The holiday season frequently alters our usual routines. With children home from school and daycare, more traffic, and the responsibilities of hosting and traveling to see family, keeping a regular schedule can be difficult.
Here are some tips to help keep your child on track with healthy sleep habits and ensure they sleep long stretches during holiday season with added travel:
Maintain a Routine: Try to stick to your child's usual bedtime and wake-up time, even when traveling. Consistency helps regulate their internal clock. Follow the majority rule with routine consistency but do not stress when it is not do-able some days.
Stick to the same bedtime routine as you utilize at home. Make sure to pack a sleep sac if your child is of age using one, bedtime stories and loveys.
Create a Comfortable Sleep Environment: Bring along familiar items such as a favorite blanket (if 12mo+) or stuffed animal to make the new sleeping environment feel more like home.
Safe Sleep Spaces: Ensure a safe sleep space is provided. Some options are portable cribs for infant-toddlers and floor beds, toddler travel toddler bed or rails for lower height beds. Note rentals are often available for these items for by day costs, check out www.babyquip.com.
Limit Screen Time: Reduce exposure to screens at least 1-2 hours before bedtime, as the blue light can interfere with sleep.
Plan Travel Around Sleep Schedules: If possible, schedule flights or long drives during your child's nap time to encourage sleep during travel. If possible, avoid flights that will get in much past bedtime.
Encourage Physical Activity: Ensure your child gets plenty of physical activity during the day to help them feel tired by bedtime. Always aim to have natural light exposure each day!
Watch Their Diet: Avoid giving your child high processed, food dye containing and, high sugar food as these can disrupt sleep and related hormone production.
Be Patient with Adjustments: It may take a few days for your child to adjust to a new time zone or sleeping environment, so be patient and allow for flexibility.
Use White Noise: Consider using a white noise machine or app to drown out unfamiliar sounds that might disturb your child's sleep.
Use Black Out Curtains: Block out natural light from coming into sleep rooms during sleep times. It should always be equally dark during naps as bedtime in the sleep environment. Portable options with magnet, suction cup or adhesive options can be found on amazon.
Stay Calm and Relaxed: Children can pick up on your stress or anxiety, so try to remain calm and relaxed about sleep changes during travel.
Prepare for Time Zone Changes: If traveling across time zones, gradually adjust your child's sleep schedule by 15 minute increments a few days- 1 week before departure to help them acclimate more easily.
By following these tips, you can help ensure your child maintains healthy sleep habits during your holiday travels.
Happy Holiday Season from Sleep Sound!
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