6 Tips to help your child sleep well during the holidays and travel (so you stay sane!)
Whether you love the holiday season and started planning your Thanksgiving menu and listening to jingle bells the day after Halloween, hate it, or reside somewhere in between, chances are you find it to be an exhausting time of year. And your kiddos feel it too.
The traveling, visitors and festivities can wreak havoc on routines and sleep. For little ones and adults alike.
If you’re like me, then you definitely don’t want to miss all of the fun. But if you also don’t want to end up with the tantruming turkey at your holiday gathering, then you’ll want to check out these 6 Pro Tips below.
Tip #1: Be realistic
If you’ve got an easy-going baby or child who can typically go with the flow, then you may be able to get away with missing naps and having the occasional later bedtime. They may temporarily have a bad night of sleep, but kiddos with more laid back temperaments typically will bounce back after a day or two back on routine.
But, if your little one is more sensitive, gets serious FOMO like my youngest child, or is a “by the clock” baby like my oldest was, then you’ll want to be really strategic in your plans in order to prevent overtiredness, early mornings and increased night wakings.
If this sounds more like your family, then being realistic about your holiday plans can be really helpful. For instance:
Try not to plan too much in one day and know your kiddos and their limitations.
If your baby has to miss the afternoon nap, then make plans for an earlier bedtime to happen.
Or, if you know your kiddo gets overstimulated easily, then make sure you take breaks, take them for small walks away from the crowd and spend a bit longer on the bedtime routine that evening so they have extra time to relax their body again before sleep (with you, their home base, there to help them wind down).
Tip #2: Be consistent
Yes, it can be pretty tough to remain consistent with your baby or child’s schedule throughout the holiday season - especially if you’re traveling or have visitors in your home. But there are definitely ways you can maintain some consistency that can help you preserve your child’s sleep. For instance:
Try to maintain their bedtime routines - keeping to the same steps and sequence as every other night (even if it needs to be a bit shorter to get them in bed on time).
Additionally, for children who do need more consistency or are more sensitive to schedule changes and overtiredness, it can be really helpful if you try to plan your outings or family meals around their nap times.
If you know your baby NEEDS to take her 1pm nap but you have to get to Grandma’s house in time for Thanksgiving dinner, then you really have several choices that can meet both their needs and your family's needs. For example,
go early and plan for her to nap at Grandma's,
plan the car ride with the hopes of nap happening on the ride, or
stay at home for the nap but cut it a bit short and tell Grandma you’ll be there in time for pie.
Are you not quite sure what your child’s schedule should be on any given day, let alone Thanksgiving? If so, be sure to check out our blog post on baby schedules, and getting the timing right for sleep. Have a toddler or preschooler? Check out our blog post on little kid schedules.
Tip #3: Create familiarity
When traveling, it can be really helpful to recreate the home environment as much as possible. Sleeping in an unfamiliar place is a very common trouble spot and can cause disruptions and night wakings in even the best sleeper. But you can combat this by trying to re-create as much of their typical sleep environment as possible. For example,
If your baby typically sleeps in a crib, then make sure you bring a travel crib or call ahead to the hotel to reserve one. If you're traveling with it, then it can also be helpful to have your baby take a few naps in the travel crib while you’re still at home. This gives your baby some extra exposure so that they have even more of an opportunity to get comfortable in it before the rest of their environment changes.
If your baby or toddler typically bed shares with you, then it may be easier to have them transition into a new space. But make sure that you take precautions to ensure that it’s a safe environment just like the one at home - remove the extra bedding and pillows and check for gaps where your baby may become trapped (like between the headboard and mattress).
Give them plenty of time to explore the new space before sleeping there. For example, if you arrive to the location at 6:00PM and bedtime is 7:00PM, make sure they get an extra long bedtime routine to get comfortable in the room before going down for the night.
No matter what their typical sleeping arrangements, make sure that you bring their own crib sheet or favorite blankets and pillow - along with their regular loveys/stuffed animals, pacifiers, white noise, travel black out blinds and night light. Recreating the environment as much as possible will help to reduce disruptions over all.
Make the room DARK. This way the unfamiliarity won’t be so obvious.
Tip #4: Make space for downtime
The holidays are chock-full of opportunities to become overstimulated and overtired. Aside from an off schedule or missed nap, the twinkly lights, music, new faces, new toys and extra sugary treats can make for one overstimulated and cranky kiddo. The best way to combat this is to make sure you leave room in your schedule for quiet time. You could take a break to:
snuggle on the couch under a blanket together,
go for a family walk,
find quiet time in another room
run an errand with just your kiddo so they get alone time with you
Everyone needs a chance to recharge their batteries. Taking a break from the action will keep your baby or child feeling grounded and connected amidst the all the activities.
Tip #5: Prioritize your own sanity
Our babies and children pick up on our stress, big time. Our nervous systems co-regulate. If we’re feeling frazzled or down right anxious, our kiddos feel this dysregulation by way of mirror neurons in their brain. No matter how big your smile is or how good of a job you think you’re doing faking it, your kids know the truth. They feel your anxiety and they absorb your stress. So keep this in mind as you’re making your plans. And do what you need to do to keep your stress under control. Here are some of my personal favorites for keeping my sanity when traveling or staying with extended family (note: I’m a serious introvert so I really need to carve out down time):
I take an luxuriously long showers when I have the extra pairs of hands around.
I spend a REALLY long time with my kiddos during the bedtime routine. This gives them the much needed transition time and it gives me a nice, long break from the socializing.
I take short walks with one of my kids at a time. This gives them a chance to be with their home base independently and to come down for the stimulation, and it gives me a break from everything.
Tip #6: Get back to normal as soon as possible
If you want to avoid the post holiday sleep regression (it’s a real thing and why sleep coaches are so busy in January), it’s important to get back on track as soon as possible. If you traveled, that means you go right back to typical schedules, routines, and expectations the first night you are home.
For babies, getting them back on track with their schedule can help alleviate overtiredness and the associated early mornings or frequent night wakings. If they become really overtired, then having an earlier bedtime few days can also be really helpful to help them reset and catch up on the missed sleep.
For toddlers and school age kiddos, try to get them back to their school week bedtime at least a few days before it’s time to returzonen to school.
And finally, if you’ve been traveling time zones over the holidays, know that the typical rule of thumb is to give 1 day of transition time for every 1 hour of time difference. If you will be flying across time zones with your family, be sure to check out our blog on the subject.
No matter what, the holidays should be a time to enjoy family and friends. Staying well-rested can do wonders in helping you achieve this goal.
I hope that these tips help you and your family combat the common holiday sleep troubles. Let’s create magical family memories instead!
Looking to get sleep in the best space possible BEFORE that trip to Grandma’s? Or just wanting to do some general damage control with your kiddo’s sleep. Grab your FREE e-books for stellar sleep:
Ready for your best family rest now? So that you are all sleeping like a dream by the time the New Year arrives? If yes, our Thanksgiving Flash Deal is for you — personalized sleep coaching now, at the best price of the year!
At Little Dipper Sleep, we deeply understand the importance of quality sleep for individuals of all ages. We have years of experience helping adults, parents, babies, children, and teens discover the healthy sleep they need to thrive. The team at Little Dipper Sleep has developed evidence-based programs and techniques, tailored to your specific needs and preferences, that will help you and your loved ones achieve a peaceful and restful night's sleep. With Little Dipper Sleep, stellar sleep is on the horizon. Let's discover your best sleep together by setting up your free consultation today!
Psst: did you know we now do Perimenopause Sleep Coaching too? This is a largely neglected and misunderstood phase of life that comes with many unique symptoms, insomnia and disrupted sleep, just to name a few. I have personally experienced this misery, worked through it, and am highly motivated to help other folks avoid the suffering (or get out of it ASAP!). Set up your free consultation with me (Liz Harden, MPH, Founder and Lead Sleep Coach) today!