how to travel with a toddler sleep tips

How To Travel With A Toddler – Sleep Tips

I know, I know…we’ve gone into lockdown again here in Australia so why is this blog talking about how to travel with a toddler? Well, it’s wishful and hopeful thinking, really. I miss travelling. I miss taking my kids to new places. So, I’m reminiscing on the good times and hoping that sharing these tips will help you reminisce too. Save this post so that when travel bans are lifted, you’ll have the best sleep and travel tips to refer to so you can get out and about with ease.

Best Travel And Sleep Tips For Parents

Adjust to time zone changes in advance

Much like we do with daylight savings, if you plan on travelling across time zones, it helps to start adjusting bedtimes and wake up times slightly each day leading up to the trip. Start adjusting by moving timeframes 15minutes backward or forward each day leading up to the trip (where possible with your family schedule). This way, by the time you get to your destination, your little one won’t be hit with such a big shock when the time zone changes. Unless you’re travelling to a place that’s more than a few hours away from your home time zone, this generally works a treat and is relatively simple to incorporate into your routine.

Research the place you’ll be staying and prepare accordingly

If you’ll be staying in an unfamiliar place like a hotel or Airbnb, researching the place, especially your little one’s sleeping area is a great idea so you can prepare accordingly. If you’ll be staying in a room or home that’s quite well-lit, packing some blackout blinds may help your little adjust to the new environment. The same goes for noise. If you’ll be staying in a noisy area, you can pack a white noise machine to try and block out some of the sound. I recommend a very soft volume that replicates calming nature sounds.

Bring familiar bedtime items

Even as adults, we love familiarity. It makes us feel safe and calms us when we feel stressed or anxious. Bringing along familiar bedtime items like blankies, soft toys (for toddlers, not babies) and books will help reassure your little one in an unfamiliar place.

I hope these sleep tips will help when we’re all ready to travel again!

As always, sleep sweetly and deeply my dears x

Learn the best tips for settling newborns here!

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