The sleep setup to pack, what to leave at home, and the one thing you might need to buy on arrival.
When my middle child was eleven weeks old, my family made a trip to spend Christmas with my in-laws.
It was my first time flying with a baby that young, not to mention his preschooler brother, and while it wasn’t all smooth sailing, it did teach me something…traveling with a baby under six months is possible!
Years later, when my youngest son was born, I had enough confidence to do the same thing again, making a Christmas trip to visit family, this time with an almost-five-month-old.
In both cases, it didn’t take me long to realize that it’s not the travel itself that makes a trip with a younger baby tricky.
Rather, it’s the fact that any sleep schedule I started to develop with my little ones could end up completely disrupted.
That’s why I started to find ways to pack to ensure that my baby would be more likely to follow their regular sleep routine as closely as possible.
If you’re planning a trip with a baby under six months, keep these tips in mind to help ensure that they’re sleeping soundly even away from home!
Pack Sleep Gear Before the Wardrobe
One mistake you want to avoid is packing for every possible outfit scenario and then not leaving enough room for sleep essentials.
Infants don’t need that many clothes for most trips, and, in an emergency, they’re relatively easy to wash in a hotel sink if need be.
What can be much more helpful are the items that give your baby the same bedtime cues that they get at home, since a new room is already a big change.
Here are the top essentials you should include in your sleep kit:
- Two sets of the exact sleepwear your baby wears every night at home, in case of a midnight leak
- A small portable white noise machine
- The cover you might use to darken the stroller for naps
- A familiar crib sheet that smells like home that you can put on a travel or hotel crib
When you have your sleep kit assembled, you can add the rest of your baby’s wardrobe. Plan for two outfits per day of travel, and a spare top for yourself in case of leaks or an accident.
Keep the Swaddle Exactly the Same
If your baby is still swaddled for every sleep, you might be tempted to leave your zip-up swaddles at home and just make do with a blanket.
Resist that temptation. A baby who is used to a particular swaddle is familiar with the snugness, the zip, and the position of their arms.
Switching to a hand-wrapped blanket in an unfamiliar room means introducing two changes at once.
Instead, bring the same baby swaddle you use at home. It can become one of the clearest signals to your baby that it’s time to sleep, no matter where you are.
When your baby recognizes that familiar feeling, settling down in a hotel room can be much easier.
If your baby is young enough that you’re still trying to find the best way to swaddle them, it can be worth considering trying a different type of swaddle for their sleep routine.
Newborns have a startle reflex, known as the Moro reflex, that causes them to fling up their arms, sometimes waking them.
Swaddling helps prevent this, but some babies prefer having their hands down and snug, while others are noticeably calmer with their arms up near their faces, which is how many babies naturally sleep.
Some brands, like Love to Dream, have swaddles designed for that arms-up position. So, if your baby seems resistant to traditional swaddles, that design may solve the problem.
Whichever one your baby prefers, if you’ve already found the perfect swaddle for your little one, make sure that’s the one you’re packing for your trip.
Finally, if your baby is old enough that they’re showing signs of rolling over, it’s time to switch from swaddling to a safer sleep option, so pack for that instead.
Packing For the Stage After the Swaddle
Once little ones get to be about five months old, their sleep routine tends to be quite different.
You may notice that when your baby outgrows the swaddle, their sleep routine becomes more unpredictable again, which can make sleeping while traveling especially challenging.
At this stage, many parents find that a sleep sack is helpful for getting their baby resting well again.
The key is to make the switch well before your trip. That way, it’s already familiar by the time you start packing.
Because a sleep sack is essentially a wearable blanket, it also removes any worries you might have about hotel bedding.
You won’t need to check to see if loose blankets have become a hazard, or worry about your baby getting a chill if the room is cool.
Instead, you can just check the room temperature, choose the right sleep sack weight, and zip your little one up.
If you’re buying a sleep sack for your trip, check its TOG rating to see how warm the fabric is when you do.
Lighter weights are designed for warmer rooms, while heavier ones are better for cooler temperatures.
Try To Recreate Your Nursery
You can’t control the setup of a hotel room, of course, but you can make it feel more familiar to help your baby settle.
Once you arrive, spend about ten minutes getting the sleep space ready:
- Set up the travel crib in the darkest, quietest corner, away from the window and air vent.
- Turn on the white noise before doing anything else, so the room sounds more like home.
- Check the thermostat and adjust it to match your nursery’s usual temperature.
- Cover any blinking lights that might distract your baby, such as the ones on the TV or other electronics.
While worrying about those small lights might seem a little fussy, the blinking can be surprisingly distracting for an infant that’s not used to having them in their sleep space.
The Thing You May Need To Buy On Arrival
Even with plenty of planning, it’s easy to forget a small but important item, especially if it’s not something you already own.
A good example of that is a nightlight that keeps the room dim, but give you enough light for nighttime feeds.
Since you likely already have soft lighting or dimmable bulbs in your little one’s nursery, it can be easy to forget that won’t be available in a hotel room.
And, the bright light of your phone flashlight is no substitute, since the glare can be enough to wake up everyone in the room, including your baby.
A cheap plug-in nightlight from a pharmacy near your hotel can solve the problem.
If you find a compact one that works well, tuck it in the bottom of your diaper bag permanently, so that you don’t have to worry about it again.
It’s never going to be possible to travel with a young baby and stick perfectly to their sleep routine.
Instead, maintain the two or three things that tell your baby it is time to sleep, and let everything else go.
On my own vacations, nap time was something that varied much more than at home, and bedtime moved by an hour to adjust for a different time zone.
Despite the changes, my little ones did just fine in a new and different environment.
By keeping the things they were used to, including the dark room, the white noise, and the sleepwear, they were able to settle down and get the rest they needed with minimal fuss.
Keep those essential sleep cues consistent, and you should come home with a baby that sleeps just as soundly as when you left home.
