How To Get A Baby On A Sleep Schedule When Traveling

Traveling is one of the most amazing things in life. New places, foods, cultures – ahhh, what could be better? Traveling with children or to visit family can feel daunting and overwhelming but it is a great way to make memories and new experiences with your family. In fact, here are some unforgettable family experiences we love!

Still, traveling can disrupt your baby’s sleep schedule and with advanced preparation and planning, you can keep your child’s sleep problems to a minimum. Sleep while traveling is so important for all of us, but especially babies, and when traveling, babies need their naps and bedtimes to be consistent to make their travels more enjoyable.

Our client and certified pediatric sleep consultant Molly Leighton, is going to HELP–here’s how to get a baby on a sleep schedule when traveling!

How To Get A Baby On A Sleep Schedule When Traveling

Plan Ahead!

Don’t wait until the day before to make a list of what you need for your trip. Walk through a typical day with your baby and write out all of the things that you use throughout the day. Think of foods, utensils, toys, clothes, and most importantly, what you use during their sleep routine. Bringing the items that you use at home during your sleep routine will help signal to your child that it’s time to fall asleep when you’re traveling! 

Plan travel around naps.

If possible, try to plan your travel around your child’s nap schedule. For example, if your baby sleeps at 9am, try to have them asleep at that time either in the car or on a plane. Expect their nap to be shorter but with the added sleep pressure of traveling and that stimulation, it will help improve their chances of falling asleep. If your child uses a sleep aid like a pacifier, lovey, sleep sack, etc. bring those items with you so they feel comfortable. Taking a car seat nap is better than no nap, so plan ahead! Make sure to pack a white noise machine and if naps will be in the car or on the go, I HIGHLY recommend this portable white noise machine, it’s a game changer! You can use it as a sound machine for nighttime sleep too.

Planning feedings/meals.

Meals can get wonky when traveling so plan to bring meals, snacks, bottles and MORE SNACKS. Don’t rely on airport or rest stop food, they don’t always have the best options and when your kids and hungry, they want to eat immediately. Bring a smaller cooler or cooler bag and bring sandwiches, apple slices, fruit, yogurt and lots of snacks. 

Plan one nap in a crib/bassinet.

When you get to your destination (yay!) and get settled, try to plan for at least one nap of the day to be in your child’s sleep space. This helps get them comfortable in their new space and improve their sleep. Plan your days in advance so you know which nap will be in the crib, even a travel crib would be great. Sleep on a flat surface helps to ensure your child is getting good sleep, naps on the go are not as restorative so move bedtime up on days where naps were short or on the go.

Don’t forget the essentials.

Bring your child’s blanket, stuffed animal or lovey, crib sheet from home, sleep sack and white noise machine. Bring books from home that you typically use during bedtime routine to ensure your baby is feeling some sense of home. Try to set up a sleep space that is dark and separate from you. If you are in a hotel room, bathrooms or closets are always great options as they are dark, quiet and cool. Yes, this means you may need to use the lobby bathroom or forgo closet space. It’s either that or sharing a room with a baby that will see, hear and smell you every time you roll over, I’ll let you decide! 

These are my favorite blackout shades. They are paper and can be cut to fit any window size – they are great for traveling blackout shades. Pro-tip: ship them directly to your destination (one less thing to pack!) Another AMAZING travel item is the SlumberPod which is a portable blackout canopy that can fit over a pack n play, mini crib, toddler cot or inflatable toddler mattress. (Use code sleep.shore for 5% off purchase!) This really helps limit light exposure (goodbye 30 minute naps!) and helps minimize sleep disruptions.

If you want to pack smarter, not harder, consider renting baby equipment from BabyQuip. BabyQuip is a baby equipment rental site where you can order anything, and I mean anything, from their certified rental agents. I have used them many times and have been thrilled with the experience. I highly recommend this so that you can pack lighter! You can rent strollers, bassinets, cribs, white noise machines, monitors, etc. 

Don’t over-schedule.

Respect your child’s sleep needs and do not over-schedule. Plan for some down time in the afternoon where your child can have a nap that is not on the go. It is tempting to do as much as possible, but it will just leave everyone miserable at the end of the day. Try to prioritize nap time for your child so that their nighttime sleep isn’t impacted.

Stay consistent!

Your child may test the boundaries and protest more in their new sleep environment until they get used to it. Deal with it the same way you would at home. Be very consistent for the first few days and nights and your child will be used to their new sleep space and go back to sleeping well, which will make for an enjoyable vacation for everyone.

Time zones and jet lag.

Most people have a circadian rhythm or internal clock that delays slightly each day, that is why it is easier to travel west than travel east. Well-rested children handle jet lag better. If your baby has been sleeping well and already has established sleep skills, they should slide into the new time zone without too much trouble. It is best to adjust to the new time zone as quickly as you can. Lots of exposure to bright, natural sunlight in the morning is best.

Traveling West Coast to East Coast.

If you’re traveling from west to east and will have a time difference of 3 hours or more, here are my tips. We will use traveling from California to Boston as our example. That would be 3 hours of time difference but you could also use the same guidance when traveling from Boston to Dublin (a 5 hour time difference) for example.

If your child’s bedtime is usually around 7pm in California, that means when you arrive in Boston, the clock may say 7pm but your child’s body won’t feel like it’s bedtime until 10pm. We are going to use that to our advantage.

• Try to keep your child up until 10pm Boston time (which will feel like 7pm CA time). This shouldn’t be too hard, given how our bodies are wired but it will feel counterintuitive.
• Then you’re going to let them sleep in the next morning as long as they’d like. They may sleep all the way until 10am and get 12 hours or they may be up earlier. Either way is okay.
• Shift bedtime each day accordingly. So if they slept in until 10am, you’re going to have a later bedtime again. If they naturally shifted and woke up earlier, you’ll shift bedtime a little earlier too. Every child will adapt to this differently!
• They will not continue to wake up at 10am everyday while you’re there. This wake up will naturally shift earlier and earlier which is why I suggest taking it slowly. That way they are regulating how much sleep they need/want rather than being forced into a new schedule.

Traveling East Coast to West Coast.

Again we’ll use the example of traveling from Boston to California but you can use this same framework for longer time differences like Paris to Boston for example.

If your child’s bedtime is usually around 7pm in Boston, that means when you arrive in California, your child will actually feel ready for bedtime as early as 4pm. This means we will need to be stretching them to stay up later.

• Try to keep your child up until what would be their usual bedtime on the clock. So even though they will want to treat 4pm as bedtime, you want to hold off bedtime until as close to 7pm as you can. This will take time and work.
• Then you’re going to keep their room pitch black until 11-12 hours after they go down for the night. If you did bedtime at 7pm, then they need to stay in darkness until 6-7am, even if they start waking at 4am. If they wake earlier, respond how you usually would at home (leaving them, doing a check in, feeding, etc).
• It’s really important to avoid outside stimulation and light until 11-12 hours after your child falls asleep. This is where the adjusting happens!

In both cases above, when you arrive back home, you will adjust back to your local time schedule. Things may be off and wonky for a bit but they will adjust in a matter of days. Get lots of outdoor time, the sunshine will help adjust your child’s circadian rhythm and internal clock.

My travel guide has other great information on how to prep and handle travel and manage sleep schedules.

Accept help from family and friends.

If your family offers to watch your child or stay back with them while they nap, JUST SAY YES. I’d encourage accepting this offer or asking for it especially if your child didn’t sleep well at night or had a short nap earlier in the day. It’s okay for our child to hang back and catch up on sleep, it’ll make things more enjoyable for all!

Reset when you get home.

Sleep can suffer while traveling (for adults too!) and some old habits can resurface. No problem, just get back on track as soon as you return home! Get consistent with your schedule and method; you’ll be surprised at how fast they fall back in line. In order for your baby to sleep through the night again, you will need to be consistent with their schedule and how you put them to sleep for at least a week for them to get back on track.

Baby Bedtime By Age

The best tool you can use when on vacation or when you return home, is to ensure your baby is going to bed at an age appropriate time. If your child’s naps were short or thrown off, try to get them to an ideal bedtime. See below for ideal bedtime by age.

If you’ve been home for a few weeks after traveling and your baby is still experiencing difficult sleep habits, I’m here to help! Checkout my sleep support services to get your sleep back on track in no time.

-By Molly Leighton | Owner, Sleep Shore Sleep Consulting

Follow along to learn more from Molly at Sleep Shore Sleep Consulting & @sleep.shore