Master Traveling with your Little One this Holiday Season
Leanne Pelke is certified Pediatric Sleep Coaching for Newborns, Infants, Toddlers and School-Aged Children. She owns Moonlit Dreams Sleep Coaching where she helps families bring healthy sleep into their homes.
And just like that, we’re in the holiday season! Which, for some of us, means preparing our homes for guests and prepping meals. For others, it means packing lists, shipping gifts, and traveling to see multiple families while simultaneously trying to stay on a decent nap and bedtime schedule to avoid a complete holiday meltdown. I’ll tell you first hand, it’s not easy! It’s a lot for us as adults, so we can only imagine how hard it can be on our kids. While it may never be easy, I am here to help make it a bit more bearable for all. (Consider this a little holiday gift from me 😉)
Do Your Best to Avoid Overscheduling
This is 100% the HARDEST part of the holidays. Even before we had our daughter, my husband and I were EXHAUSTED after visiting two, (sometimes three) families a day. I know others have even MORE families to visit especially those who have divorced parents (like me) and are married to someone with divorced parents that are remarried which then doubles the family count again! If you’re able to, try to stick to 2 family visits and work around nap time. Trust me, I know that it’s easier for some, but you have your own family now, so if that means you need to start making changes that are going to benefit them, then so be it.
Let’s say you have two families to visit and one is pretty far away. Maybe you make that family the first leg of your trip so that your child can get a restorative cat nap (30 minutes or more) on the way there and one on the way to visit family #2.
If you’re staying local, but making multiple stops, see if you can schedule it so that you’re able to fit in naps wherever you’re going to be for the longest amount of time. For example, if you have a child who takes two naps a day and your first family gathering is going to be during that first nap, bring a pack-n-play or portable safe sleeper with you so that you can put them down in a fitting space to nap. Then do the same for the 2nd nap at your next family gathering.
I know for some of you, naps will be near impossible and that’s just the reality of it! If that happens, and you’re able to make it an early night so they’re in bed early (or at least on time), then that’s a win in my book! If your holiday travel schedule is completely insane and leaves you zero wiggle room to fit in naps or an early bedtime, just keep calm and hit the reset button the next day. Will your child be displaying some overtired behavior? Probably! Just remember to keep your routine and methods consistent, and do your best to not revert to old habits. You know what works so “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” as they say!
Keep Things Consistent:
It’s completely normal for children to test the boundaries around behavior and sleep when they are somewhere new. New foods, new places, new people, and new routines; can be overwhelming and overstimulating to them. (It’s sure as heck is for us sometimes)! This could mean that your little one might act “out of turn”, cry a bit at bedtime, or have a night waking or two especially if you are spending the night in a new place. The best way to handle it is to not approach it much differently than you would at home. CONSISTENCY IS KEY! Children thrive on it and respond to the same expectations that you have at home, so do your best to keep that consistency in your routine, sleep space, and approach to unwanted behaviors. Staying close to them will help with separation anxiety a bit as well. Imagine you go to a party with a friend where you don’t know a single person but the friend you came with. When you get there, your friend grabs you your favorite drink and snack then leaves to go talk to a group of people you’ve never seen before. You’re alone, you’re confused, and you’re overwhelmed. This is how your child might feel in a big group setting especially during the holidays when things are already hectic! If they need you, be with them. It’s not them being “bratty” or “clingy”; they’re kids and you are where they feel most safe!
Toddlers and school-aged children also love to be in the know. Prepare them beforehand and talk to them about what you plan to do, so that they feel prepared when getting in the car, going for a long drive, and sleeping in their pack-n-play at Aunt So-and-so’s house. Bring some comfort items from home like favorite toys, snacks, and things they like to sleep with if you plan to stay over.
Preparing an ideal sleep space that is both comfortable and familiar
You’ve worked hard to make your child’s sleep space super comfortable at home, so why should traveling be any different? I know I LOVE to be as comfortable as possible when I travel. Sometimes I’ll even bring my comforter if I can fit it in my travel bag! (Yes, I’m high maintenance, don’t judge me). My husband and I will even bring a sound machine for both our daughter and ourselves if we are staying in separate rooms. If you are planning to spend a night or two (or more) outside of your home this holiday season, here are a few things you might want to consider bringing to ensure your child’s sleep space is just as cozy as their own room:
Bring their favorite blanket, stuffed animal, or nightlight. If you have doubles of anything, bring those too. You never want to be stuck with a lost or dirty lovie and nothing to replace it!
Bring a portable sound machine or, if you're able, pack theirs from home and place it on the side of the room where your little one is sleeping to drown out any external noises that are in or outside of the room. The familiar sound will also bring some comfort from home. My favorite travel sound machine is from Yogasleep!
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Do your best to avoid bed sharing with your toddler if you can. It can cause an unwanted habit where your toddler crawls into your bed every night because they got so used to it while traveling. If where you’re going doesn’t have a place for them to sleep, bring a pack-and-play or a little travel sleeping pad for your toddler to sleep on.
If you’re sharing a room, hanging a sheet, or having a partition between you and your child can be beneficial. One of my favorite travel necessities is The SlumberPod (be sure to use my code MOONLITDREAMS$20 for $20 off!). It's a tent that goes over the top of a pack-n-play or cot, which helps not only separate them from you but also blocks light and other distractions. It also has a pocket for a monitor and a fan. Plus, it's kinda fun to "sleep in a tent!" They are a bit pricey, so you could also get something like a stretch-fit pack-n-play cover for a child that maybe isn’t standing just yet, (or isn’t standing super actively). We have personally used both the stretch-to-fit cover and now the SlumberPod since my daughter is older and standing/walking. They both pack up small, so we legit bring them everywhere. However, if you have the option to put your child in their own room, do it!
Pack some portable black-out curtains - SleepOut travel blackout curtains are my absolute FAVORITE. However, if you’re looking for a more cost-efficient solution you can even bring some black trash bags and tape them up on the windows. This is great if you are somewhere there are no curtains or blackout blinds on the windows. The Slumberpod or pack-n-play cover also doubles as blackout, so it’s a nice two-for-one deal!
Trains, Planes, and Automobiles
Whether you’re traveling on a plane or on the road, it can be a challenge for your little one and you. When traveling on a plane, the best thing you can do is just accept the fact that you’re traveling with kids! Plan ahead, and bring as many things as you can to keep your child occupied and comfortable. Whether it’s a tablet, books, snacks, or their favorite toy, it’ll be beneficial for the plane right as well as later on the trip! Try to make them as comfortable as possible given your situation. If you are flying, offer them something to drink while the plane is ascending and descending, so their ears pop naturally with the altitude changes. If you have an infant that is still nursing or taking a bottle, try your best to time their feedings with when the plane is scheduled to take off and land, or save a bit for those times.
If you’re planning on driving to your destination, and it’s longer than a quick day trip, there are a few things that I will suggest to help make the drive more comfortable for everyone in the car.
If you’re needing to drive for 5+ hours, try to start your drive close to bedtime and drive through the night. Or you can leave very early in the morning, so they’ll sleep most of the ride since it’s during a time in the morning when they’re usually still sleeping. Your little one will be more likely to sleep during this time, and you’ll less likely to have to deal with a ticked-off kid stuck in a car seat for several hours. If it’s a shorter drive that lasts the duration of one of their naps, try to plan it for nap time. Leave about 20-30 minutes before they are scheduled to go down so they have some time to adjust to the car and get comfortable.
If your little one is still in diapers, put them in an overnight diaper so that they are comfortable sitting for a longer time vs needing to be changed more often when wearing a regular diaper.
If they are still breast or bottle feeding, do your best to keep their feeding schedule the same, even if this means adding on a few minutes to your destination time and pulling over to feed them.
Similar to what I recommended for a plane ride, be sure to bring things you know will help them stay occupied like a tablet (with charger & headphones!), their favorite toy, and LOTS of snacks (some for you too of course)!
The holidays can be stressful for everyone involved, so do your best to stay in a calm headspace to display that behavior for your children. Calm breeds calm. And if things go amiss, just remember it’s only temporary! Setting the reset button after a lot of travel and excitement is completely normal and to be expected even if you do everything “by the book”. So have fun, soak in this special time with your family, and treat yourself to that extra glass of wine…you deserve it
Be sure to check out both my Toddler and Newborn/Infant Packing Lists, to use as a guide this holiday season. Happy Holidays!