Top Tops for Travelling With Your Baby
It’s officially holiday season (please tell the UK passport office this and hurry up and send Clyde’s passport). Travelling with a baby can be both exciting and nerve wracking so to help with this, I’m sharing some of my top tips for enjoying your holidays with your baby.
Plan in advance where possible
Think about travelling time and try to work naps around this. Use motion to your advantage and take a sling/pram with you if you can.
Add shorter nap to take the edge off things is better than no nap at all. Also focus on your arrival time as if possible, you want to have enough time when you arrive to unwind before bedtime.
Take home comforts with you
Okay so we are thinking bedsheets, muslins and sleeping bags. Ideally they should not have been washed and have been slept in for 1+ nights so that they hold the smell of your home. This brings so much comfort to your little one.
Create a similar sleep space to that at home
Take a blackout blind, the same sleeping bags, muslins, teddies, bedtime books, bath towel, blankie, white noise.
Utilise any space in the room that you can use for their mini bedroom (large ventilated bathroom/ large walk in wardrobe/separate sitting area).
Allow time to get used to the new sleep space
When you arrive, spend time offering your little one the chance to get used to their new home/sleep space. Let them safely roam around and take everything in. Pop them in the cot/travel cot and allow them to get a feel for it before trying to go straight into bedtime.
Take your baby monitor with you if you are going to be in a different room/balcony/garden whilst your little one sleeps. Also, if they stir, give them a chance to settle. It may just take them a little more time to settle to their new surroundings.
Communicate about your holiday in advance
Babies are like sponges and they take everything in, especially words. It’s a great idea to start talking about your holiday in advance of going. Tell them where they are going, talk about the new sleeping arrangement (travel cot etc.) and make it fun and exciting. That way when you arrive and say your words, they are used to them and associate them with happy feelings.
Take some of their favourite toys
Sensory toys are great for road trips. They can keep our little ones distracted and entertained for a long time and take the heat off of us for a while.
Books are great for plane/train journeys, as is any of your little ones favourite TV programmes if that’s your thing. Hey Bear was ours. It saved many a meltdown for us.
Plan for breaks
As much as you want to get everywhere quickly, it's quite an unrealistic and unnecessary pressure to put on yourself.
Try to split up the travelling time to include time for breaks and for the little one to stretch and take in a different setting. Allowing them to be more mobile will burn off some energy and build some more sleep pressure for naps.
Dress for bed depending on the weather
In the heat, less is more. If the baby is cold they will always let you know. Invest in a lower tog(s) of their usual sleeping bag so the only change is the tog or just allow them to roam free in their sleepsuit or nappy.
I’d also recommend taking a room thermometer with you. I find this gives added peace of mind in warmer/colder climates, especially if their is no air con/heating.
Accept most naps will be on the go/motion/contact
If you can get some cot naps in great, however sleep is sleep and as long as you can get them to have a snooze when they are due one, do what you need to. Naps may be shorter/longer than usual and again, this is okay.
See all sleep as a win and top up at other naps/bedtime if you need to. Top Tip for naps on the go: Use a Snoozeshade and portable white noise.
Stick to a similar routine as back home
You’re on holiday so having a good time is super important however this will be impacted if you’re little one doesn’t get enough sleep. Target getting them up at the same time each day to regulate their body clock to the new time zone and try to make bedtime as much the same as back home as possible (order of things/time taken).
Holiday’s are exciting for everyone however they can be extremely stimulating for our little ones. This in turn can make them more sleepy and a little more open to overtiredness.
Allow them to snooze if they are looking extra sleepy and always protect bedtime where possible.
Pulling bedtime forward if naps have been off or little one is super tired or adding in an extra nap to allow you to have a later dinner and keep them up a little later without them getting overtired.
Pssst...try to be flexible and accepting that things won’t always go to plan.
Have an amazing time. Things might go haywire here and there and that’s okay. Remind yourself that being flexible whilst prioritising them getting some good sleep will ensure everyone has the best time.
