While traveling for holidays is great fun, sleeping away from home isn’t always easy, especially for young children. There’s just something about sleeping in a strange bed — in a strange place, with strange noises — that sometimes makes going to sleep a real chore.
No place like home
Of course, we all know that traveling for the holidays is meant to be a pleasant event. But when your child’s sleep habits are disrupted to the extreme, your holidays can become anything BUT pleasant.
While it is true that children are flexible and resilient, parents know that when it comes to bedtime, there really is no place like home.
Even so, when you're traveling with kids, as long as you come prepared with a little bit of planning and a lot of patience and reassurance, everyone can get a good night’s sleep.
Tips for getting your child to sleep while traveling:
1. Take familiar blankets and pillows. Taking your child’s own blanket and pillow will help make wherever you're staying feel more like home.
2. Take your port-a-crib, if you have one. If your child is under 2 years old, you can take his port-a-crib and he will essentially be sleeping in his own bed (or at least one he is familiar with).
3. Make sure your child has his or her favourite stuffed animal or doll. This is for children over the age of 12 months, as babies under 1 year should not sleep with anything in the bed with them to avoid Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
4. If possible, get a suite rather than a single room if you are staying in a hotel or motel. This will allow you to put your child to bed in a separate room as you would at home.
5. Try to keep some type of sleeping routine while traveling, such as a time when all lights need to be out, or a bedtime story needs to be read.
6. Let your kids watch a movie on your laptop or put on some soft music to break the 'barriers' of being in a strange place.
7. Be calm, patient and reassuring. It’s not easy getting ready to sleep in a strange place with so many different things going on around you.
Do you have any tips on getting your children to sleep when you're out traveling? We'd love to hear feedback from you!
If you're worried about your child not being able to sleep on a plane, do watch this video: