How to Handle Travel Days With a Baby
Traveling with kids is no joke. I’m a believer of not pausing your life because of having kids, but I will be the first to admit that traveling with a baby or a young child is hard. As a mom of 3 little kids (6 and under) and a sleep consultant, I have a few tips up my sleeve for traveling with your kiddos and maintaining a decent sleep schedule.
Handling sleep on your travel days can be tricky. The environment is stimulating, there are new things to see, and often times our babies can’t nap at their usual times. This can bring up feelings of stress and anxiety; wondering what the rest of the day (and overnight!) is going to look like. I’ve been there too…staring at my still awake baby, who is 3 hours past the end of their wake window, wondering if they’ll maybe never sleep again, ha!
Here are a few tips on how to handle travel days with your baby:
Set the bar low. You’re traveling! I sleep awful on travel days too. It’s seriously all about survival. I would pay attention to your baby’s wake windows and see if they’ll contact nap on you if possible, or else see if they’ll fall asleep in the baby carrier, the carseat, or the stroller.
Bring new activities. I always love gathering some fidget toys or busy boards that my kids have never played with - specifically for travel days. These are so fun to distract your baby (toddlers too!) and giving them something they’ve never played with before will also grab their attention.
Screen time is your friend. We aren’t a huge screen time household. We watch TV on and off, but we don’t do tablet time at all unless we’re travelling. Whether you have a baby, a toddler, or a child, screens are captivating. I recommend downloading a favourite show (we love Ms. Rachel & Bluey) and using it when your child starts getting fussy. The songs are fun, the colours are distracting, and it’ll give you a few moments of silence.
Choose your travel times intentionally. I never recommend travelling on red-eye flights or driving through the night if you can avoid it. Our nighttime sleep is the most restorative sleep - so I never recommend messing up a good thing. Daytime naps can be missed or pushed back, but a full night of uncomfortable carseat sleep sounds like torture. I recommend either leaving first thing in the morning, or right around nap time. That way your baby is well-rested from their night, and then ideally tired for their nap.
Focus on bedtime. When you get to your destination, whether your child is overtired from not napping, or they’re getting ready for bed soon, don’t skimp out on their bedtime routine. Make sure you take time prepping the sleep environment well, and still do their full routine as you would at home. This consistency will pay off in a huge way!
Even if sleep is absolute garbage while you’re on vacation, focus on making memories and enjoying your family time together. There isn’t a sleep problem too big that you can’t fix when you get home.
