6 Pro Tips for managing your baby or child's sleep, and YOUR sanity, during the holiday season
The winter holiday season is nearly upon us. How is this so? How are we t-minus two days to Thanksgiving? The traditions, parties, family gatherings….the food!!!... it’s all right around the corner.
I've been thinking a lot about those of you who may be traveling this week, or next month, to visit family for the holidays. I mean, most of us get a little uncomfortable when our babies lick the airplane seat. But during these times, that's some ridiculously high level stress provocation from a bit of baby slobber. I digress.
Whether you love the holiday season and started listening to jingle bells the day after Halloween, hate it, or reside somewhere in between, chances are you find it to be an exhausting time of year too.
Perhaps no one feels this more than our babies - no matter their age. The traveling, visitors and all around joy can actually wreak havoc on their routines and sleep. And this year it may be more pronounced if you’re seeing family or traveling again after a year or two off (thank you, covid).
If you’re like me, then you definitely don’t want to miss all of the fun. But if you also don’t want to end up with the tantruming turkey at your holiday gathering, then you’ll want to check out these 6 Pro Tips below.
Be realistic
If you’ve got an easy-going baby or child who can typically go with the flow, then you may be able to get away with missing naps and having the occasional later bedtime. They may temporarily have a bad night of sleep, but kiddos with more laid back temperaments typically will bounce back after a night or two.
But, if your little one is more sensitive, gets serious FOMO like my youngest or is a “by the clock” baby like my oldest was, then you’ll want to be really strategic in your plans in order to prevent overtiredness, early mornings and increased night wakings.
If this sounds more like your family, then being realistic about your holiday plans can be really helpful. For instance:
Try not to plan too much in one day, prioritize your RSVPs for only the closet friends and family (this is probably easier now than it was a few years ago -- thanks again, covid), and know your kiddos and their limitations.
If your baby has to miss the afternoon nap, then make plans for an earlier bedtime to happen.
Or, if you know your kiddo gets overstimulated easily, then make sure you take breaks, take them for small walks away from the crowd and spend a bit longer on the bedtime routine that evening so they have extra time to really wind down and relax their body again before sleep.
Be consistent, when you can
Yes, it can be pretty tough to remain consistent with your baby or child’s schedule throughout the holiday season - especially if you’re traveling or have visitors in your home. But there are definitely ways you can maintain some consistency that can help you preserve your child’s sleep. For instance:
Try to maintain their bedtime routines - keeping to the same steps and sequence as every other night (even if it needs to be a bit shorter to get them in bed on time).
Additionally, for children who do need more consistency or are more sensitive to schedule changes and overtiredness, it can be really helpful if you try to plan your outings or family meals around their nap times.
If you know your baby NEEDS to take her 1pm nap but you have to get to Grandma’s house in time for Thanksgiving dinner, then you really have several choices that can meet both her needs and your family's needs. For example,
you can go early and plan for her to nap at Grandma's,
stay at home for the nap but have her take a shorter or earlier one so you can still get there in time,
or plan the car ride there so that you can time the nap while she’s riding in the car.
Are you not quite sure what your child’s schedule should be right now or feel like they're already off track a bit? If so, be sure to check out our blog post on baby schedules, and getting the timing right for sleep. Have a toddler or preschooler? Check out our blog post on little kid schedules.
Create familiarity
When traveling, it can be really helpful to recreate the home environment as much as possible. Sleeping in an unfamiliar place is a very common trouble spot and can cause disruptions and night wakings in even the best sleeper. But you can combat this by trying to re-create as much of their typical sleep environment as possible. For example,
If your baby typically sleeps in a crib, then make sure you bring a travel crib or call ahead to the hotel to reserve one. If you're traveling with it, then it can also be really helpful to have your baby take a few naps in the travel crib while you’re still at home. This gives your baby some extra exposure so that they have even more of an opportunity to get comfortable in it before the rest of their environment changes.
If your baby or toddler typically bed shares with you, then it may be easier to have them transition into a new space. But make sure that you take precautions to ensure that it’s a safe environment just like the one at home - remove the extra bedding and pillows and check for gaps where your baby may become trapped (like between the headboard and mattress).
Give them plenty of time to explore the new space before sleeping there. For example, if you arrive to the location at 6:00PM and bedtime is 7:00PM, make sure they get an extra long bedtime routine to get comfortable in the room before going down for the night.
No matter what their typical sleeping arrangements, make sure that you bring their own crib sheet or favorite blankets and pillow - along with their regular loveys/stuffed animals, pacifiers, white noise, travel black out blinds and night light. Recreating the environment as much as possible will help to reduce disruptions over all.
Make space for downtime
The holidays are often so full of chances to become overstimulated and overtired. Aside from an off schedule or missed nap, the twinkly lights and music, big crowds, new toys and extra sugary treats can make for one overstimulated and cranky kiddo. The best way to combat this is to make sure you leave room in your schedule for quiet time.
Whether that’s snuggling on the couch together, going for a family walk outside or reserving quiet time in another room for the older kiddos - everyone needs a chance to recharge their batteries.
Put on your oxygen mask first, especially if you’re an introvert
Our babies pick up on our stress, big time. If we’re feeling frazzled or down right anxious, our kiddos feel this dysregulation by way of mirror neurons in their brain. No matter how big your smile is or how good of a job you think you’re doing faking it, your kids know the truth. They feel your anxiety and they absorb your stress. So keep this in mind as you’re making your plans. And do what you need to do to keep your stress under control. Here are some of my personal favorites for keeping my sanity when traveling or staying with extended family (note: I’m an extreme introvert so I really need to carve out down time):
I take an extra long and luxurious showers when I have the extra pairs of hands around.
I spend a REALLY long time with my kiddos during the bedtime routine. This gives them the much needed transition time and it gives me a nice, long break from the socializing.
I take short walks with one of my kids at a time. This gives them a chance to be with their home base independently and to come down for the stimulation, and it gives me a break from everything.
Get back to normal as soon as possible
No matter how much merriment you and your family indulge in over the holiday season, if your kiddo is prone to being thrown off track - or is already having sleep troubles - then it’s important to get back on track as soon after the fun as possible.
For babies, getting them back on track with their schedule can help alleviate overtiredness and the associated early mornings or frequent night wakings. If they become really overtired, then having an earlier bedtime or an extra nap for a few days can also be really helpful to help them reset and catch up on the missed sleep.
For toddlers and school age kiddos, try to get them back to their school week bedtime at least a few days before it’s time to return to school. And finally, if you’ve been traveling time zones over the holidays, know that the typical rule of thumb is to give 1 day of transition time for every 1 hour of time difference.
No matter what, the holidays should be a time to enjoy family and friends (many of us are especially feeling the draw to connect this year, with so many loved ones finally vaccinated).
I hope that these tips help you and your family combat the common holiday sleep troubles. Let’s create magical family memories instead!
Looking to get sleep in the best space possible BEFORE that trip to Grandma’s? Or just wanting to do some general damage control with your kiddo’s sleep. Grab your FREE e-books for stellar sleep: