How to help your child to sleep away from home at Christmas
December is probably your busiest time of year, yet the most exhausting. Especially when you are sleep deprived.
You may be staying away from home this festive period, which leaves you questioning how will your sleep thief sleep? How can I try to help my child sleep well? Is it going to end in disaster?
Here are my top tips on how to help your baby or toddler to sleep whilst you are away from home.
Expectations
It is important for you to have realistic expectations of your child’s sleep. There is nothing worse than having high expectations that good sleep is just going to be the same, better or easier and then feel heavily disappointed and exhausted during your time away. If your child is already struggling with their sleep at home, then it is likely (although not guaranteed) that this is the case whilst you are away. Or even if you have a good sleeper, you may find that their sleep is not as good as it is at home. However, there are steps you can put into place to optimise their sleep whilst you are staying away.
Routines
Sticking to your child’s routine whilst away from feels like a daunting prospect. There is no right or wrong here, however it is important to weigh up the pros and cons. For example, would you rather be flexible, break the routine, please others, not worry about it for a short period, and accept that you are likely to be up more through the night. Or would you rather stick to the routines, be inflexible, potentially frustrate others who don’t understand, and likely to have a better night sleep. It is personal choice, however for me I preferred to stick to the routine and have a better night sleep. In fact our children napped during Christmas Day lunch for the first few years of their lives. For us, they were happier, calmer and would have not remembered it at that age anyway. Now they are older, we still stick to the roughly the same bedtime, as I know they feel better the following day having had a good night’s sleep.
Physical Exertion
If you live in a colder country, like we do, then getting outside during Winter is not always inviting. You may naturally spend more time inside, and therefore your children spend most of their day doing sedentary activities, such as inactive play and/or screentime. Whilst these two activities have their place in your child’s day, I recommend that they are balanced with plenty of physical exertion, fresh air and daylight. Children under the age of 5 years are recommended to be physically active for a minimum of 3 hours per day. Ensuring your baby or toddler is tired enough for sleep is key for optimising both their naps and night time sleep.
Sleep Bag
You may find it useful to pack a “sleep bag” for your trip this Christmas. In the bag, I suggest putting in everything related to your child’s sleep. For example, your child’s comforter, sleep time reading books, favourite teddy, dummy/pacifier, night light, sleep spray, sound machine. For extra sensitive sleepers, you can also take their own bedding. Keeping your child’s sleep space and their bedtime routines as consistent as possible will help them to know when it is time to wind down ready for sleep but having home comforts with them makes them feel safe If you child is older (toddler/preschooler and upwards), you can involve them in setting up their sleep space which gives them a sense of control and reassurance.
Planning
Whether you are staying in a rental house or with friends/family this Christmas, it is ideal to find out more about your child’s sleep space. Will they be sleeping in your room? Or will they have their own room? Will you need a travel cot, bed linen, bed guard, stair gate or a video monitor? What size are the windows and will you need black out blinds? Is your child’s sleep space close to or far away from communal areas? If your toddler is sleeping in a room with a bed, is the room safe? Having answers to these types of questions could save you from missing out on further sleep and means you can avoid the headache of using your holiday time to find solutions.
There are my 4 key tips on how to help your child to sleep away from home this Christmas. I hope you have a wonderful trip away.
