Traveling with Kids

Whoever said they were going on vacation with little ones, clearly doesn’t know the definition of vacation.

To me, a vacation with children is really just transferring chaos from point A to point B.

Even though vacation with kiddos can be chaotic and stressful, it doesn’t mean it has to be.

Whether your little one is on a schedule or not on a schedule here a two tried and true travel tips to make sleep on “vacation” better.

PLAN AHEAD

No matter where you are staying (hotel, with family, condo) be sure to plan ahead on what the sleep environment looks like for your little one.

The more you can keep the sleep the space the same as at home, the better things will go!

Remember, we want your little ones sleep environment to be as conducive to sleep as possible.

This means the room should be dark, cool, have white noise and be safe.

To eliminate the stress of bedtime, make sure when you get to the destination the first thing you do is set up the sleep space. This is particularly important for older children (think toddlers and preschoolers) so there is less anxiety about where they will be sleeping.

UTILIZE YOUR ROUTINES

Each time we use the cues we have built into your little one’s nap and bed time routine, it further reinforces to them that sleep is coming when we do X, Y and Z.

The beauty of those routines is the transferable no matter the location or time zone.

Even though your little one’s schedule may be off on vacation, or even if you don’t have a schedule, the routines are easy to implement while away from home.

And, as I mentioned, they have become really strong cues to what is coming next for your little one – SLEEP!

If you develop any bad habits on vacation as it relates to sleep, don’t stress too much.

When you get home, just be sure to buckle down and get back on track!