A good nights sleep away from home | Tuesdays with Jacob

A good nights sleep away from home

April 4, 2016
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and it’s advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #SnugDryUltra #collectivebias



Can you feel it in the air? Spring has arrived! And even more exciting, summer is just around the corner! Summer means barbecues, beach time, and travel! We live for summer! 


Let's talk for a hot minute about traveling with baby. Most importantly.... getting baby to sleep away from home. We've taken several road/airplane trips with Jacob  and I feel like I (sort of) have this down pat. I say sort of, because kids always like to throw you for a loop when you least expect it. Getting kids to sleep on vacation is so important since lack of sleep puts not only kids, but parents into a tired, grumpy state. Tired and grumpy is NOT what you are aiming for on your vacation, am I right? 

Here are my best tips for a restful vacation for the whole family: 

1. It starts with the preparation.
I always make a master list of everything we'll need while we're gone and then I head to our local Walmart to stock up. For us this includes shampoo for bedtime baths, snacks for the road, wipes, and Huggies Snug & Dry Ultra (a Walmart exclusive). These are our go to diapers for night time because they have a quilted liner that locks in wetness, keeping baby dry. We usually make one trip to Walmart and pick up everything where I know I'm getting a great price. You can even print a coupon for Snug & Dry Ultra HERE (Just click & print!) bringing the price down from the original $7.97.



2. Stay on schedule.
I know it is so, so, tempting to play fast and loose with naptimes and bedtimes on vacations. It's nice to just go with the flow and see where the day takes you, but trust me when I say, you'll pay for it later. Staying as close as possible to baby's normal schedule helps keep their internal clocks going at the correct pace. We make sure our little guy gets his naps at the normal times, whether that means returning to the hotel, or walking him around in his stroller until he falls asleep. 

As much as possible we put him to bed at 7 p.m., his normal time. The hardest part of this is letting him wake up at his normal time. We hate getting up at 6 a.m. on vacation. But that's normal for Jacob and to try and get him back to sleep throws off his whole day. We tend to let him watch cartoons while we drink some strong coffee to wake up. When the schedule away from home is the same as the schedule at home baby has a sense of normalcy and knows what to expect. 



3. Wear them out.
Seriously, this is what vacation is all about! Play and explore during the day. Keep them busy, active, and entertained. We want them good and tired at  nap time and bedtime. It's much easier to get a worn out kid who has exhausted his energy to sleep than one who is wide awake! 



4. Follow your normal bedtime routine.
This means that we do everything we do at home, on the road as well. We bring with us Jacob's shampoo, bath towels, and a few bath toys and we give him his bedtime bath. We bring with us his changing pad, Huggie's Snug & Dry Ultra diapers, and pajamas and we change him into his bedtime clothes just like at home. On our most recent trip our room had a big enough side table that I could set up his changing pad, diapers and wipes, in the exact same configuration we use at home.

 We bring with us a few books and we read to him before laying him down in his pack and play. We also bring his quilt, pillow, sippy cup, and blankie so that we can tuck him in and then leave as we sing. We ALWAYS make room in our bags for his sound machine and his video monitor (if our accommodations have more than one room) both of which we turn on before we leave the room. Following the same nighttime routine you follow at home helps your child recognize that it's time to go to sleep.

On a side note, most hotels have pack and plays, not cribs. If your child has never slept in a pack and play before you may want to have them practice sleeping in one before you leave for your trip, so that it is not unfamiliar to them. Jacob always napped in a pack and play at his grandparents and daycare, so it was never a big deal for us. 



5. Sleep when the baby sleeps.
Remember this mantra from your first weeks home from the hospital with baby? It holds true on vacation as well. If you find yourself tired during the day, try to take a power nap while your child is taking their nap. At nighttime, go to bed yourself once your child has fallen asleep. Resisting the urge to stay up late will come in handy if your child should wake up during the night and decide they don't like sleeping in a new place! One thing I always know for sure is that my son won't wake up because he's wet. Snug & Dry Ultra diapers leak lock system provides up to 12 hours of protection, which is one less thing I have to worry about on my vacation! 



Do you have any more tips for helping your child get to sleep on vacation? I'd love to hear them! Leave me a comment below.

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