Travelling with a baby or young child can bring up a lot of questions about sleep. Where will they sleep? What happens to naps on travel days? And what do you do when your usual routine goes completely out the window? These baby sleep tips can help make road trips, flights and vacations a little less stressful.
How to Manage Your Baby’s Sleep While Travelling
Ok, so wow.
You are ALL travelling.
I’m travelling a bit too, but the closer I get to my kids packing their own luggage (YES! This happens one day! Just you wait!), I forget the mental load and stress of thinking about what to pack for your baby or child, and also where they'll sleep. How will they sleep? WHAT HAPPENS IF THEY DO NOT SLEEP AT ALL?
I have found these questions coming up more and more in my private work and every week during my Q&As over on Instagram.
So, if you’re travelling with a baby or young child and wondering how you’re going to manage naps, nights, road trips, flights and jet lag, here we go:
Lower Your Sleep Expectations to the FLOOR
Studies have shown that the first night in any new location tends to result in pretty poor-quality sleep. We tend to sleep in large stretches of lighter sleep, and many studies report travellers waking tired. Now, that is for adults.
Imagine if you’re a young baby or child: you’re sleeping in all-new conditions, your naps have been short because you’re on a parent or in a stroller, and you’re being moved constantly. If the “first night effect” is real for adults, it makes sense that babies may also have trouble adjusting to a new sleep environment.
Give yourself and your baby a break on night one. It's normal to experience protests or disrupted sleep, and that's okay. Travel can cause this. You're doing great.
Come prepared with patience and get ready to comfort and support your child (without actively putting them to sleep with your body if independent sleep is the goal). Travelling with family? Set their expectations too. No. The baby isn’t necessarily hungry. It’s unlikely something is wrong. Stay the course. Remember, patience is key. Your calm will help your child adjust.
Road Trips With a Baby: When Should You Travel?
Knowing when to travel with a baby can be difficult. "Should I drive during nap time with my toddler?" "When is the best time to do a long car ride with a newborn?" Are questions you might be asking yourself. Here are my thoughts on all of it:
- Nap times? Yes, totally possible. For younger babies, they usually sleep as long as the car is moving. For babies around six months old, plan for potentially crappy naps in the car after one sleep cycle. This is common during new, stressful or exciting times. Don’t panic. Just offer several short naps.
- For car rides over three hours, I recommend a night drive if possible. Follow your usual routine at home, feed your baby, then transfer them from the car seat to their sleep setup upon arrival. Your baby may wake briefly, but they will be very sleepy. Let natural melatonin do its work.
- Toddler drives require lots of breaks, snacks, stimulation, patience and coffee. LOL.
- Plane sleep? It's all a mess. Of course your baby can sleep with you without it all falling off the rails. I promise you. Don’t ask me why, but it IS the twilight zone. And I’m ok with that.
Baby Naps While Travelling
Naps probably won’t look exactly like they do at home while you’re travelling, and that’s okay. Your baby may sleep in the car, stroller, on the plane or on you, so focus on getting them the rest they need rather than trying to recreate their usual nap routine perfectly. I will be brief:
- Naps on the go are fine.
- Naps on you on the plane are also fine. (A plane is a twilight zone, and I have no other way to explain it.)
- Short naps will happen when driving or in the stroller. Get several short naps. It's also fine. Not ideal forever! But ok on vacation.
- Don’t underestimate the power of stimulation. Babies may nap a little longer after big swims, family hugs and good times. Assume positive outcomes! Your upbeat attitude can help your child feel more secure and relaxed during travel.
In general, don’t let leaving your house stress you out. Your well-rested child CAN handle variances in their day, so stay calm and trust your routines.
Baby Sleep at Night While Travelling
A new sleep environment can mean some extra disruption at night, especially during the first few nights away. Keeping familiar routines and creating a dark, comfortable sleep space can help your baby adjust while you’re travelling.
- Room sharing? Bring a SlumberPod. I make no money saying this. It's great, and my clients love it.
- Explore big closets and bathrooms as a separate sleep space—actually! They are super dark, and they work. My kids have slept in many a closet or bathroom all across North America, and some of those were their BEST sleeps.
- Night wakings? Follow the same plan as home. Your baby may wake more at night in a new location. They need some responsiveness and reassurance, then let them work it out.
Back to square one? Call your consultant, and we can help you get back to basics again!
Helping Your Baby With Jet Lag
Jet lag can take a few days to work through, but light exposure, naps and meal times can all help your baby’s internal clock adjust. The goal is to start following the new local schedule as soon as you can:
- If the time change is less than three hours, stick to local times.
- Move to local time immediately. This may mean offering extra naps or doing earlier bedtimes. Feed often during daytime hours.
- Follow sun exposure. Be awake when the sun is up and asleep, with lights out, when the sun is down.
- Give everyone three to four days to resettle when arriving in a new location and when you get back home.
That covers the majority of the questions I get about travelling with a baby or young child. Go ahead and share this with a friend who's also leaving their house and scared.
Most importantly, don’t fall into the trap of constantly protecting your child’s sleep. Follow what you have been doing at home, stay as consistent as you reasonably can and remember that a well-rested child can handle some variation while you travel.
Need Help Getting Sleep Back on Track?
Travel can shake up even the best sleep routines. If your baby or child is having trouble settling back into their usual schedule after a trip, our sleep consultants can help you get back to the routines that were working at home.