How to Maintain Your Baby’s Sleep Habits on Vacation

Wondering how your little one’s sleep will be affected on an upcoming family trip? Here’s how to handle your baby’s sleep habits and still have fun on your vacation!

I had been planning our family trip, down to the sites to visit, the restaurants to eat, and the rental house we’d stay. But as much as I had outlined what we’d do once we arrived, I realized I hadn’t considered my son’s routine, particularly his sleeping habits.

He had just been sleep-trained and was sleeping through the night. His routine was so set in stone that he hardly slept anywhere else but at home. Would our vacation be one disaster after another?

Thankfully, with a few tweaks and changes, we were able to enjoy ourselves and get the sleep we needed. He adjusted to his temporary arrangements and went on outings between his regular routines. The best part? We returned home with no major overhaul or sleep habits undone.

If you’re planning a trip with your family, follow these tips to maintain your baby’s sleep habits while you’re away from home:

Keep a consistent schedule before leaving

Routines get a bad rap sometimes. We assume strict schedules push flexibility aside or that kids can’t enjoy spontaneous activities or a late night out. But a consistent routine actually allows your baby even more flexibility because she can be open to change.

With a consistent schedule, a family vacation can be an exciting diversion from the norm. She’s less likely to resist the changes, knowing that this is a special treat.

Plus, keeping a consistent schedule before leaving gives both of you a chance to practice your routine often enough that it becomes automatic. The familiarity of the routine, even in a new environment away from home, can make sleep smoother than if she had nothing consistent to compare it to.

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Bring familiar items

I had made a big mistake. I planned my son’s sleeping arrangements except for one important item I had left behind: a white noise machine, which provided the white noise he needed to fall asleep.

So, when we arrived and got ready for bed, he took forever to fall asleep because of the pitch silence in his room. Plus, without white noise, I had to tiptoe around the house so I wouldn’t wake him up.

Lesson learned: Bring the items you need that can simulate your baby’s sleep environment at home. This can include a white noise machine, lovey, nursery songs, or bedtime books that he relies on to fall asleep.

Provide your baby with her own sleeping space

As tempting as it may be to share the bed with your baby on vacation—don’t. This is especially true if she’s already used to sleeping on her own. Co-sleeping can make her revert to old habits down the line.

Instead, provide her with her own sleeping space. A portable cot or travel crib is a perfect solution—you can still save money by getting a single room while providing her with a sleeping space of her own. See if the hotel or rental home offers one so that you don’t have to bring yours.

Even better is to get a different room for her. As frugal as a single hotel room may be, one downside is that you’re sleeping in the same room. This may be fine when she naps, but both of your sleep might be disrupted at night—you end up with an early bedtime or she’s sleeping past hers.

Book a hotel or rent a home with a separate bedroom. This allows you to make use of the other spaces without calling it a day come her bedtime. She’ll also be able to sleep without too many interruptions from you.

Maintain the same routine

One reason your baby may not sleep on vacation may be because of a lack of routine.

With a family trip as a special treat, you’ll understandably skip a nap or push bedtime back sometimes. But if possible, try to maintain the same routine even when you’re on vacation.

For instance, head back to your hotel for naps and keep the same bedtime if you can. At first, I thought this would be difficult, but then I realized many of our outings could fit either before or after a nap, and few of them needed the baby to stay up past his bedtime.

Maintaining the same routine helped make our stay more enjoyable, especially when he was able to get the rest he needed.

Give your baby plenty of downtime

It’s tempting to pack every minute of your vacation with something to do, almost like you’re trying to make it worth your while. But with so much going on, plus adjusting to a new environment, a packed schedule can make your baby feel overwhelmed.

Instead, give him plenty of downtime. He can recover in your hotel if the schedule feels too hectic so he’s refreshed to go on the next outing. Pad each outing with time to lounge at home or set aside several hours to a whole day without an agenda.

Don’t forget time differences

Depending on where you go, you may have to adjust for the time differences between your local time and your destination. Account for time spent on a plane or what time it’ll be when you land (for instance, be mindful of potential jet lag).

Then, shift your baby’s schedule at home, gradually if need be. Let’s say you’re traveling to a place that’s a few hours ahead of your time zone. Change her daily schedule before leaving so the new time zone isn’t so jarring.

The bottom line

A family vacation, while exciting, can disrupt your baby’s sleep if you don’t come prepared. Hopefully, you learned a few tips to maintain his sleep habits away from home—even if you forget to bring the white noise machine.

Get more tips:

• How to Prepare for Sleep Training
• How Often Should You Check In During Sleep Training?
• How to Wean from Night Feedings
• How to Sleep Train for Naps
• Frequently Asked Questions About Sleep Training

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