Vacation Sleep Tips for Your Child
Summer vacation season is in full swing! I think every client I have worked with during the past month has asked me for travel tips – they now have their child sleeping well and are worried about what will happen when their child needs to sleep on vacation. It can be challenging to keep your child (and you!) well rested when you are traveling, but if you plan ahead, the trip will be much more enjoyable for everyone. Here are 5 tips to help your child stay well rested when you travel:
- Arrange travel times around naptime – The best way for children to get restorative naps is for them to nap in their bed, but on travel days, that’s often not an option. A car nap is better than no nap! Try to start your drive 15-30 minutes before your child’s naptime so hopefully they will sleep during their normal naptime. If you plan to leave long before naptime and you have a spouse or older child with you, have them help keep your napper awake until their normal nap time.
- Recreate your child’s normal sleep environment – Bring your child’s crib sheet, lovey, swaddle, sleep sac, blanket or other regular items they associate with sleep with you. Recreating their normal sleep environment to the best of your ability will help your child associate the “strange” room and crib or bed with sleep.
- Do not put your child to bed late – Putting your child to bed later very rarely results in them waking up later than usual in the morning. It is tempting to put them to bed later than normal because you are on vacation, but more likely than not your child will quickly become overtired. Put them to bed at their normal time, and with their normal bedtime routine. If they have a few favorite bedtime stories they like to hear at night, make sure you bring those with you!
- Maintain your child’s sleep schedule – This might be the hardest piece of advice, but keeping your child on their regular nap schedule, as best you can, will help them stay well rested and happy while you are on vacation. If a nap does not happen because of the travel schedule or your child adjusting to the new sleep environment, put them down for an extra early bedtime.
- Get them back on their normal schedule the moment you return home – No matter how hard you try, chances are your child will not get as much sleep during your vacation as they do at home. It is important to get them right back to their normal schedule with an ideal bedtime and consistent naptime(s) as soon as you get home. It might take a couple of days to recover, but the sooner things get back to normal the sooner they will be fully rested again.
Happy Fourth of July and happy travels!