My top tips to help Baby sleep on holiday
Worrying about how baby will sleep on holiday is totally normal. Let’s be honest, travelling with a baby can be tricky and tiring!
And it’s totally normal to stress about sleep and routine (or lack of them!) when on holiday.
But it’s also a lot of fun and it’s lovely to spend some time as a family making memories!
As a nanny for twenty years, I travelled transatlantic a lot with children in my care and often on my own. So I’ve put together this holiday and summer sleep guide, I really hope it helps you this summer!
How will my baby sleep on holiday?
Sadly I can’t say for sure because every baby (or Small as I like to refer to them!) is different.
And I know hearing this and the uncertainty can be hard!
Your Small’s sleep might:
stay exactly the same
get a bit bumpier
be even better
What happens to a baby's sleep on holiday is largely impacted by their temperament, personality and how well they cope with change in general.
It’s simply that some Smalls (like some adults) find it trickier to sleep in unfamiliar surroundings
And others are unfazed in the face of unfamiliarity
It’s out of your control and not your fault if sleep happens to go to shiz when you’re on holiday.
But any changes are very likely to be only temporary.
What happens on holiday tends to stay on holiday and sleep will settle again once you’re home.
I know being out of your usual routine coupled with the lack of sleep can be exhausting
(I wrote this after a week away and our sleep was an utter shiz show!)
However please don’t let it stop you going on holiday and having a great time with your family.
What to pack in your suitcase to help sleep on holiday
Being realistic there’s no magic wand to making your baby sleep on holiday.
But here’s some things that can certainly help:
A cot sheet that’s been slept on for a few nights
A worn pair of PJS
Sleep spray (this works best if you’ve used it for a few weeks before you go!)
A favourite bedtime book
A couple of small bath toys
Mobile white noise
Travel blackout blind
Gentle reminder: don’t forget to take their dummy, comforter and sleeping bag if you use them!
Flying with your Small this summer?
My top tips for a fabulous flight with a baby:
Wear loose and comfortable clothes. Light layers and a comfy cardigan is the ultimate flying outfit!
Dress your Small in easy to get on and off light layers. Avoid anything with fiddly buttons, fasteners and a tight neck/waist
Pack a couple of spare outfits for you both in your carry-on. Or at least a top for you.
Let them move around as much as possible at the airport before you board your plane
Take a busy bag. Fill a small bag with lots of fiddly things they can get their fingers into and play with. I once entertained a baby with a bag of old plugs and phone chargers pretty much the whole way to New York!
Take small snacks and lots of them. The smaller the snack the longer it takes for them to eat. Think cheerios/raisins/ little melty puffs
If they have a comforter take this with you to help them sleep or stay calm.
Pack a small clean-up kit. Think paper towels/wipes/carrier bags for wet/soiled clothes
A 6-hour flight can feel super daunting if you think about it as one massive chunk of time. Split the time into smaller 30 or 60-minute chunks and focus on doing something for that time. And then celebrate once you’ve reached it.
If you’re flying with someone else you can always split the time chunks between you.
And if you need any help speak to the flight attendants. I’ve always found them to be super helpful if I’ve needed the loo or need to change a sick situation.
Lastly, remember flying with Smalls is largely about mindset. It’s not always pleasant, there’s going to be some turbulence but the time is ticking by and it does pass!
Setting up sleep in your holiday home
As soon as you get to your holiday home or hotel I suggest you get sleep sorted and set up their sleep space straight away. This helps your Small familiarise themselves with their new sleep space. It can also avoid a showdown at bedtime if you’ve forgotten anything or something’s not working.
Tips for helping your baby sleep in a travel cot on holiday
Think about taking a travel mattress topper. Travel cots can vary massively in quality and comfort!
Have the travel cot close to where you will be sleeping if they are used to being near or seeing you while they sleep.
Check you’ve assembled the travel cot correctly and all parts have clicked
Double triple check there’s not a separate mattress you need to put in. I once didn’t realise the cot mattress was in another cupboard and my baby was lying on just the bare base. Not surprisingly we had the worst few nights away!
My top tips for helping your Small nap on holiday:
Take off the pressure that naps have to happen in exactly the same way as they would at home. It’s totally normal for naps to be in a different place or that they fall asleep in a different way while away.
A Snoozeshade can be a nap AND sanity saviour on holiday. (that link will add a 10% discount to the checkout instantly by the way, as one of my Care It Out Loves partners.)
Use mobile white noise if napping out and about in the buggy
Feel free to flex your routine. Routines are not about being rigid and it’s always ok to flex your routine while away from home. But equally, it’s ok to stick with your usual routine if that works for you while away. Only you know what’s going to work for your family.
There’s no right or wrong way to routine on holiday!
If your routine does go out of the window (out of choice or otherwise!) there can be a lot of fear that you’ll never get back on track at home.
But any change is very likely to be only temporary.
And if you give it a bit of time once you’re back chances you‘ll naturally get back on track.
If you didn’t already a nap routine, watch my nap gap guide video for working out the optimal schedule for your Small.
How to do dinner out with a baby on holiday
Once again there’s no right or wrong to this.
You might decide to do dinner out later
Or you might want to stick to your usual meal times
And it might take a bit of trial and error to discover what works for your family at dinner time.
If you want to try dinner out two things you can try:
Let them stay awake while you eat. They might even be eating with you! Don’t forget to take some small toys for them to play with.
Do their bedtime routine at the hotel or holiday home first and get them into their pjs.
And then either:
Put them in the sling or pram, stroll to dinner (or around the area until they’re asleep!) and then tuck in.
Feed them first and then head out to dinner. Then once they’re showing tired signs try to settle them in the sling or pram. You can always leave the restaurant to walk around and then come back!
Get them to sleep in your usual way first and then transfer them to the pram or sling when you’re ready to go out.
If you do go out and dinner turns out to be a disaster you can just come home again. It might be the end of your dinner but it’s not the end of the world!
Getting Jet lag to jog on after a holiday with your baby!
Let’s be honest jet lag can be the worst and
And that first day back from your holiday can be horrendously hard (it’s unlikely you will get jet lag on the way out but if you do it’s usually way easier!)
But please don’t let that stop you having a wonderful holiday and worrying about it. Way easier said than done I know!
Because even though it can feel like it will last forever when you’re in the jet lag it will pass in time.
The three things to remember about jet lag are:
The holiday is always usually worth it
It’s unavoidable and all part of going away
And it’s only temporary and will settle given time
And my top tips to get jet lag to jog on:
Give yourselves plenty of time to readjust. It will settle down all by itself if you give it time and I generally allow a day for each hour of time difference you’ve travelled.
Wake you and your Small up by 8/8.30am at the latest for that first week back. I know this sounds brutal right?! But it really does help to have a wake-up window and get you back on track
Once you’re awake get outside for fresh air as soon as you can. Getting daylight on your eyeballs helps your circadian rhythm
And it’s an instant mood shifter for everyone!
Keep the curtains open during the day and expose yourself to as much natural light as you can throughout the day
Try to have meal times on your home time
It’s always ok to have a bit more nap time during the day but try not to overcompensate and let them sleep for too long.
At night when they’re awake (and they will be for that first week or so back!) keep things as calm as you can.
Keep the lights low and your tones hushed. It’s always ok to interact and hang out to pass the time whilst you all adjust. But try to avoid actively arranging activities. Think books, sticker book, puzzles etc.
finally…Remember, When it comes to your baby’s sleep, What happens on holiday usually stays on holiday!
Late nights
Sleeping in the same room
Lack of routine
Bringing them into your bed
Loose nap times
Doing something different to sleep
It’s normal to worry if something happens on holiday it will happen once you’re home too. But Smalls can be adaptable and accept that different things happen in different places.
I really hope this blog helps you and your Small have the best holiday!
If you’re not going away this year, or have found sleep a shiz show on your return, then my summer of sleep package is the perfect way to sort your sleep this summer.
If you need any other infant sleep advice, hop over to my Sleep Shop for affordable and easily-digestible Infant Sleep e-courses, or for a 121 service, take a look at my Sleep Services.