✈️ Aeroplane Travel
For a long flight, book a night time flight if possible. It is darker and your
child will have more chance of falling asleep at night, than during the day.
Bring with you all the portable things your child has at sleep time- soft toy,
special blanket, dummy, swaddle, sleeping bag. Things that signal to your child
that it is sleep time and that comfort them as they fall asleep.
Don’t panic about 5-10 minutes of crying as your child goes off to sleep. Sharing a
flight with a child who has had a good chunk of sleep will be better for other
passengers than a cranky baby or toddler for the entire flight!
For easier hands free travelling you can use a front pack (baby sling, baby
carrier).
Forget about the usual associations we try to avoid- feeding, rocking, cuddling to sleep. No rules here! For younger babies you can walk up and down the aisle to soothe them to sleep.
Breast or bottle feed your child upon take off and descent for landing. Give an older child a chewy lolly or chewy dried fruit. These help your child’s ears to
equalise and distracts them from the discomfort when changing altitudes.
Bring lots of snacks- a great time filler and they are often not available on the
flight.
Try to get an aisle seat so you can easily get up and walk around and take toddlers to the toilet.
Buy a whole heap of small toys / games from a $2 shop, Kmart or Op shop. Wrap them and give one to your child whenever they need a distraction in the plane!
Pack lots of activities for your toddler- sticker books are great. Also an iPad or
tablet with lots of family photos on it.
With toddlers, wait until the last minute to board the plane- the less time they are in a confined space for, the better.
Pack extra everything, just in case. Extra nappies, bottles, clothes.
Pack a spare set of clothes for you too, you never know if you will end up covered
in spilled milk, or vomit that missed the air sick bag.
Get in touch with the airline to find out about seating. You can possibly bring a
car seat to put on the seat next to you or even hire a bassinet on a long haul
flight.
Hope for the best, prepare for the worst!
🚙 Long Car Trips
Plan long car trips to begin 30 minutes before your child is due to sleep. This is
usually how long it takes for them to fall asleep. Try not to let your child
nap all day. Make stops at their regular feed times.
💼 General Tips for Travelling with Babies and Young Children
Bring as many things as you can from home that will make sleep time familiar. Sheets that smell like home, portable black out blinds, white noise. Don’t forget all the important sleep associations- dummies, comfort item, soft toy, special
blanket, sleeping bag and swaddle.
If you are taking a port-a-cot with you, help familiarise your child with it. For
a few days before you go, use it for 1 nap a day.
Stick to your child’s routine as much as you can, without sacrificing fun on your
trip. If they haven’t napped much, put them to bed early.
Try to have the bedtime routine the same as at home- bath, book, cuddles, song,
feed….
When you get back home try to get back to your normal routine ASAP. It usually only takes a few days to get back on track.
Some great travel products are: SleepySundays black out blinds, a Snooze shade to go over the port-a-cot or a Slumber Pod to put the port-a-cot inside.
It can be tricky for your child to sleep well when travelling, try these tips and let me know how you go!
If you have returned from a holiday and are having difficulty with returning to old routines, book in some one on one support with me.