6 Travel Tips for a Sleep-Savvy Season with Kids
The holidays are magical, filled with visits to family and new adventures, but for parents, holiday travel can bring a unique challenge: keeping kids well-rested. Between unfamiliar surroundings and shifted routines, getting good sleep might seem impossible—but it’s not! With a little planning, you can help everyone stay rested, so the whole family can fully enjoy the season’s joy.
1. Keep Key Bedtime Cues Consistent
Maintaining familiar routines, like storytime or a calming song, can help signal that it's bedtime, no matter where you are. Small routines provide comfort and security, especially when sleeping in an unfamiliar place.
2. Embrace Flexibility, But Set Limits
Staying up late is fine occasionally, but consistent late nights lead to cranky days. Set a flexible but consistent wake-up time to help their internal clock adjust. Try not to spiral from a missed nap into a late bedtime, into sleeping on the go, into another later bedtime. It will add up and catch up! Try to offer periods of more regular sleep schedule between the excitement and festivities!
3. Create a “Sleep Zone” for Them
If your child is used to sleeping alone, try to divide the room to give them a private nook. Use a curtain, reposition furniture, or even set up a cozy pack-and-play in a spacious closet. While unconventional, a walk-in closet can be a great temporary sleep space for babies and children!
4. Try to Avoid Bed-Sharing if It's Not Your Norm
While bed-sharing may seem like an easy option in cramped quarters, it often disrupts sleep for both of you if it’s not part of your routine. Stick to individual sleep spaces as much as possible to encourage everyone’s best rest.
5. Tips for Managing Time Zone Jumps
As much as possible, keep your child on their own time zone.
West to East: Going from west to east can work to your advantage since a later bedtime in the new zone might still feel like home time.
East to West: If traveling east to west, then staying on your home time zone might not be feasible. Try adding a catnap on Day 1 to bridge the gap until a reasonable bedtime.
Crossing Multiple Time Zones and Longer Trips: For longer stays, jump into local time schedules as quickly as possible. Eat meals at the local breakfast, lunch, and dinner times, and keep daytime and nighttime hours on the local schedule. Get outdoors as much as possible to help adjust to local time. Use daylight exposure during wake times and limit light exposure after 4 p.m. to encourage melatonin production.
It’s ok to let your child catch up on sleep a little the first couple of days, but after that, they should be waking for the day at their normal wake-up time, but on the local time zone.
6. Have a Post-Event Calm-Down Period
After a day filled with holiday fun (and presumably too much sugar!), make time for a quiet wind-down activity to help your child transition into sleep mode. Even if you’re at home with a small group of family, sometimes going straight from playing with cousins to getting in the bath for bedtime routine can be “too much too fast” and make the bedtime process harder. Separate from the excitement 10-20 minutes before bedtime routine starts to aid in the transition.
With a little prep and patience, holiday travel can be restful and memorable. Here’s to a festive season filled with sweet dreams and well-rested mornings!
About the Author:
Hilliary Giglio, MSW is a Certified Pediatric Sleep Consultant at www.tranquil-beginnings.com. Through coaching services, speaking, and writing, Hilliary helps exhausted and frustrated parents of babies and children who struggle with sleep become the parents all their friends are jealous of….the ones whose child sleeps like a dream, all night, every night. Grab her FREE workbook 5 Proven Steps to Getting Your Child to Sleep Through the Night. You can also hang out with her on Facebook and Instagram.