The Xmas break is fast approaching and the most common question we start to get is around how do we help our little ones maintain their sleep schedule and get the sleep they need while still self soothing and enjoying a holiday.

That sounds like a big ask, right?

What is feasible as a parent?

Good news, there are some simple things you can do to maintain your little ones sleep this Xmas holiday.

Firstly consider where they will be sleeping while you are away? It’s already a new location, it doesn’t have to also be an unfamiliar bed.

When ‘we sleep in a new location, for the first few nights our brains don’t entirely tune out and deeply sleep as much as they do at home.

We tend to wake more frequently and sleep a lot lighter. This is a carry on from the cavemen days when a new location meant new predators, so we don’t sleep as much and check out location for safety more frequently.

With this in mind you can ease this transition for your baby by making the travel cot a bit more familiar to them before you leave. Have a few nights at home where you sleep them in the travel cot, and get them used to it.

Use a good quality travel cot such as the Dream on me Zodiak Portable Playard, to ensure your baby is comfortable and has the room to sleep.

This will significantly reduce the number of wakes you get that first night in a new location.

The second trick is once you do get to the new location, try to allow plenty of time to show your baby or toddler around the house, or hotel. Spend time with them playing in the room they will sleep in. More time that you think you need to!

The more time you can spend on this, the more likely they are to feel safe and secure at bed time and settle to sleep with out any drama.

If they do cry and this is not normal for them, try to stop and think about their needs.

They haven’t forgotten how to self soothe or settle to sleep, they’re likely crying because the location is new and they’re unsure.

Knowing this can help you determine the right action to take.

You likely don’t need to feed them to sleep, or rock them to sleep, or panic parent and drive around the streets. They just need something familiar to help them feel secure enough to go to sleep. Who is more familiar than you! The parent.

Go and sit in their room with them, sit by the cot, maybe sing quietly, maybe shush quietly, maybe just lie down and pretend to sleep. Just be there with them, be their security while they fall asleep in an unfamiliar place and you haven’t created any new sleep associations.

Patience and understanding are your best friends in this situation. Be patient while they try and fall asleep and understand what they are experiencing and what they do and don’t need.

They don’t need you to start a new sleep association that is going to set them back 3 months on their sleep journey. They do need you to understand this is a new location and sleep might take a little longer tonight.

The other simple tricks for travel and sleep are a little more well-known.

• Use your sleeping bag or swaddle from home.
• Take the sheets off the cot at home so they smell familiar.
• Bring any lovies or special sleep toys.
• Bring portable black-out blinds if needed.
• Bring your white noise machine.

What about routine while on holiday?

This is the most common question I get at this time of year, so here are my best tips!.

Know your baby’s temperament. If you haven’t taken our sleep temperament quiz, you can that now – Sleep Temperament Quiz. Your baby’s temperament will tell you how sensitive they are and how adaptable they are. The more sensitive the less likely the are to cope with day after day of routine disruption in the early months. The more adaptable… hey they probably will cope just fine!

Know your own baby's limitations and stick to them. If you know your baby can handle one off day and then needs a quiet day, try to plan this into the holiday plans. If you think your baby can handle skipping a nap, but you’re not sure… test them out at home before you go and see how they cope in a familiar sleep environment.

If you’re having a day out and your baby still needs to naps, but only every cat naps on the go, that’s fine! Throw in an extra cat nap that day, or if they are in the 9-12 months + age range, they’ll likely cope quite well with just 2 cat naps for a day or 2 as long as their night sleep is still good.

If you have a newborn try to protect their sleep a bit more. Try to use the pram or front pack to offer frequent naps, even if they aren’t long naps, even on your busy days this season.

If you’re trying to work out how to juggle your baby’s sleep schedule on a day when naps will be short or on the go or both, don’t worry about adding up the hours they’ve slept. Just think more about the time since they last slept, and the time until they can sleep again. Try to bridge this time with a short nap if you think that time is too long.

Frequency over quantity on these days is how I help my clients cope.

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