Traveling for the holidays with babies or toddlers

December 9, 2014

The holiday season can be a fun time of visiting and traveling. But, if you are stuck with a cranky baby or toddler, FUN is not the word that comes to your mind!

Keeping your child well rested can make the holiday season more joyful for the entire family.

Your child’s sleeping environment:
Keep it as similar to their sleeping environment at home as possible. It should be a calm, not a stimulating environment. Think boring, if possible.

For your baby bring a portable crib that they have practiced sleeping in at home or at bring the crib sheets from home. You don’t have to wash the sheets because the smells will be familiar and calming to your baby and one less thing to do while packing!

For your toddler don’t forget their lovey or favorite blanket. Make sure they are in a bed that is safe for their age. Practice the walk to the bathroom before bedtime.

Portable blackout curtains or a black garbage bag can be used over the window to keep the room dark.
Don’t forget your white noise machine to block out the noises of a new environment or the loud family members in the next room.

Bedtime routine:
Follow your child’s normal bedtime routine for naps and night time. That routine will be familiar and calming to your child and a clue to their body that it is time to sleep.

Try to stick to the same sleep schedule you follow at home as much of the time as possible. But, if you know it will be a late bedtime because of holiday activities, make sure your child gets a good nap that day. If your child is usually well-rested, your child will be able to handle an occasional later bedtime during the holidays.

If naps did not happen because of holiday activities, then try to compensate with an earlier bedtime that day.

Things to avoid:
You do not want to return home with some new bad habits.
If you have not been co-sleeping, don’t start while you are traveling. Make sure your child has their own bed or sleeping spot. A toddler might even think it is fun to sleep on the floor.
For your toddler make sure your child understands that the same night time rules apply that you follow at home.

Try to RELAX and enjoy your time with your child and the people you love. Making the effort to protect your child’s sleep will make everyone enjoy your child more.

If you need some help getting your child sleeping well, I am available to guide and coach you through that process: Arlene Fryling, RN and Sleep Consultant for children 0-5 years.

http://www.gentletouchsleeptime.com/

https://www.facebook.com/GentleTouchSleepTime

Arlene Fryling

Arlene is a registered nurse and certified sleep consultant for children 0-5 years. She has cared for premature, sick, and many healthy babies. For over 15 years she has taught expectant parents how to care for their newborns through classes teaching basic baby care, infant massage classes, and moderating support groups for new moms as they deal with parenting issues.

Infant Tummy Massage to Relieve Gas

To see the complete massage instructional video:

Testimonials

Alix Kron

★★★★★

4 months ago

We cannot say enough positive things about our experience working with Arlene!! We were desperate for sleep, going almost 5.5 months with frequent wake ups, nursing back to sleep, nonstop crying during the day, screaming in the car and becoming more and more hopeless as time went on without having success … Arlene changed all of that within no time. She listened to exactly what was going on for us, developed a sleep plan specific to our daughter’s needs/our goals and was so supportive and answered all of our questions along the way. It was very easy to follow the plan that she developed and it included naps and weaning off of night feedings. We saw a difference in our daughter almost immediately! Arlene has absolutely transformed our lives and given us the ability to enjoy each other and feel so much better getting the sleep we all want and NEED! Our daughter is now sleeping 11-12 hours per night, eating only once overnight as opposed to every 1-2 hours, is on a great nap schedule and is so much happier!!! It’s the best money we’ve spent.

Adrienne G.

★★★★★

2 years ago

We worked with Arlene to sleep train our 22 month old son who had been bed sharing and nursing to sleep. She helped us develop a sleep plan that was specific to our son's needs. It addressed both his nighttime sleep and his naps. It really took the guess work out of the endeavor, because as a parent, even if you read all the sleep books, there are many different opinions and it is hard to know what is right. Arlene was attentive, flexible and available to answer all of our questions and concerns. I would highly recommend working with her! Our son now sleeps 11-12 hours a night and put himself to sleep on his own. Sleep training him has been a game changer for me (I sleep now too!) and for him. He seems well rested and his development seems to be progressing faster now too. His language skills are flourishing since he is getting better rest.

Amanda C

★★★★★

4 years ago

We just wrapped up our second time working with Arlene, and had another great experience! Arlene helped us sleep train our first baby a few years ago when she was 4 months old at the time. She was a terrible sleeper, waking up once every hour and needing to be rocked to sleep for what felt like hours and hours each day. I was a stressed, exhausted, and worried first time mom, and I was drawn to Arlene’s calm and experienced approach. She gave us an option for a gentler strategy that worked for us at the time, and was detailed and responsive in her sleep plan and attentiveness. Our daughter just turned 2.5 years old and is still a great sleeper. So once our second baby turned 4 months recently, we did not hesitate to work with Arlene again. We now have two rockstar sleepers in our household, thanks to Arlene! It means the world to us that she was there to help guide us, instill confidence, and most importantly, help teach our children such a valuable skill they will undoubtedly benefit from for the rest of their lives.

Begoña Cirera

★★★★★

2 years ago

Arlene helped me first with my first son who was 2.5 year old when I hired her. He slept with me during breastfeeding. He never wanted to sleep in his crib. I was due with my second, and I needed better rest, and had no clue how to get him to sleep away from my bed. I even had to sleep w him during naps, or he wouldn’t sleep. I had to walk him for hours to fall asleep every night. It was awful. Two weeks after Arlene helped us create a program for him, he was done!!! He was sleeping in his own room, all night (12+ hours) and he was SO HAPPY during the day. We learned so much, and all made so much sense. After trying methods and books, nothing worked. My son is almost 6, and he falls asleep at 7:30pm every evening, until 7:00am. As a parent, you know how precious those hours are. With my second one, I didn’t make the mistake of waiting until he was two to train him to sleep. By 3 months, we slowly started, with Arlene’s help. I never had to walk him or be there for him to fall asleep. He’s now 3, and he is a great sleeper, much better than his big brother ever was, still takes 90-min naps, and sleeps 11 hours a night. Every penny I spent to hire Arlene’s expertise is worth it. My only regret was not to look for her sooner. Lifesaver, 100%.

Abbey Stidam

★★★★★

6 years ago

Arlene Fryling at Gentle Touch Sleep Time helped our son sleep, which helped us sleep! We were having trouble transitioning our son (4 months at the time) from his rock-n-play to the crib and our amazing sleeper since birth was all of a sudden not sleeping very much. Arlene talked with us about what was going on with his sleep and why the change in his sleep pattern. She answered all our questions and calmed our worries and frustrations. She came up with a sleep plan that worked for our family. She guided us every step of the way. He is now an amazing sleeper again! He is 18 months old and sleeps 12 hours at night and takes a 1 1/2 - 2 hour nap. He loves to sleep and never fights sleeping. I am so thankful we had Arlene Fryling help us and we were able to teach our son to sleep.