Sleep Tips for Traveling with a Baby

Are you planning to travel with your baby? Traveling with a baby can feel overwhelming, particularly when it comes to sleep. A lot of parents wonder how their baby will sleep while away from home. Don’t stress! It’s totally possible for your baby to sleep well while traveling. Read on for our top sleep tips for traveling with a baby. 

Recreate a consistent sleep space

You won’t be able to 100% replicate your baby’s sleep environment, and that’s totally okay. Don’t overthink it, but do try what you can to bring some consistency to your baby’s sleep space. Pack your white noise machine and travel blackout curtains. Plan to dress your baby for sleep as you usually do, but pack options for temperature differences. If your baby is used to room sharing, plan to room share on your vacation. If your baby sleeps in their own room, try to provide a separate space for them if at all possible (like a hotel suite with a separate living space). If this isn’t practical or possible, we highly recommend a Slumberpod to cheat the system! Worst case for a nap…try the bathroom. I know it sounds crazy, but there are usually no windows and you can put on the overhead fan for a sound machine!

Watch sleep cues + wake windows

It’s often not possible to 100% stick to your baby’s nap and bedtime routine while traveling. Don’t stress about getting it down to the minute. What you’re trying to avoid is a very overstimulated, overtired baby. Being in a new place, around new people will be naturally quite mentally stimulating. This is great for your baby’s development! It’s just important to try to avoid a total meltdown from too much ‘new’ all at once. Instead of aiming for the exact same nap and bedtimes that you do at home, watch your baby’s cues and wake windows. 

Stick to your bedtime + nap routines

A solid bedtime and nap routine at home will serve you well while traveling. If you do a bath at home, try to offer a bath while on vacation, too. Read a book as you usually do. When your baby is fond of their routines at home, they’ll look forward to them while away, too. 

Prioritize sleep before vacation begins

Packing for vacation with a baby is a big undertaking! The days leading up to travel can be hectic, but it’s so important to prioritize sleep during this time. Help your baby go into vacation well-rested so they can be as flexible as possible during your trip. If your baby is totally exhausted on your first day of travel, it’s going to make things a lot more difficult. 

Be flexible

As you can see, most sleep tips for traveling with a baby are all about consistency. Bringing familiar sleep routines and associations from home while traveling will help your baby adjust. But it’s also important to be flexible! It’s not the end of the world if your baby misses a nap, takes a cat nap in the stroller or goes to bed a little late. When your baby has positive associations with sleep in general, they’ll bounce quickly back into their routine. That’s why positive sleep conditioning from day one is so important. With a strong foundation of good sleep habits, your little one will be able to go with the flow when you travel or shift gears at home.