How To Go To The Cottage/ Travel/ Be Outside Your House In General

Ok, so wow. 

You are ALL travelling. 

I’m travelling a bit too, but the closer I get to my kids packing their own luggage (YES! This happens one day! Just you wait!), I forget the mental load and stress of thinking about what to pack for your baby/child, and also where they'll sleep. How will they sleep? WHAT HAPPENS IF THEY DO NOT SLEEP AT ALL? I have found these questions coming up more and more in my private work, and every week my Q&A over on IG (I answer as MANY questions as I can on Mondays over there! find me!). And with a month (maybe more!) of summer weather upon us, I hope you forgive me that I didn’t publish this in June 🙂 

Here we go:

Lower Your Expectations To The FLOOR

Studies have shown that the first night in any new location tends to result in pretty poor quality sleep. We tend to sleep in large stretches of lighter sleep, and many studies report travellers waking tired. Now that is for adults. 

Imagine if you’re a young baby or child: you’re sleeping in all new conditions, your naps have been short because you’re on a parent/in a stroller and being moved constantly. If the ‘first night effect’ is real for adults, it's very real for babies too. Give yourself and your baby a break on night one. It's normal to experience protests or disrupted sleep, and that's okay-travel can cause this. You're doing great. 

Come prepared with patience and get ready to comfort and support your child (without actively putting them to sleep with your body if independent sleep is the goal). Travelling with family? Set their expectations too. No. The baby isn’t hungry.  It’s unlikely something is wrong. Stay the course. Remember, patience is key-your calm will help your child adjust. 

ROAD TRIPS When Should I Travel?

• Nap times? Yes, totally possible. For younger babies, they usually sleep as long as the car is moving. 6MO plan for crap naps in the car after one cycle. This is common during new/ stresful/ exciting times out–don’t panic–just offer several short naps.
• For car rides over 3+ hours, I recommend a night drive if possible. Follow your usual routine at home, feed your baby, then transfer them from the car seat to their sleep setup upon arrival. Your baby may wake briefly, but they will be very sleepy–let natural melatonin do its work.
• Toddler drives require lots of breaks/snacks/stimulation/patience and coffee. LOL
• Plane sleep? It's all a mess–of course your baby can sleep with you without it all falling off the rails. I promise you. Don’t ask me why, but it IS the twilight zone. And I’m ok with that. 

Naps

I will be brief:

• Naps on the go are fine
• Naps on you on the plane are also fine (a plane is a twilight zone and I have no other way to explain it)
• Short naps will happen when driving or in the stroller. Get several short naps–it's also fine (not ideal forever! But ok on vacation)
• Don’t underestimate the power of stimulation–babies tend to nap a little longer after big swims/ family hugs, and good times. Assume positive outcomes! Your upbeat attitude can help your child feel more secure and relaxed during travel.\

In general, don’t let leaving your house stress you out. Your well-rested child CAN handle variances in their day, so stay calm and trust your routines.

Nights

• Room sharing? Bring a slumberpod. I make no money saying this. It's great, and my clients love it. 
• Explore big closets and bathrooms as a separate sleep space–actually! They are super dark, and they work (my kids have slept in many a closet/ bathroom all across North America, and it was some of their BEST sleeps)
• Night wakings? Follow the same plan as home. Your baby may wake more at night in a new location (see study above). They need some responsiveness and reassurance, then let them work it out. 
• Back to square one? Call your consultant, and we can help you get back to basics again!

Jet Lag

• If time change is Less than 3 hours, stick to local times
• Move to local time immediately. This may mean offering extra naps or doing earlier bedtimes. Feed often in daytime hours
• Follow sun exposure–awake when sun is up. Asleep, lights out when sun is down
• Give everyone 3-4 days to resettle when arriving in a new location and back home

I feel like that covers the majority of the questions I’m getting. Go ahead and share this with a friend who's also leaving their house and scared. Don’t fall trap to constantly protecting your child’s sleep 

Follow what you have been doing at home–see above!