18 months between holidays is a long time.  Throw in a difficult pregnancy, a new baby, and everyday life and you quickly become tired. So, so tired.

That was us last year, and desperate times called for big decisions. So we decided to leave the country at Christmas for some much needed R&R.

This was a big call.  Previous (bad) experiences meant we didn’t even attempt to leave New Zealand with our daughter until she was 4!

Chase is an awesome sleeper now, but boy it’s taken some work.  I like (and he likes!) his routine.

I must admit I was very nervous about leaving the security of all that behind. He sleeps a solid 12+ hours at night, naps like a boss and is a very happy bubba.

The first thing we did in preparation was book flights to work around his naps – on both trips we made sure Chase could get his midday sleep in just in case he decided not to sleep on the plane.

Well, it’s a good thing we did because HE DID NOT SLEEP AT ALL ON THE WAY OVER TO BRISBANE.  The plane was the most exciting thing he had ever been on. Seriously!  Mid-way across the Tasman the little guy escaped our grip and made a break for it crawling under the seats.  He made it five rows before my husband could get to him.

Once we’d arrived it was way past his bedtime, but we got him in the bath straight away.  I made the cot up with his sheets from home, made sure the room was dark, popped his Sleepy Tots in the bed and gave him a bottle.  I nervously held my breath… but we went down straight away.

The first few days were a tad tricky (it gets light really early over there) but with the help of a small bridging nap we soon got him back on track.

Being in Brisbane with a six year old meant we had a lot of big days out, but Chase coped with all of them like a star. We made sure we had a rest day in-between adventures, so Chase could nap at home, but as long as he was covered up in the stroller like a budgie he would snooze at lunch time (and wine time!).

Once again on the flight back Chase slept very little, he was far too busy making friends.  We eventually made it home at 2am. He had napped in the car from the airport, but we popped him in his sleepy sack beforehand so we could transfer him straight away.  I put his cot sheets and white noise on and left him to it.  Without a word of a lie we all slept in until 11am.  Magic!

For the next week or so the Aussie effect meant we all woke up after 9am but we quickly got back to normal once work and day care began again.

If you’re thinking about going away with little ones my advice would be to do it! It’s not the end of the routine or sleep – I came home feeling rested and refreshed, and we all got some awesome time together.

There are simple things you can do to make the transition easy, and the time away enjoyable. I’m already trying to convince hubby to book another trip…