Does the idea of your baby sleeping soundly in an unfamiliar place seem like a Christmas miracle? BabyQuip has some insider tips that will have your baby sound asleep while you relax, rest, and enjoy the festivities wherever you travel this holiday.
1) Rent a crib just like at home – Crib rentals are available in travel destinations across the country and make your baby feel safe and secure like at home.
2) Try to keep the same routine as home – If you usually do a bath and a story before bedtime, stick to that schedule.
3) Prepare similar meals and avoid new foods after dinner – The last thing you need is an upset tummy. Feed your baby meals like the ones at home and avoid new foods, or holiday sweets, before bedtime.
4) Bring unwashed sheets and some favorite dolls or stuffed animals from home – For toddlers, a favorite stuffed animal or doll feels safe and comfortable. In an unfamiliar environment, sleep comes easier on a sheet that feels and smells like home.
5) Pack a crib mobile – If your baby is usually lulled into sleep with a mobile, try to bring it along, or rent a similar one at your destination.
6) Adjust for timezone changes – Two schools of thought: One says gradually nudge your baby’s nap and bedtime closer to your destination time zone, starting the week before you travel. Another supports sticking with your home time zone for short trips.
7) Renting? Ask if they have a dark room, or room with shades for naps and earlier bedtimes – You can also bring or rent blackout shades that stick to windows.
8) Sound machine – If you don’t use already use one, start the week before you leave, especially if you’re traveling to a noisy place.
9) Never hurts to pack Tylenol or Motrin, just in case! – Disinfect your way through airports and long flights and wash hands – a lot! Bring your standard meds along too, as kids are exposed to lots of new germs when traveling. Sick little ones can have long, difficult nights (and no one will get any rest if this happens).
10) Rent a cool-mist humidifier – The air in arid or elevated destinations can be dry. A cool-mist humidifier (never use a warm mist humidifier around little ones) can help babies sleep more comfortably.
‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house, not a baby was stirring…
All of us at BabyQuip wish you silent nights and warm, cozy, fun-filled days full of rest and relaxation during your holiday travel.
Trish McDermott brings a lifetime of community, communications, and storytelling experience to BabyQuip. She is best known for her ten years running communications for Match.com, serving as Spokesperson and Vice President of Public Relations for the company. You may have seen her on Nightline or 60 Minutes, or Today, explaining the benefits of online dating, read about her in the New York Times, People Magazine, and MarketWatch, or in lively conversations with audiences at San Francisco’s Commonwealth Club, attempting to decipher the emerging culture and etiquette of online dating communities.
Having traveled solo with her four children over the years, Trish now feels eminently qualified to speak to the challenges of family travel, as well as the solutions BabyQuip and its collaborative economy of Independent Quality Providers offer. Read more about Trish’s role in launching BabyQuip in this Moneyish story.
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