Sadly, I’m not on vacation right now. I hope you are. Dealing with jet lag, figuring out sleeping arrangements, and working around everyone’s schedule can be challenging. I thought that I would share my best sleep travel tips for kids and parents to get more sleep while traveling.
Right now I’m about 50 yards from the beach on Long Island, and enjoying some time quiet time (e.g. watching the Yankees and listening to the kids play).
Vacation used to be a really challenging time with our boys. Witness the usual view from the foot of my bed at approximately sunrise all week-long when my younger son– an inveterate early riser— was in our room. I also remember when my older son was a baby, and the first night when we travelled ANYWHERE would result in about an hour and a half of crying before he fell asleep.
It has gotten better over time, more likely due to the fact that they have gotten older. Perhaps I’ve gotten a bit wiser as well. Here are a few I’ve picked up a few things
- Respect the routine: When we go on vacation we try really hard to maintain our kids’ sleep times. This was harder when they used to nap. Of course, we bend the rules for special occasions like fireworks. Also, some “sneaky sleep” may be unavoidable as the kids will be pretty tuckered out.
- Recognize that other families have different rules; be flexible: My kids always point out to me when other families we are with have different rules (usually if the kids have more screen time than mine). This can be pretty challenging when some kids go to bed later or get up earlier than your kids. Make sure your kids know that their friends or cousins might have different rules, and that is OK.
- Teenagers may need to make some adjustments too: Is your teen used to showering at 2am? Do they slam doors as they stop around the house getting a microwave pizza at 11pm? They may need to be reminded that this is (more) inconsiderate, if, say, they are sharing a hotel room with their parents.
- Go to bed early: We were vacationing with cousins, and all the kids got up earlier than normal. If you want to catch up on your sleep, your best chance is by going to bed earlier than normal.
- Make the room dark: Don’t hesitate to hang towels over the windows if you need to– that can make a huge difference in when your child gets up.
- Get creative with the sleeping arrangements: We were staying with several cousins at a vacation home. Our older son shared a “room” (which was a walk in closet) with his 6 year cousin. That way they did not have to get up with their younger siblings (and tired parents) the next day. Of course, this is not perfect; my niece got up at 5:15 AM on the first day and awoken our son as well. Sharing rooms can be a bit tricky for children used to having their own room; older children should be instructed to let others sleep if they wake up early. They may also be a bit chatty at bedtime, but that is part of the fun.
- Jet lag can be tricky: Jet lag occurs when traveling across time zones east or west, when your body clock is out of phase from the clock time. You can prepare a bit by putting your kids to bed later for a few days before traveling west or getting them up a bit earlier before traveling east. The main consequence can be a really early bedtime and wake time (when traveling west) or vice versa when traveling east. Children tend to adapt quickly if they have natural light exposure. Avoid “sneaky sleep” if possible and try to get to the “correct” (as per the clock) bedtime as soon as possible. For short trips, an alternative may be keeping your home clock schedule. For more on this topic there are some good articles here and here and here.
Courtesy of Topher Cox, who just brought his daughter home from France. - Be realistic: Remember long relaxing reading sessions by the pool and sleeping on the beach? I NOW have those again now that my kids are teens. This DID NOT occur when my kids were little.
- Have fun: Although vacation with little ones may not exactly be restful, we had a ton of fun digging holes in the sand, looking at snails, riding bikes, and having lots of family meals.
- Be in the moment: Put your phone down and don’t worry about taking pictures or keeping up with Twitter. Kids can benefit from “doing nothing” and so can you. Above all, don’t ruin your own vacation.
If you want more information, I also like this post from Modern Moms.
Any crazy vacation sleeping stories out there? Please share.
Thank you so much for this valuable information! We haven’t had the pleasure yet to travel via plane with the little guy. But we’re planning a long weekend to St. Louis via automobile. I will be reading these articles ASAP.
Great post, Dr. C. Thanks so much for the shout out!
We’ve been on a few vacations with our little one, including trips out east to visit with my husband’s family. Some things we’ve learned are:
1- realize the schedule may need to be flexible, but don’t feel guilty about finally pulling her away from the family to put her to bed at night. The more overtired she gets, the more impossible it becomes for her to sleep, which isn’t good for anyone. If it was up to the family, they would play with her all night, so you have to feel ok about stepping in to say it is bedtime.
2- if you are staying in a hotel, try to get a ground floor room. it not only makes it easier to deal with lugging gear and strollers, but it also gives you the chance to sit outside when the kiddo goes down (see #3).
3- bring your baby monitor if you have one. this was a great thing for us when we were on vacation in FL last year. We were able to put her to bed and then sit outside the room on our patio to enjoy a nice glass of wine and listen to the waves. she was able to wind down and fall asleep much easier than if we were sitting in the room in the dark with her, and we didn’t have to end our night at 8pm just because it was her bed time.
Great tips, especially the baby monitor one. We always bring a monitor and a sound machine. We took my older son to England when he was 7 months of age and were staying on a farm with a bunch of friends; the monitor’s range just barely extended to the kitchen so we could dine with our friends. I should mention as well that there are smart phone apps that can act as a monitor also.
I will second your “creative use of space”. We have all slept better on vacations where my son has slept in a bathroom or large closet, he is just so used to being alone at night. Great article!
Thanks, Whitney! I totally agree with you. One time we were staying in my sister-in-law’s apartment in NY and tucked the younger son’s Pack N Play into a dark alcove. He slept terrifically well (although, due to the shennanigans of my older son and the vicissitudes of NYC heating, we did not. )
Thanks for the useful tips. I’d say Keeping the routine with the kids is tough but when we can muster it there is a huge difference in all their (and the parents) behaviors. It sure makes to following days of travel more bearable. I also want to add that bringing a comfortable pillow along with you makes a big difference. Packing a mattress isn’t realistic and air mattresses are terrible. A pillow is do-able.
Thanks, Fritz. I’m all about routine as well.
Any guidance about traveling during normal sleep hours (for us, that’s roughly between 7:30 p.m. and 7:30 a.m.)? We’re heading out of town to the beach and are hoping to drive late at night/early in the morning to avoid the terrible traffic on the way there and back. Our 8 month old usually sleeps well in his car seat, but I’m hesitant to disrupt his normal sleep routine. We’ve already got enough challenges as far as sleep goes (particularly since he just started crawling and wants to wake up in the middle of the night to practice), but the routine is the one thing we have going for us!
I know how tenuous things feel at this age but I suspect your baby will adapt to the change just fine. If you like, you can do an abbreviated bedtime routine as you put him into the car.