Expert guide to sleep training your little ones

If you are worried about your little one's sleep routine while you are on holiday, this article has lots of tips to help keep things on track.

Going on holiday with children is amazing. Seeing them experience new things and encouraging them to try activities they wouldn’t do at home is one of the joys of the holiday. However, as a dad of three myself, I know first-hand how different it is packing and travelling with kids! When you have kids, long gone are the days when you can throw together a suitcase the night before. Travelling with children comes with a whole host of new challenges. And one thing parents are likely to be concerned about is how their little ones will sleep in a new setting and routine. However, there are some small things you can do to make sure their sleep (and subsequently yours) stays on track while you are away so you can enjoy your break to the maximum.

BEDTIME ROUTINE

If you have a bedtime routine at home, you will know how important the routine is for being a signal to infants that it’s time to wind down and prepare for sleep. If you can, try to keep their bedtime routine as close to their normal one at home. It can be simple things, such as the same bubble bath, a few familiar bath toys, reading a story. Even if they are going to bed later – which will likely happen on holiday – and in a new setting, the familiar steps will let them know that they are expected to sleep now.

This isn’t always going to be possible, and definitely don’t structure your holiday around a set bedtime so it becomes too restrictive on your plans. Even if you can do this for some of the nights it’s going to help provide a bit of structure for all of you.

HOME FROM HOME

Babies and kids love consistency and familiarity, so try and keep as much from home as you can. If you have brought their sleeping bag, blankets or comforter be sure to use them. Anything that smells familiar can provide comfort in their new surroundings.

The same goes with white noise; if your little one uses white noise at home, get it set up in the room. If you have forgotten your sound machine, don’t fret! There are some great apps on your phone that will have something similar to replicate it.

NAPS ON THE GO

When you are on holiday you want to be out and about exploring the local area or enjoying the benefits of the hotel. However, some babies and toddlers who normally have all their naps in their cot at home can sometimes struggle to have a nap on the move. Apart from setting a couple of days aside to have their naps back in the hotel room, there are a few things you can do to help encourage them to grab a nap outside.

Try to do any travelling around a scheduled nap time. If you are driving to an excursion, for example, try and time it so you can be in the car at the time of their usual nap. There aren’t many of us that can resist dropping off in the car if we are a little tired.

Light and stimulation can be a big factor with naps. Never cover your baby’s pram with a muslin or towel as they can trap in more heat rather than keep it out, however there are some pram covers on the market specifically designed to be air-permeable and protect against UV rays, which are great for reducing light and noise. If you are struggling with naps, try to get one of these ordered for next-day delivery to your hotel.

TREATS AND SUGAR

Holiday are all about treats! And your little ones should enjoy them too, but try to keep sugar to a minimum towards the late afternoon. Some children react more to sugar than others, and too much sugar before bed can lead to one hyper little person. My eldest is so much more susceptible to sugar, so even a late-afternoon hot chocolate can leave him bouncing off the walls at bedtime.

Babies and kids love consistency and familiarity, so try and keep as much from home as you can... sleeping bag, blankets or comforter be sure to use them.

BE FLEXIBLE

If you haven’t managed to grab a nap at their usual time, that’s ok. If your little one falls asleep later than normal in the car on the way home from a day out, or back at the hotel late in the afternoon, let them sleep. Use that as an opportunity to go out to dinner a bit later that evening and push their bedtime back. Or it might work the other way and you get back late and they want to fall straight into bed for the evening rather than going back out for dinner. I bet there are some delicious options on room service. I think one of my biggest takeaways from travelling with little ones is that you have to go with the flow to best enjoy the trip.

BACK TO BASICS

If you are on holiday for a few days or more and struggling with day sleep, it might be worth considering taking a few hours out one day to get some sleep in the hotel. Sometimes a refreshed day can be all your little one needs to get them back on track and everyone feeling more refreshed and energised.

Most importantly though, remember to enjoy yourself! All sleep routines can be re-implemented when home.

Ask the Experts

Chris McFadden

Chris is the first qualified male baby and toddler sleep consultant in the UK and Ireland, and Daddy to three amazing boys: Teddy, Rafferty and Malachy.

Chris McFadden

Question:

We need to travel between a few destinations, how long can my baby stay in their car seat? Should I plan for a much longer journey?

Answer:

For safety reasons, it's a maximum of two hours in a car seat. I have done lots of long car journeys with my boys and I try to set off just as they are due a nap. They should doze off when you get into the car and then you can stop at services for a refresh and a snack/feed. You can even use that time to take them to a soft play or a play park – some services offer this – and wear them out before they go back into their car seat and have some rest in the next part of the journey. It might take a little longer to get to your destination but it’s a happier way to get there.

Dani McFadden

Dani (Chris's wife) is a qualified sleep consultant with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology covering infant development.

Dani McFadden

Question:

What do we do if our toddler hasn’t napped all day? They usually have one nap in the afternoon from around lunchtime until late afternoon.

Answer:

This is so common when on holiday. You have lots to do, and a nap just isn’t as much fun for your toddler! It’s ok to bring bedtime forward to reduce some of the overtiredness and the grumpiness which usually accompanies it. It doesn’t mean your little one will necessarily wake earlier; they often just consolidate their day and night sleep and wake up at their normal time in the morning nice and refreshed. If they aren’t so refreshed the next morning, you may want to reset and focus on getting the nap in that day as a priority – just build your fun around it.

MaryAnn Mesbur

Mother of twins, MaryAnn is a qualified sleep consultant based in Ireland with over 10 years' experience working with young children and their families.

MaryAnn Mesbur

Question:

If my children’s routine has gone completely out of the window on holiday, how do I get the routine back on track once we are at home again?

Answer:

That’s ok, it happens. It might be that you need to give your little one extra support when you get home to help them get back to sleeping as they were before holiday. But be firm and set how you want things to work again; they will have learned that boundaries can be broken whilst on holiday, but getting them back to their old routine as soon as you get home will let them know that your boundaries are back, and expectations of how and when they get to sleep are clear. It can take a few days to get the routine back in place, but do stick with it.

Words | Chris McFadden

Photography | Estelle Thompson