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Baby Napping On Vacation

Friday, July 30th, 2010

baby napping on vacation

I recently was asked how to handle baby napping on vacation.  Apparently a baby somewhere had a hard time on vacation and they needed advice before the next tip. Can you imagine that ever happening? :)

Did you detect any sarcasm in that last statement? Well, if I had trouble getting baby to sleep on vacation I wouldn’t be too surprised. In fact, I’d expect it.  I think there are many of us adults whohave a hard time sleeping in new places or new beds, don’t be to shocked that a baby would react the same way as mom or dad.

A Unique Problem

Parents start out very accustomed to dealing with night-time sleep issues and sleep training. Napping however, poses some unique problems especially when you are on vacation.

  • People don’t want to spend their entire day in a hotel room.
  • Daytime is typically noisy and often we don’t have control over the situation like we do at home.
  • We are thrown out of our (and our baby’s) sleep routine.

What can we do to get our baby to nap on vacation?

Here are a few tips to minimize the problems.

Take Shifts For Napping

If possible switch off sleep monitoring duties between parents to allow one parent to enjoy the time alone, or to take the other kids out of the hotel room.  It might even be relaxing to be hanging out and relaxing with nothing else to do.

Prioritize Baby’s Sleep

Even if you find yourself suddenly stuck in your room for nap times at odd hours because of a large time change, realize that your baby’s sleep is important and it ultimately effects your ability to sleep at night. Try and decide what your priority is. If it is getting out at all costs, then by all means do so and bear the possible consequences of an over-tired baby later.

However, you may want to sacrifice that last afternoon at the beach or that museum trip for the sake of everyone being able to be well rested. But since it’s your vacation, I leave this to your discretion.

Take a Day Trip

If your baby sleeps well in the car, consider taking a long drive and letting your baby sleep in the car seat. This will let you see the sights and get a nap in. What a great combo!

Vacation Close to Home

While staycations were a popular buzz-word in recent years, you don’t need to stay at home. Find local trips within the same time zone and you won’t have to worry about schedules thrown off because of big shifts in your daytime routine.  Every state has it’s share of local adventures that can entertain you while giving you a chance to get out of the house. It may even save you some money.

Bring Home With You

Don’t forget to bring your comforts of home to encourage baby’s sleep.

Bringing your own crib sheets or mattress cover to wrap around a hotel-supplied pack and play can help simulate baby’s home environment. Also, if you don’t already use a white noise machine to mask external noises, consider getting one before you travel. There are several low-cost and portable white noise machines for sale here.

In Summary…

Don’t let baby’s sleep derail your vacations. But do consider making some effort to maintain a sleep schedule, especially if your trip is longer than a couple of days.  Otherwise, you might find yourself wishing yourself at home.

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Sleep Training and Vacation

Tuesday, July 20th, 2010

sleep training and vacation

Nothing is more detrimental to sleep training than interruptions of your routine. They break your stride and can undo weeks of work if you aren’t careful.  I often get asked what to do about sleep training during vacation.

My first impulse is to say, don’t do it. Don’t take a vacation unless it is unplanned.  Your sleep training doesn’t last forever so if you can delay your vacation and dedicate the time to sleep training, do it.

The reason for this is that you don’t want to make the already challenging task of sleep training your child even more difficult.  It’s not fair to you or your child who is learning how to sleep through the night.

Often times you will find that a baby won’t sleep on vacation and you will already be having enough trouble even if your child already sleeps through the night.  Travel increases the challenge.  Why torment yourself?

If, however, you are determined to go on vacation, or you don’t have a choice in the matter, then by all means go.  You will undoubtedly survive and, since each kid is so different, perhaps you won’t have as many difficulties. It really depends on the child.

You can take two approaches:

1) Suspend your baby sleep training program and potentially lose any ground you have gained.  This is obviously not the most desirable option but given how much work sleep training a baby on vacation would be, it may at least allow you to enjoy your vacation.

2) You could use one of several sleep training programs and use some of their techniques to get your baby to sleep on vacation.  You could try one of these recommended products: Baby Sleep Solution Audio Program, Baby Sleep Tonight, Instant Baby Sleep Program.

3) You could also get ahead of the curve and get your baby sleep training completed before you go on vacation. The programs listed above will help get you prepared for your vacation and are a nominal cost versus benefits.  Believe me

I personally have experienced the ups and downs of all these methods, but if you can start your vacation with a baby who is already sleep trained, you will likely have better results.  Again, the products listed above will help you get on track and ready for an enjoyable vacation.

Again, it’s your choice, but by taking the easier route you may find yourself able to have an actual vacation.  Otherwise you could find yourself sleeping all day and up all night and not actually getting to see the sights.

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Getting Baby To Sleep On Vacation

Tuesday, June 29th, 2010

getting baby to sleep in new place

One challenge new parents face is getting their baby to sleep on vacation. If you’re away from home, the usual sounds and predictable noises become harder to control. If you’ve ever wondered what to do when your baby won’t sleep away from home, then here are a few suggestions.

Keep your routine as similar to home as possible. Whatever you do to get baby to sleep at home should be tried as much as possible on vacation. Nursing before bed, white noise if you use it, times and routines, these should all be duplicated.

Now, I know you are saying, “But, I’m on vacation. How can I possibly do this?”

I will agree, it’s a challenge. If you expect your vacation to be like it was before baby, then good luck! Your baby may have been on a strict routine before you went on your trip and switching time zones, disrupting naps for air travel can all spell an end to whatever schedule you (or your baby) were used to.

Unless you are blessed with a super-sleeping baby, you may want to consider just coping with the disrupted sleep you will likely get.

For baby it’s another story. You may want to consider some special gear for sleep while vacationing.

  • Consider trying white noise machines to masks strange noises, or the reggae band down the beach that decides to play until midnight.
  • Give your baby a warm bath to soothe them before bed.
  • Try to recreate their sleeping location as best you can, most hotels these days have at least one crib or play-yard available for parents to use. Make sure you reserve it ahead of time to guarantee you get one!
  • Try not to disrupt your baby’s napping routine. I know this is hard given that you are on vacation and the middle of the day is usually the time you want to get out. If they sleep in the car well, try an afternoon sight-seeing drive.

These are all some tips you can try to help your baby to sleep while you are on vacation.  I hope they help you get a good night’s sleep.

Regards,

Get Your Baby To Sleep Signature

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