Blog provided by Kate Seasman from Together Trust charity. Together Trust champions for the rights and needs of care-experienced children and people with disabilities, autism and mental health differences.
Holidays are bound to be a disruption to a normal bedtime routine and that’s OK. Try and follow the 80/20 rule – follow your child’s normal schedule and routine 80% of the time, while the other 20% of the time you can come off schedule to enjoy a later than normal night out as a family or doing an activity. Getting off track for a few days is okay and it won’t mess up your child’s sleep schedule. There will be time to quickly resolve any minor challenges that arise once you return to your normal routine!
Here are our top tips for good sleep whilst on holiday with your child.
1. Plan Realistically
Planning is essential. Be realistic about your holiday commitments to prevent overtiredness. For example, try limiting the number of activities in one day, prioritise evening activities in terms of closeness to where you are staying and be willing to adjust your child’s schedule. If a nap must be missed, plan for an earlier bedtime to compensate.
2. Stay Consistent
Try to plan outings around nap times, and if possible, take items from your child’s bedtime routine out with you. On evenings out, where you may be out past their bedtime, take nightwear with you and bedtime items (e.g. a blanket or teddy). That way, if you are out late, your child can get ready for bed and be put to bed when you get back to where you are staying with minimal fuss. Try and wake them at the same time each day and if bedtimes are later, try and limit this to no more than an hour past their usual bedtime if you can.
3. Create Familiarity
Create this feeling by taking any familiar objects away with you such as stuffed animals, blankets or sleep aids. Consider packing a portable crib that your child can sleep in and fill it with their favourite items to relax them.
Often holiday accommodation bedrooms can be bright so consider taking a portable black out blind away with you. These can stick to windows to darken the sleep environment.
4. Reduce Stimulation
Music, disco lights, loud gatherings and opportunities to run round of an evening can be sources of overstimulation for children and may make them too alert for sleep. Try integrating downtime into your holiday plans by scheduling family walks or quiet time. Your child’s room on holiday may be noisier than their room at home so consider taking a white noise machine with you or leaving a fan on (if available) to mask background noises with white noise.
5. Younger Children and Missed Naps
Use an earlier bedtime if your child has a day of missed naps and needs to tag some of their missed sleep onto nighttime. This will help prevent them falling into a sleep debt and waking up still tired the next morning or potentially waking up earlier than normal because they went to bed overtired. Adjust bedtime by 30-60 minutes earlier depending on how much sleep they missed out on during the day. If your child is under 5 months, you can offer a 20-30 minute catnap to bridge the gap to bedtime if an earlier bedtime isn’t possible.
6. Temperature
If the outside temperature is too warm, this can have an impact on the ability to fall asleep and stay asleep. The ideal room temperature is around 18oC and should definitely be no warmer than 20oC. If your child needs a daytime nap, ensure they are in the shade as this will not only cool them but the light levels will be lower too. You can also buy snooze shades for prams and buggies and clip on fans. Reduce the amount of clothing and bedding and try to pack nightwear that is pure cotton as opposed to synthetic fabrics.
7. Sharing Bedrooms
If your child has their own bedroom at home, it can affect their sleep if they need to share a room on holiday due to the unfamiliar noises that come from having someone else sleeping in the room with them.
If your child is sharing a room, consider white noise to mask background noise and move the beds as far apart as possible so that your child has their own defined sleeping space.
8. Keep Calm
Parents need rest, too. Make sure to give yourself moments of respite from the chaos with a long shower or get some fresh air during a short walk. By taking care of yourself, you can take even better care of those around you.
Most importantly, don’t forget to have fun. Holidays, though often chaotic, are meant to be fun. By sticking to yours — and your child’s routine — it will be even more enjoyable and easier to adjust when you return home.
