Parenting Article:

How to Travel With a Baby/Toddler and Still Keep Your Routine

By: Natalie Ebrill

Parents frequently ask "is it worth changing the routine now, when we are planning a holiday soon?"

I simply answer YES of course!! Your baby/toddler's routine doesn't go out the window due to any change in your routine or holiday season. In fact it won't be a holiday if the routine isn't stuck to as best as possible.

It is reasonable to expect that your baby/toddler may not sleep as well while traveling or in a strange portacot, or their own portacot (not in their own bed in their room) or in the stroller. I actively encourage parents to get the new sleeping routine down pat at home and then go out and practise putting your little one down to sleep in other places, so they don't become reliant on sleeping only at home. The best places to start the 'away from home' practise is somewhere supportive (such as a friend's place or the park), where there won't be any pressure to keep the baby quiet if they protest loudly. Please don't pick a shopping centre or your mum's place if you will feel embarrassed and give up or your mum will 'loose it' because of your baby's protests at going to sleep somewhere new!!

In sticking with a plan for your uptimes and downtimes or your baby's routine over 6 months, it’s not about 'where' you are but 'when' the sleep is due. It helps to think forward to where you may be for the next sleep and anticipate as much as possible whether this is a suitable place for a sleep (or whether another closer place would ensure a more sound sleep). If you have been out and the sleeps haven't been sound ones maybe plan a settled sleep for the next one. Also try having a 'going out day' one day and a few 'stay at home days' following (I still love and crave 'stay at home days'!!). Remember that your baby/toddler will make you pay if they are overtired or have had too much partying and late nights (even I feel like that sometimes!). When we have a baby we need to fit into their routine (sleeping/feeding/playing needs), to have a life, not make them fit into our life. An overtired baby won't let you have a life!

Another popular question is "when is the best time to travel?" The simple answer is 'when it suits your baby/toddler's sleep' (and whether they like the car travel at all). If your baby is a good sleeper in the car, travel when they are due for a sleep. If they are fussy or unsettled in the car, first see if their nappy is on too tight and they feel uncomfortable. Most parents feed their baby and then go out in the car. If you think about how tight some nappies are put on, while the baby is lying down, over a full tummy and then the car seat crunches their tummy in half. That would feel like wearing a pair of jeans on Christmas day and someone asking you to bend over and tie up your shoe laces after lunch!! Ouch! Try as best as you can to occupy baby when they are unsettled, have someone sit in the back to entertain them and stop for breaks when necessary to give everyone's 'numb bums' a rest. Try and create a sleeping environment at sleep times by reducing glare or sunlight and excessive noise. If your baby is used to sleeping with the radio on at home they will cope better in the car with your music. If you play classical music for all sleeps at home, you would have to listen to that for all sleeps on holidays. Feeling sick of the music already?

Tip: Use a capsule for babies up to 5-6 months for ease of transferring a sleeping baby in and out of the car. Travel when your baby is most settled and comfortable. Loosen the nappy before you put in the car seat/capsule. Make sure baby can have some settled sleeps each day and doesn't become overtired so you can have a holiday too.

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