Baby Naps on the Go: How to Help Your Baby Sleep When Out | Dr Golly

Updated 26th August 2026

Baby Naps on the Go: Getting Your Baby to Sleep When You’re Out

Sleep programs and routines need to be flexible

The Dr Golly Sleep Program – or any sleep program for that matter – needs flexibility for, well… life!

⁣Sometimes…⁣

• You have a Paediatrician appointment 😜
• Swimming lessons are at a really inconvenient time
• You’ve got a picnic with your parents’ group
• Lunch at your friend’s house
• Older children need to be picked up from school or daycare
• You just need to get out of the house for a while in the fresh air… the list goes on!

Sleeping on the go is a muscle you’ll learn to flex and in my opinion the earlier you flex it the easier it will be!

In this blog we’ll work through how to manage sleep while you’re not at home, how to re-create a sleep environment when you’re out and about; and how to do it all safely. We’ll also cover how to adjust your schedule after unexpected naps.

Sometimes sleep is disrupted and naps have to be ‘on-the-run’.

A good balance is the 80/20 rule.

Most sleep (80%) occurs in a normal sleep environment (their nursery, daycare, grandparent’s house, etc), but on-the-go out and about life (20%) is allowed to (and should) happen too!

Some parents who are nervous to leave the house are completely surprised that their baby will actually sleep anywhere. If your baby won’t sleep in the stroller or won’t sleep anywhere but home there’s hope…keep reading!

Please note this is only relevant for a baby over 4 weeks – prior to this they’ll most likely sleep anywhere without a problem.

The most common sleeping environments for naps out of the house:

1. Pram
2. Car – see safety notes below
3. Carrier – see a full rundown of baby wearing in my wraps and carriers blog
4. Portacot or pack n play

My top tips for managing naps on the go:

1. Solid sleep foundations are the key, if they have a good routine and great sleep hygiene it will make sleeping anywhere else easier
2. The younger they are – the easier this is, practise some sleeps on the go from a young age
3. For babies still taking 3 naps, the late afternoon one is the best one to do in the car, carrier or pram
4. From 12 weeks onwards, if you have to pick one nap to have at home, pick the lunchtime nap – this is the one we want to encourage to be the longest
5. Don’t always expect your baby to transfer from the car seat or pram to the cot & keep sleeping soundly – if your baby does, thank the sleep gods for your blessings! If they don’t there are some options below about what to do
6. From about 6 months onwards, getting them to sleep past one sleep cycle when they’re out gets really tricky, so don’t be disheartened – this is where it’s handy to do their short morning and afternoon naps when you’re out and about as linking sleep cycles isn’t an issue

…and my biggest tip for managing your baby’s nap away from home:

Recreate their sleep environment as much as possible!

Tip 1: DARKNESS

• • If outside, darken the pram or portable bassinet with a breathable blackout cover.
  • ⚠️WARNING: Don’t use a blanket, as this doesn’t usually provide enough darkness and the temperature can become dangerously high.
  • If you’re sleeping at someone else’s house choose the darkest room possible there are also pack n play style breathable covers you can use over porta cots

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Tip 2: WHITE NOISE

• • Use the same white noise nature sounds that you use at home.
  • There are many portable white noise machines available that run on batteries.

Tip 3: SWADDLING/SLEEP SUITS

• • If your baby is still swaddled and you want to encourage them to nap in the pram, use the same swaddle as at home.
  • This goes for their sleep suit if they have transitioned to arms out

Tip 4: COMFORTER/DUMMY

• • If they are old enough, always have their sleep comforter with them
  • If they take a dummy make sure you have some extras packed in case one gets dropped or gets dirty

Other tips to help babies sleep when you’re out and about:

Follow age appropriate wake windows

• The wake window between each sleep is really important – it’s a balancing act of ensuring they get enough sleep and appropriate awake times to build up enough sleep pressure or sleep debt before the next nap
• We don’t want an overtired baby and we don’t want them undertired
• Watch for their sleep cues
• See my baby sleep and toddler sleep programs for recommended nap time routine for each age group

Continue with any nap tor bedtime routines you do at home

• If you have a wind down sleep routine at home, as much as possible do it while you’re out

E.g. if you feed, burp, play, swaddle, cuddle (try and do this as much as possible while you’re out)

Travelling with a baby?

Sleeping on the run is an inevitable part of travel whether it’s interstate or overseas. Adjusting to new time zones, changing accommodation (check out at 10 and you don’t check in until 3pm?!?) it’s impossible to manage all sleeps in a cot – see my blog on flying with a baby and another one long car trips with babies for more sleep tips to help guide you.

As always, remember the safe-sleeping guidelines for baby sleeps on the run:

• Very few prams in Australia are aerated enough or recommended for sleep.
• Be conscious of pram and car temperatures in Summer months
• Never leave unattended babies asleep in car seats – there’s a risk of baby’s chin or neck position obstructing their airway
• Always make sure your baby is in TOG attire appropriate for the temperature.

You don’t need textbook perfect sleep everyday

We know our babies and children LOVE consistency but sustainable sleep habits aren’t ones where all daytime sleep or nap time are at home in their cot – if you try and do this you’ll feel trapped as a parent – nap jail is not healthy for anyone.

Can a baby sleep on the go? The answer is yes, but if they are used to sleeping in their cot – the sleep may not be as consistent or as restorative – but that’s not the end of the world! If your baby’s sleep is disturbed or missed, never be disheartened. Their sleep doesn’t have to be textbook perfect every day. Remember the 80|20 rule at the top - if 80% of their sleep is happening in their normal sleep environment it's a great balance - and every morning is a chance to reset and start fresh. If they slept poorly the day or night before you may need to allow them to catch up with a quiet day the next day.

The good news is that babies who sleep well most of the time are more flexible when it comes to occasional naps on the go. This is because they’re well rested and not chronically overtired.

Are car naps ok for babies?

Red Nose Australia and the American Academy of Paediatrics (AAP) both don’t promote sleeping in car seats for long periods of time due to the increased risk of SIDs. Babies are top heavy (their head is disproportionately heavier than the rest of them) and when they sit in an upright inclined position like they do in a car or baby seat it may cause your baby’s neck to flex forward or chin down which may block their airway not allowing airflow. Never leave a baby asleep unsupervised in a car seat.

What if your baby wasn’t meant to fall asleep while you’re out? (a car or pram nap is very common!) 

If your baby falls asleep as you’re walking home in the pram or in the car (these are the most likely scenarios) try and keep them awake and stimulated as much as possible.

• Blast the Wiggles (at a safe volume) and sing together
• If there’s a passenger in the car tickle their chin
• Wind the windows down and let in some fresh air
• If they are in the pram – have them face you so you can keep them engaged
• You may look deranged in the front seat or walking along…but if you know you know …sometimes all you need is an extra 5 minutes to get home and you know they’ll sleep the full 2 hours…PLEASE STAY AWAKE LITTLE ONE!!

If they do nod off it’s not the end of the world – there are 3 main options:

• OPTION 1: If they do fall asleep you could treat this as a little power nap and wake them after 10-15mins. Be flexible with their routine if this happens – restart their awake time but depending on age, bear in mind they probably won’t make the full awake window before getting tired again.
• OPTION 2: If you have the time, allow them to complete their full sleep and take the long walk or drive home. Pick up a coffee (decaf if you’re planning to breastfeed in the next hour or so) turn on a podcast and settle in.
• OPTION 3: Continue the nap at home, 3 broad options with in this one:

a) If you're using a pram bassinet that's ventilated and approved for sleep wheel it into a supervised space and continue the sleep in the pram, you may need a pram rocker, white noise and blackout cover for this to work 

b) If they are stirring, transfer your baby into a carrier, they love the feeling of being close to you and will almost always go back to sleep

c) NINJA Level Parenting: the pram to cot transfer...delicately take your sleeping baby from the pram and allow them to finish their nap in their cot... I could never do this, I suspect only 1% of parents can make this work, if you can do this praise the sleep gods and your parenting proficiency!!!  

If you have an older baby/toddler and they nap unexpectedly in the late afternoon then push bedtime out a bit to increase their sleep debt.

Here are the other questions I regularly get about sleeping when you're out and about: 

FAQ 1: Is it safe for my baby to sleep in the pram?
ANS:  The answer to this is sometimes and it very much depends on the type of pram you have and the seat you are using.  Flat bassinet sleep if your pram is ventilated and if your baby is swaddled and the appropriate size for the bassinet.

FAQ 2: Is it safe for my baby to sleep in the car seat?
ANS: Parents often wonder about continuing the nap after arriving, particularly if the baby is finally asleep. Car seat sleep can actually be dangerous due to your babies disproportionate head size. See Red Nose notes above. With that said babies love to sleep in cars. I recommend using mirrors in the car so you can monitor rear facing babies in the back seat. If you bring them inside in a capsule car seat you will need to transfer them immediately to a safe sleep space when you get inside, it is not safe to leave them sleeping in the capsule. 

FAQ 3: How long can my baby sleep in a pram or car seat?
ANS: If your pram bassinet is ventilated and approved for sleep your baby could do a full  supervised sleep in there. For upright pram seats they will need to be transferred to a safe sleep space as soon as you stop, and I recommend parent facing for all sleeps on the runs in a reclined seat. For long drives in the car many babies will need to be woken to feed, I always want parents monitoring rear facing car seats with mirrors so they can ensure the babies head is upright if they do fall asleep on long car trips - see notes on car seats being unsafe for sleep above.

FAQ 4: Do I need to transfer my baby to a cot when we get home?
ANS: As above a carseat to cot or pram to cot transfer is a ninja level parenting technique rarely achieved, so don't be disheartened if you can't achieve this.  Babies definitely need to be transferred to a safe sleep space from a capsule car seat - these are not safe for continued sleep. If a transfer to the cot doesn't work, I find the carrier and close proximity to your body is the easiest way to continue the sleep.

FAQ 5: Do naps in the pram/car/carrier count as proper naps?
ANS: Parents worry that an on-the-go nap may be shorter, lighter or less restorative than a cot nap and these naps may not be as consistent or as restorative and to a point it's true, but that's OK. I want parents to be confident and flexible with how they approach life, the 80/20 rule mentioned above will give you a happy balance and a baby who is having great restorative sleep 80% of the time will probably be a terrific sleeper on the go.

FAQ 6: Will sleeping on the go ruin our sleep routine?
ANS: I get many questions along the lines of: “If I let my baby nap in the pram today, will bedtime be a disaster?” or “Will they stop sleeping in their cot?” And the answer is usually a balance. Yes bedtime may look a little different and if every sleep is in the carrier, pram or car seat than yes cot sleep may be harder to achieve, but if you're working towards the 80/20 rule above i.e. 80% of sleeps in their normal environment and the flexibility of 20% on the run you'll find a happy balance.

FAQ 7: How do I plan going out around my baby's naps?
ANS: Many parents want to know “Do I leave before nap time, try to get them to sleep while we're out, or stay home until they've slept?” and you know what - this all depends on what you've got on and what works best for you and your baby.  There's no right or wrong answer here. Plan as best you can and depending on the event or outing what will be the most convenient, knowing that if it's a short drive but sleep time they are almost always going to fall asleep!

FAQ 8: What should I do if my baby falls asleep unexpectedly while we're out?
ANS: This comes up in the car, pram, carrier, shopping trolley and on the way between activities. There's no need to panic - see the 3 options above and how to approach.

FAQ 9: How do I keep my baby safe and comfortable sleeping in the pram when it's hot, cold, sunny or noisy?
ANS: Safety is the number one priority - cars and prams can get dangerously hot. I always want parents to try and re-create sleep environments when they are out and about but never at the expense of safety.  Darkness is a priority but never use blanket to over a pram, capsule or car seat.  You can buy specialised breathable pram black out covers and window sun shades for cars. Airflow, shade and checking temperature is appropriate to the TOG of the clothing is essential.

FAQ 10: How do I get things done without constantly disrupting my baby's sleep?
ANS: This is the balancing act every parent needs to contend with - shopping, appointments, school/daycare drop-offs, exercise, seeing friends, housework and caring for siblings are all the juggle of parenthood and life. My general theory is if you can afford it, anything you can outsource so you can prioritise what fills your cup....not so easy when you've dropped to one income and there's a baby to care for 24/7 but ruthlessly prioritising so both parents can get time for themselves and time for each other is key.  I've got lots of checklists in my programs for couples to work through all the household roles and responsibilities and consciously assign - it's not sexy but it will make you both step back and work out the essentials and how you can make time and space ...with a baby often in toe! 

The Dr Golly recommended routines and bedtime routine will give you a guide as to how your day will look – see the course content for more information on how to manage each age group and adjust specific routines.