5 Tips to Help Your Baby Sleep While Traveling

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The holidays are here and many families will be traveling. If you’re lucky like I am, you may have local family, but you might also need to travel quite a distance if you’re traveling further away. Whether you’re driving or flying, I can help you get your baby to sleep like he normally would at home.

The most important thing is going to be about how you schedule your trip. If you’re driving a few hours away, time your driving so that the baby can sleep while you drive. This does NOT mean that you have to drive through the night. My husband and I took a 12 hour drive ONE WAY to North Carolina last summer and both of our kids were under 3 AND I was pregnant. We never once drove through the night- it’s not our thing… the darkness and the bright lights, no thank you! It was the most amazing trip- the one and only meltdown was when we were a half hour away from returning home. It was a LONG half hour, but I can’t complain! We planned every stretch of driving during a nap so not only did the kids still get the sleep they needed, but my husband and I were able to enjoy each other’s company and just TALK. Before we left for our trip, we planned out quick stops every 3-4 hours so that we could all stretch our legs, take a bathroom break and get some energy out. Yes, it makes the trip longer, but I still had my sanity when we got home (well, most of it…)!

Here are five tips to help your baby sleep while traveling:

1. Your baby must be able to self soothe before the trip. This means that your baby will need to be able to go in and out of sleep cycles independently. In an unfamiliar place, this is especially important.

2. Bring familiar objects from home. These things will help your baby feel more secure and she will be able to transition through those sleep cycles easier if she feels safe and surrounded by familiar things. These can include:

3. Follow the same schedule and bedtime routine that you always follow at home. This is crucial in not developing new bad habits. Let’s say you rock your baby to sleep while traveling and baby gets used to it. You’re going to find yourself rocking your baby to sleep every night when you get back home as well. Then you’ll have to sleep train all over again and that’s a disservice to both your baby and you.

4. Give your baby her own sleeping space. If your baby sleeps in a crib in her own room at home, at the very least, bring a pack ‘n play for your baby. Even if she has to sleep in the same room as you, give her her own space to sleep in. As previously mentioned, you don’t want to start new habits. Even if you’re only traveling for a few days and you think it’s ok to share a bed for a few nights- just don’t. Not only is it unsafe, but it’s unnecessary and giving your baby her own space will give her the ability to roll around and move about her own space and it will give you the ability to sleep deeper and stretch out!

5. Lay the groundwork. This is almost like doing your homework. Practice makes perfect here so have your baby play and/or sleep in the pack ‘n play at home for 2-3 days before the trip so that she is familiar with the space. Move the pack ‘n play to different spots in your house so that your baby can get accustomed to the idea that that this crib is portable.

The most important thing about traveling with a baby is that you need to be flexible. You need to mentally prepare yourself for imperfection. This is going to take some trial and error. You just need to remember that your baby will feed off of your emotions, so if you’re stressed out about the traveling, your baby will pick up on that and become clingy and cranky. Enjoy your travels and your holiday with family and friends!

If you get home from your trip and you’re experiencing sleep troubles, I would be happy to help. Head over to my sleep packages page to purchase a package! I can help you through the whole process and help you get your sleep back.

Sweet Dreams!Missy Yandow

#sleeptraining #travelingwithbaby