard. Everyone came WITH me. And they all need the same amount of food and grooming and such as they do at home.”
And let’s not forget the sleeping, shall we? Nothing throws off a naptime routine quite like uprooting your little one from her familiar surroundings and whisking her away to a new place.
Think she’s going to nap well? Think again.
We know vacation can destroy your little one’s naptime schedule, leading to short naps (or no naps at all!). We’ve been there. We’ve felt the pain first-hand! So we’re offering you some simple ways to make naptime as painless as possible while your family is traveling. Put these 5 tips into practice the next time you’re traveling with your baby or toddler, and make naptime more restful for everyone.
1. Stick to the schedule as much as you can.
If you want your baby or toddler to nap well while you’re traveling, you’re probably going to have to stick to his normal schedule as much as you can. So if he normally naps mid-morning and mid-afternoon, do what you can to make sure he’s able to nap at those times during vacation, too. Don’t plan activities that’ll force him to miss his nap; instead, try to prioritize his sleep.
Of course, some circumstances might make this impossible, and that’s okay. If a nap can’t happen when it “should” every once in a while during your trip, simply roll with it, and then do your best to make sure the rest of his naps are restorative.
What’s more, if you have a highly-adaptable baby, sticking closely to the schedule might not be necessary. Your baby might sleep beautifully on a beach chair, or in her stroller. If that’s the case, congratulations! Enjoy. The rest of us are just a little jealous. 😉
2. Pack some good napping products.
We shared this post a few weeks ago on fantastic napping products. And guess what? Most of these are totally portable, so make room in your suitcase! The loveys, the noise machines, the swaddle blankets, and the stroller covers should all fit nicely in a bag. You can even find portable room-darkening blinds; the EZ Slumber Travel Blackout Curtain has suction cups that stick to any window, making it a great option for traveling.
3. Make the napping area feel like home.
There are limitations to this, obviously; you can’t exactly pack your baby’s or toddler’s entire room and haul it on vacation with you! But you can take small steps to make sure that the place your baby or toddler naps, while you’re traveling, feels homey and familiar. That might mean bringing along his crib sheets and bedding or packing the lullaby CD that you always play for her at naptime. And of course, you’ll definitely want to pack all of your little one’s comfort items — loveys, stuffed animals, favorite books, etc. Surround him with things that feel like home, and it’ll help him settle down and nap when he needs to.
4. Lay some groundwork before you leave.
This is especially important if you have a slow-to-adapt baby or a toddler who’s really sensitive to disruptions in the routine. If that’s the case, starting a few days to two weeks before you leave, begin napping your baby or toddler in whatever she’ll be sleeping in while you travel (if possible) for at least one nap per day. Set up your pack-n-play or portable crib in her room, and have her take her naps there. This will help her adjust to a new sleeping arrangement before you hit the road, which will be easier for everyone.
5. Give yourself a pep-talk.
Even if you take every single precaution you can, there’s still a good chance that your baby or toddler just isn’t going to nap as well on the road as he does at home. Such is the reality of vacationing with a tiny child! So be prepared to be flexible, and to make the best of whatever comes.
And then, when you get home, schedule yourself a pedicure, or a massage, or an afternoon out — anything that’ll help you feel relaxed. After all that vacationing, you’ll probably need a break. 😉
Nicole’s Note
“After traveling, the biggest thing we see in the Helpdesk is that even if schedules were perfect on vacation, traveling is tiring for everyone, including your baby. Plan for an earlier bedtime for several nights to help your baby ‘catch up’ on sleep and rest up!”
Help With All Your Baby Sleep Problems (Including The Vacation-Induced Ones!)
Baby sleep problems don’t discriminate – your baby is just as likely to struggle with sleep on the road as she is at home. But the wonky schedules and activity-packed days of vacation can definitely throw a wrench into your baby’s usual nap schedule! Fortunately, we can help. Our consultants at The Baby Sleep Site® specialize in creating Personalized Sleep Plans™ that are customized to your own parenting philosophy, and that will NEVER make you feel guilty or pressured. Even better, once you have your Personalized Sleep Plan™, your consultant will walk you through each step of implementing it at home.
Browse our list of consultation package options here.
Once you make your choice and purchase, you will immediately receive an e-mail with your Helpdesk login information. You’ll be able to login and start your Family Sleep History form right away – it’s that simple!
Want more information about how personalized help works? Check out our FAQ page here, and get answers.
How do you help your baby or toddler sleep well when you’re traveling? Share your tips!
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Laura says
Our son is 13 months and so far we’ve done 4 plane trips and a few road trips with him (which often prove harder, because he hates the car! He is a city kid ;). We usually stay in apartments (AirBnb.com, etc) because that is generally a more affordable option for getting 2 bedrooms, and a lot more space, and though we rent pack & plays, we always travel w/our sound machine…no blackout blinds yet, but that would be a smart purchase b/c we always end up taping towels to windows! Our son, whom we sleep-trained around 5 months (he was a TERRIBLE sleeper before that), does great at night almost anywhere we go, though if he doesn’t nap well he wakes up at 5:30am instead of his usual 7.
Naps are always a struggle–I actually just (finally) nap-trained him a week ago, so things are getting better now, but till then I rocked him to sleep for every nap. While traveling, we have found it’s essential to have a reliable backup in case he rejects his crib. For us, it’s the Ergo baby carrier. It means I have to walk around w/him on me for an hour, but we’ve learned to use that to our advantage to get in some extra (quiet) sightseeing or beach-strolling time. Tiring, but good exercise at least–and it helps keep him rested.
Laura says
I found the Gro Anywhere blinds at Toys ‘R Us:
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=32177206&prodFindSrc=search&cp=
I’ve ordered three; I’ll let you know how they work out.
Katharine says
We are going to be doing a couple cross-country flight vacations this summer, so this article is helpful. But my baby is 11.5 months old and still taking 3 naps, which is great for me but possibly restrictive for vacations. Thanks to all the great info I got from your site, she sleeps 11-12 hours at night and then generally 3 x 1.25 hour naps in the day (or sometimes one is 1 hr 40 min and the last is only 40min) and each nap starts 2 hours after waking up. She is a very active baby and does not seem to be able to stay up longer than 2 hours without getting cranky, especially in the morning. Now she’s started walking and is being ultra cranky even with 3 naps. Is it alright for her to still be taking 3 naps when all these people are talking only 1-2 at this age? Or should we be trying to get her down to 2 and would they necessarily get longer? I’d hate to lose that extra hour if she only took 2 1-hour naps rather than 3;) Thanks for the help!
Anna says
It appears that the Gro Anywhere blackout blinds are now available in the U.S.:
https://www.amazon.com/The-Gro-Company-Gro-Anywhere-Blind/dp/B00IB7D1YQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1401825808&sr=8-1&keywords=Gro+Anywhere
https://www.amazon.com/Anywhere-Blackout-Blind-New-Version/dp/B00BKZLWBU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1401825808&sr=8-2&keywords=Gro+Anywhere
Monica says
For babies, it’s also worth asking what the hotel has on hand. At one hotel we stayed at, they had portable swings. It was great when my little one was you her. Right now I’m pushing him in the strler and hoping for a good vacation nap.
Emily DeJeu says
@ Lori — So you’re saying that it’s better if the first “sleep” in the new place is at night, instead of during a nap? Interesting insight! I hadn’t though of that, but it makes sense. Thanks for sharing!
Lori says
This is a great article! However, you left one thing out. The best way to get a little one to nap away from home is to first have him sleep there at night. My husband and I travel several times a year to visit family and for religious conventions. Our son (now 25 months) is not what I would call highly adaptable. If possible, we try to travel at naptime so he sleeps in the car and his first sleep at the hotel or MIL’s is at bedtime. I bring the sheets from his crib for the pack n’play, but that may be too soft for younger baby. It’s also best if he has his own room, but that’s not always possible. As for darkening the room, I just tape up black trash bags if needed.
Emily DeJeu says
@ mary beth einhorn — thanks for helping Laurie out with this!
@ CJ — not crazy at all! I have three kids, 5 and under, and we don’t do a lot of traveling because of the kids. I figure we’ll save our money and take nice trips when the kids are old enough to enjoy it. At this stage, though, a vacation would be a ton of work; easier to stay home and do little day trips 🙂
So I think you’re very normal! It gets much easier to travel as your kids get older; they need less “stuff”, and they’re better able to adapt to new places.
CJ says
My toddler (18 months old) still has never been on a vacation cuz i am too scared ot take her for fear of lots of disruption – we have things silent in the house while she sleeps as well. very OTT i know, but we are also waiting for when she is in a big bed so we dont have to buy a portacot! tell me im crazy??
Laurie says
Thanks Mary Beth. That looks interesting and he is still under the weight limit.