Travel Sleep Tips for Babies and Children

If the thought of traveling with a baby or toddler sends shivers down your spine, you might benefit from the tips we’re going to share in this post. 

These travel sleep tips will help you get your baby to sleep (somewhat) normally while on vacation. Finally. 

So without further ado, let’s get to the travel sleep tips for babies and children. They just might motivate you to plan that next vacation.

Plan around naptimes

If at all possible, you’re going to want to keep your children on their regular sleep schedule. There are times when you’ll have to stray, but you’ll find that it’s an uphill battle. So if you can avoid it, do so.

This may mean planning an overnight flight or a car ride during naptime. You can actually create a seamless experience this way, assuming all goes well.

Of course, there will be moments where the kids don’t cooperate. Imagine planning an overnight flight and not being able to get the baby to sleep. 

Not to scare you, but these things can happen. And that brings us to the next tip.

Go with the flow

When it’s working, hold firm to your plans. But the key in successful travel with littles is to know when it’s time to let go of the plan and go with the flow. 

It may mean adjusting your plans for the day, but it’s better to have a peaceful day than a well-planned one. Let’s say you miss an item on your itinerary. What’s the alternative? Dragging the kids through a museum or dealing with meltdowns at the amusement park isn’t exactly anyone’s idea of a good time. 

In the moment, you might feel like you’re missing out on something. But if you stop to think about how your day would go if you didn’t surrender and go with the flow, you’ll see that you’re not missing anything. 

Arrive prepared

If this is the first time you’re traveling with kids, know that you should bring more than you think you should. It’s a fine line between being overprepared and underprepared, but it’s better to err on the side of overprepared. 

If you have a child that’s toddler age or younger, bring two outfits for each day. And whatever you do, don’t forget their favorite toy or binkie. You can replace most things during your travels, but there are a few things that are irreplaceable. 

Continue your bedtime routine

Sleep is going to be the most important component of your travels with babies and children. If your kids aren’t sleeping well, they’re likely to be emotional and prone to outbursts during the day. And if your kids aren’t sleeping well, you probably aren’t either. So you will lack the emotional strength to deal with the meltdowns. And there goes the vacation.

You’re probably already anticipating extra measures for helping your children sleep. Everything changes in a new location. Just try to keep things as “normal” for your children as possible. If you typically read the same story each night, make sure you bring that book. Try to keep the time consistent as well. So if bedtime is at 9 p.m. at home, it should be 9 p.m. on vacation too.

The thought of traveling with babies and children can be frightening, but it’s completely doable. You’ll have more fun than you think – as long as you plan well and keep your expectations in check. This isn’t about having a perfect trip. It’s about making incredible family memories that will last a lifetime. And over time, you’ll even forget all the struggles. All that’ll be left are the memories of love and laughter.