A Parent’s Guide to Baby and Toddler Sleep on Holiday

Be prepared, stay flexible and don’t over plan every day.

In this blog I will talk through managing sleep when you’re travelling abroad or on holidays with a baby.  Lots of the advice is about recreating safe sleeping environments, managing expectations and staying flexible.  You’ll be pleased to know that nearly every parent I talk to who takes a baby on holiday, particularly those who head to completely new timezones, are overwhelmed by how adaptable the baby is to new environments. One of the keys is great sleep foundations so if you haven’t already, sign up to my sleep programs so you’re set up for success before you go! 

Other blogs that may be helpful around this topic are:

1. Flying with babies and kids
2. Long car trips with babies and kids (this one includes packing tips) 
3. Managing naps on the go 

When you arrive recreate your child’s sleep environment as much as possible

When setting up a sleep space that is unfamiliar to your baby/toddler, plan ahead and try to recreate their usual sleep environment as much as possible.

• Cot: I recommend a portacot over a provided cot at accommodation as you can control all the variables and you know they are safe.  Invest in a lightweight travel cot that meets all the safety requirements and you won’t regret it, you’ll also be able to get a cover so you have portable darkness wherever you go (see notes below).
• Bedding & Comforters: Take their swaddles, sleeping bags and comforters (if age appropriate) from home so it’s all as familiar as possible.  Pack the cot sheets and any blankets inside the travel cot so there’s no chance you’ll forget them! 
• Darkness:  you can blackout the windows the best you can, but what I find is best when you’re travelling is a breathable blackout cover that goes straight over your travel cot, this means you can share a room with your baby and not have to be pitch black once they are down.  Even if they are in a separate room it means you don’t have to spend hours blocking out every bit of light in a new room.
• White noise: take a portable white noise machine or you can get apps on your phones but a portable machine is best as the battery life will be longer. Portable is key when you’re travelling so you don’t need to worry about adapters/plugs in the room, can charge with a USB and you can use it while you’re out and about if needed. 

Choosing Accommodation with Your Child’s Sleep in Mind

Where does everyone sleep when you’re away?  

• If your baby is used to sleeping in their own room at home, then try your best to continue this while on holiday, remember to bring a monitor so you can hear them. 
• Similarly, if your baby is used to sleeping next to you or in your bedroom at home, then continue this where possible.
• …But remember you’re all incredibly adaptable so have an open mind, with good sleep foundations and preparation you’ll all sleep well anywhere! 

Adjusting to new timezones and managing jet lag:

Adjusting to new time zones after a long haul flight can be a challenge, but babies often adapt quicker than adults thanks to their more flexible sleep patterns and the cyclical nature of their melatonin surges.

To ease timezone transitions:

1. Upon arrival, encourage daytime activities and expose your baby to natural light to help reset their internal clock.
2. If possible, allow 1-2 days of relaxing after arrival, in order to adjust – you will probably benefit more than the baby! (try not to arrive the day before or day of a big event e.g. an overseas wedding – it’s a lot of pressure on everyone) 
3. The day after arrival, try to wake your baby around their usual time, even if they have had a broken night’s sleep because of jetlag. This is the best thing you can do to help get your baby acclimated to the new time zone.
4. Try and stick to your baby’s regular nap routine, without any stress if it’s difficult to adhere to, assisted naps are completely acceptable. Tips below for adjusting your routine to your holiday lifestyle! 
5. Always finish your day with the same bath or evening wind down routine to signify a nice long stretch of sleep – if where you’re staying doesn’t have a bath and your baby isn’t used to showers I recommend one parent shower with them… you’ll both love the skin to skin cuddles. 

Be prepared that the first night might be a bit rough as you all adjust but don’t stress that the entire trip will be full of sleepless nights. I can’t tell you how surprised you’ll be at how quickly your baby adjusts!   

Pro tip: If your big baby wakes incredibly early (which can be very common on your first day if you’ve changed time zones) and you can’t resettle them, rather than getting overwhelmed resettling them in your hotel or holiday rental when you’re all tired I recommend everyone going for a walk, depending how old they are pop them in a pram or facing out in a carrier and go exploring… you’ll be amazed at what a destination of foreign city has to offer pre-dawn, chances are they’ll fall back asleep and you can all go back for a morning nap and a slightly later breakfast after your morning tour.

Setting Expectations for your Child’s Sleep on Holiday

On any holiday, there will be days where their routine is completely thrown off and this is ok. If you are out and about then offer your baby their naps at their usual times or adjust as needed. If they haven’t slept well during the day, then try your best to bring bedtime earlier to compensate. Naps on the go will also be inevitable, such as pram or carrier naps.  See my blog naps on the go for all my tips for managing sleep when you’re not at home.  

Travel safety sleep tips when you’re out and about: 

• Often we holiday in really warm places so ensuring wherever your baby is sleeping is a safe temperature is key, make sure the TOG of their outfits and sleeping bag or swaddles is appropriate.  
• Please know that carseats out of the car, strollers, and adult beds are not safe for unsupervised sleep.

Adjusting Bedtime, Nap Time and Routines to Fit Travel Plans

Common sleep disruptions while travelling with babies and toddlers include:

• Plane trips or a long car ride  
• Site seeing 
• Big events like weddings or parties   
• Morning accommodation checkouts or late afternoon check ins
• And the most common…. Eating out for lunch and dinner!  

Chances are if you’re travelling, going out for dinner and lunch is going to be very much on the itinerary, it absolutely should be! I still recommend that your baby gets an appropriate amount of day sleep when you’re travelling but the usual Dr Golly 7-7 schedule with a nice long nap over lunch might need to go out the window … no one wants to sit in a hotel room in the dark over lunch! I don’t recommend you to skip naps, it’s more about re-configuring them.  

Managing lunch and dinners out on holidays – what could this look like in practice? 

For younger babies: who are better at sleeping anywhere, this could just mean re-creating their sleep environment when you’re out and about, a breathable black out cover over the pram bassinet and white noise may  be all you need.  You may do a bath and feed routine before you head out for dinner and have them swaddled up ready for their big sleep as you head out and do a rollover or dream feed when you get home.

For older babies: it might be extending the morning nap so you can head out for lunch and having a longer later nap in the afternoon (maybe waking up after 4) …that means you can head out for dinner and do bath and bedtime routine when you get home later in the evening.  

Remember babies are not robots and not everyday will be perfect but if you stay flexible, avoid overtiredness where possible and allow cool comfortable spaces for sleep you’ll all have plenty of fun! 

Tips to Minimise Overstimulation, Fatigue and Overtiredness on Holidays with Babies 

Overtired babies release adrenaline which can make falling asleep and staying asleep even trickier (it’s counterintuitive!), you won’t always get this right but these tips will help:  

Tip 1: The carrier is your best friend

• This gets less effective as they get older but babies love carriers and your baby will nearly always settle to sleep when they are close to you (providing they are not overheating) 
• Short naps and lost sleep quickly leads to overtiredness so allowing your baby to finish a nap in the carrier is gold

Tip 2: Plan down time

• Depending on the type of trip you’re on (and whether you’re managing one baby or multiple children) it can be wise to plan days with absolutely nothing on every couple of days 
• Nothing you want to do or see and no lunch or dinner reservations, this means you’ve got flexibility to do whatever you need to do and allow everyone to recharge

Tip 3: Stay flexible and adapt

• If you’re a type A personality you’re going to shudder, but some days you’re just going to need to wing it
• Your baby may be a picture perfect routine at home and that doesn’t translate to how you want to holiday – often the things we love about holidays is they are exciting and different – the important thing is you all have fun and relax as much as humanly possible
• If it’s a resort style holiday and you can have someone look after your baby while you lunch you may be able to maintain your regular routine 
• I don’t recommend you skip nap time so much as just stay flexible as to what that nap time looks like

Tip 4: Eat well (everyone) 

• Eat lots of fibre, protein and complex carbs
• When a travel pack of pringles may have been a sufficient lunch in your 20s when you’re travelling with a baby it’s important both you and they eat well (if they are on solids) 
• This is particularly important for breastfeeding mothers, see notes below

Tip 5: Protect the breastfeeding mother

• If you’re travelling party includes a breastfeeding mother ensuring she is well fed, hydrated and rested is key
• Everything works out better when a breastfeeding mother is looked after, so look after her

For more on preventing holiday meltdowns and tantrums see my blog.

How to help my baby fall asleep on holidays:

Use all your regular settling techniques you use as part of the Dr Golly Sleep Programs. The sleep environment you create or re-create is probably the most effective tool you have – see notes above.  Keep in mind you may have to rely on assisted naps a little bit more when you’re on holiday. 

Sleep and Returning home:

When you return home, try to get your baby back into their normal routine within 24-48 hours or as swiftly as possible, understanding that some flexibility may be needed as your baby readjusts. Depending on the time difference of where you have travelled to, your baby might take a little longer to return to their usual sleep routine but you’ll be amazed with great sleep foundations and the familiarity of their regular sleep environment how quickly they re-adjust to normal programming.  Have a general rule as parents that what happens on holidays stays on holidays so you don’t bring any holiday habits home.

Holiday sleep wrap

If you begin the trip with solid sleep foundations and remain flexible you’ll be surprised at how smooth sailing sleeping on holidays is ….even if you change time zones!  Always remember to recreate safe sleeping spaces and look after breastfeeding mothers.  Enjoy the break – you deserve it!