Traveling with children can be an exciting adventure, but maintaining their sleep routines while you are away can be challenging. Making sure your little ones get enough rest is crucial for a successful and enjoyable trip. In this blog, I’ll share my top 10 travel sleep tips for children to help you handle time zone changes, unfamiliar environments, and disrupted schedules, so your family can stay well-rested and ready to make the most of your travels.
Here are my top 10 travel sleep tips for helping your children sleep while you are away:
- Before you travel, establish a consistent nap and bedtime routine. Stick to this routine while you are away. This will help your child know what to expect in the new environment.
- Create a sleep environment that closely mimics your child’s home setup. Pack their favorite lovey, bedtime books, night light, and even their sheets and blankets. Young children rely heavily on their sense of smell, so familiar items can make a big difference.
- Bring a white noise machine. If you don’t have room to pack one, download a white noise app on your phone.
- Hotels often have good blackout curtains but it’s not a bad idea to bring something to darken the windows, just in case. Foil or black trash bags taped with painter’s tape are easy to pack. Alternatively, you could pack a blackout liner.
- Make sure you have a good place for your child to sleep. If you are staying at a hotel, talk to them before you leave about what options they have. You may even have to ask for the portable crib or Pack and Play to be reserved. When my family traveled to Disney World, we used a Pack and Play from the hotel. I opted for the Pack and Play as opposed to the portable crib because it had metal bars. I didn’t want her banging her head in the middle of the night.
- If your child is still taking naps, especially if they are under the age of three, try to return to wherever you are sleeping at night to put your child down. It may not be convenient, but it’s the best quality sleep. If that’s not possible, a nap in the car or stroller is better than no nap at all.
- If it’s possible for your children to sleep in a separate room, that usually makes things much easier. Sometimes sleeping in the same room is your only option though and in this case you could make a visual barrier by hanging a bed sheet so your children can’t see you.
- Avoid any overly-exciting activities right before your children go to bed. Also, do not allow them to watch TV or have any other screen time in the last hour or two before they sleep or it can interfere with the melatonin production in their bodies. Maintain the same bedtime routine that you use at home.
- If you are traveling across time zones and you will only be gone a few days, you may want to keep your child on her regular schedule according to the time zone you live in. But if you will be gone for more than a few days, you may want to get a head start by shifting your child’s schedule ahead or back a little each day before your trip. Put her to bed a little later each night and get her up later in the morning if you’re headed west, or put her to bed a bit earlier in the evening and wake her up earlier in the morning if you plan to travel east. Adjust nap times accordingly, too.
- Stick to your child’s schedule as much as you can without sacrificing all the fun on your trip! Once you get back home, try to get back to your normal routine as quickly as possible. Maybe have a day or two when you return where you don’t have anything planned and can give your kids the opportunity to rest up and get their schedules back on track.
For children older than six months, avoid traveling right after sleep training. Wait at least a few weeks until your child is consistently sleeping through the night. Remember, the better your child sleeps at home, the better they will likely sleep while you are traveling.
Traveling with children doesn’t have to mean sacrificing sleep! With the right strategies and preparation, your family can enjoy restful nights and happy days on the go. For more detailed guidance, practical advice, and expert travel sleep tips tailored to your child’s needs, download my comprehensive Travel Sleep Guide. Equip yourself with the knowledge to ensure smooth, stress-free travel sleep transitions, and make your next family adventure the best one yet. Click HERE to get your copy and start planning your worry-free journey today!