Summer is here! Summer is one of my favorite times of year. I just love the warmer weather and getting outdoors. With the bigger kids out of school, it makes it the perfect time to fit in some travel!
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Travel is often fun, but with kids it can also be stressful.
Let’s talk about some tips to help with sleep and summer travel and minimize any stress happening around that!
Think about the timing of your travel
You know your child the best. If they nap well on the go, then it may make sense to schedule travel time during their nap. If you are driving and your child never sleeps in the car, then I would consider leaving after their first nap of the day so that they have gotten that solid sleep in. Also, for road trips, make sure to take breaks about every two hours to get everyone some fresh air and movement.
Of course, when flying it’s not as easy to control the timing of the flight. When booking plane tickets though, think about what time you’d have to leave to get to the airport and then what time you would actually be getting to your destination. Sometimes it can be worth it to pay a little more to avoid a flight that has you having to leave your house at 4 am. Also, when flying, bringing the car seat on board can be helpful as it keeps your child contained and it can give your child a familiar space. If your child ever naps in their car seat, then this can be a comfortable place for them to nap during the flight too.
Recreate the sleep environment
This is one of my biggest tips for travel and sleep. You want the environment to be similar to the sleep environment at home that your child is already used to. So this means if they use a sound machine and black out shades at home, you’ll want to have these while you are traveling too.
If your sound machine isn’t portable, I’d suggest grabbing a travel sound machine before your trip. The sound machine we have isn’t specific for travel, but it’s small enough that it is easy to bring if you know you will have access to plug it in. You can also use an app on your phone for white noise.
To keep the sleep space dark, you have a few different options. One is to invest in travel blackout shades. You can also use them at home, and if you travel a lot these can be a good option. Another option which is especially helpful if you will be room sharing while traveling and this isn’t something you usually do, is to get a SlumberPod. The SlumberPod is a great invention, and with the homebase attachment it can be used on full sized cribs. I love that the SlumberPod has a spot for a fan, which is especially helpful for warmer temperatures. If you’re purchasing one of these, you can use my code DELIGHTFUL$20 and get $20 off your purchase of a SlumberPod, SlumberPod and fan combo, or SlumberPod and homebase combo!
If you are on a budget, securing materials like cardboard, tinfoil, or black trash bags to the windows are all great options. We used cardboard on the windows for our last trip and it did the trick!
Bring layers for pajamas
It’s always helpful to have layers for clothing and different options for pajamas. When you are traveling, especially when it is hot out, it can be hard to know what the temperature will be like. I’ve stayed in some hotels where the air conditioning was permanently set to high and we were freezing in the room! Likewise, I’ve also stayed in places where there has been no air conditioning. If you can check ahead of time, that can be helpful, but if not it doesn’t hurt to be prepared for all possibilities.
Do what’s best for your family
If your child is extra sensitive to sleep, then you may need to plan some things around their sleep and prioritize that time. If your child is more flexible, then you know that you can play around with their schedule a little bit more. You know your family the best! If you need to prioritize your child’s sleep so that your trip runs smoothly and is less stressful, there is nothing wrong with that.
Have fun and remember the 80/20 rule!
The most important part of traveling is to have fun! You don’t want to be stressed about sleep the entire time. If you are feeling stressed about everyone’s sleep being off, remember the 80/20 rule. This rule suggests that we do our best to stick to our schedule and routines 80% of the time and the rest of the time not to worry if we are “off course”.
When you get back from your trip, give your family some time to adjust and get back on track. You may need to do some earlier bedtimes for a couple nights if there’s a need to catch up on sleep. I also like to plan to have a quiet day without anything on the schedule when we get back from traveling.
If you have any questions about anything, or if you are struggling to get your child’s sleep back on track after a recent trip, then go ahead and schedule a free discovery call so we can chat!
