Remember the promises you made before you had kids never to let them keep you from traveling? Ha! Now that you’re a parent, you’ve probably noticed how attached babies can be to their beds and schedules, and how challenging it can be to take them anywhere, even to visit grandparents.
But busy parents have places to go and people to see, so you don’t want to be tethered to home just because your baby will snooze only in her crib. The next time you’re booking a room in some faraway place or just going across town to see family, these strategies can help you get your baby to sleep anywhere.
Practice makes perfect
Don’t wait until toddlerhood before you attempt to get your baby to sleep away from home.
Stash a portable crib at Grandma and Grandpa’s house (or bring yours with you when you visit), and make some trial runs early on.
You might also try visiting relatives or friends who already have a pack 'n play for your baby to sleep in or staying at a hotel once or twice to get her used to being out of her comfort zone at night. Just be sure that if you do stay in a hotel, it has a modern, safe portable crib for you to use. It's best to call ahead and confirm.
It might not be perfect the first time, but your little one will eventually get used to sleeping in a different place, and that will be a major win now with benefits continuing down the road.
Keep your baby active
The more active your baby is during the day, the easier it will be for her to fall asleep at night.[1] If you’re on vacation, make sure you have trips to the park baked in, and if you’re headed to Grandma and Grandpa's, play in the backyard for a good part of the day.
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Consistency counts
Babies are creatures of habit, so your little one will be more willing to doze away from home if the bedtime routine is similar to the one at your house. If at home you start off with bathtime and then a nighttime feeding, do the same thing when you’re traveling.
If your baby equates storytime with bedtime, bring some books along to read before bed. Stick closely to the routine no matter where you are, and your little one will look forward to moving through it and falling off to peaceful sleep soon after.
You should also set the mood for bedtime no matter where you are. That means slowing down and using your quiet "bedtime voice."
Bring some sleep soothers along
Do you use a white noise machine or music player to lull your little one to dreamland? Whatever sounds help calm your baby down for sleep, take them with you on your travels, since by now your baby associates them with shut-eye.
Another sleep soother that helps bring on the Zzzs? A crib sheet from home. Babies have keen noses (even if they’re button-sized), so if the crib in the hotel room smells like the one at home, your little one’s more likely to drift off and sleep through the night.
On-the-go napping has its downsides
While you do want your baby to be flexible about her sleeping quarters, try to avoid making car or stroller naps a habit when you’re out and about. Sure, you can’t help it if your baby nods off en route, but regular on-the-go naps aren’t such a great idea for several reasons.
For one thing, the quality of sleep is often not as good, and your baby may not be ready to wake up (or go back to sleep) when you arrive at your destination. She might also be pretty darn cranky. It's better if your baby learns to associate sleeping with a safe travel or portable crib rather than her car seat or stroller.
Avoid an overtired baby
When you’re away from home, it can be hard to stick to a sleep schedule, but while a bit of leniency is fine, try to avoid having your little one become overtired. Once babies become too tired, it’s difficult for them to get to sleep, and adding in unfamiliar surroundings isn't a recipe for success.
Know the signs of drowsiness — droopy eyelids, yawning, fussiness and rubbing of the eyes — and get started with your bedtime routine preferably before you notice them.
When you put your baby to sleep in a new place, you’re likely to hear a few whimpers. It’s fine to let her cry for a few minutes before you go in and check on her, especially if she has all her needs met, including a dry diaper and a full tummy.
Whether you’re at home or away, let your baby fall asleep alone. Babies who go to sleep on their own are better able to fall back to sleep without help when they wake up at home or on-the-go.
Bring along your monitor
Your cordless baby monitor may provide you with a little extra peace of mind when you’re traveling, especially when your little one is sleeping in new surroundings or an unfamiliar crib, or if the kids' bedroom is on a different floor.
Stay safe
No matter where you’re headed, make sure your baby has a safe place to lay her head.[2] Most hotels, motels and resorts have cribs to borrow, sometimes for a fee, but again, make sure ahead of time that the cribs are modern and up to the latest safety standards. For places you regularly visit, you can stow a portable crib or just bring one along each time. And bring your own if the hotel doesn't have the safest, newest models.
If you’re staying in a rental unit, you can also have a local or online rental service deliver and set up a crib. If you arrive at your destination and notice that the provided crib isn’t safe, take the crib mattress out and place it on the floor for a makeshift portable baby bed. Be sure that the room is thoroughly child-proofed though before you do that if your baby is mobile, however. All the more reason to check with the hotel or rental unit ahead of time about the portable cribs they offer and bring your own when in doubt.
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