Helping Children Sleep Well on Holiday
Family holidays can be magical, but they can also disrupt even the most well-established sleep routines. Whether you’re heading off for a weekend in the UK, a short-haul trip to Europe, or a long-haul adventure, good sleep doesn’t need to be left behind. With a bit of planning and patience everyone can be rested to make the most of your adventure! Here are my top tips for making sleep easier on holiday.
1. Keep the Bedtime Routine
Try to keep your child’s bedtime routine consistent, even if the timing is slightly off. Bath, story, cuddles—whatever you usually do at home, do on holiday too. Bring comfort items like their favourite blanket, soft toy or white noise machine to help them adjust.
2. Recreate Their Sleep Environment
Set up your child’s sleep space to mimic home as much as possible: dark room, same sleepwear, same bedtime signals and a familiar book. Travel blackout blinds can be great for making a bright room darker.
3. Be Strategic With Travel Times
When flying short-haul, try to avoid flights that fall during nap times unless you know your little one will sleep on the plane. For long-haul trips, timing is key. If you’re landing in the evening, keep your child awake for the few hours before landing so they’re ready for bed in the new time zone. If arriving in the morning, let them sleep during the last stretch of the flight to help them stay awake through the day. This isn’t always possible with flight times, but if it is – it can be really useful. Find more tips for holidays on my blogs.
4. Managing Jet Lag
For long-haul travel, adjusting to a new time zone can take time.Daylight and food are your best friends. Once you arrive, get outside into natural daylight and serve meals in line with the new local time. Avoid lying in, even if the night was rough—consistent wake-up times will help reset your child’s body clock. In the evenings, dim the lights and start the bedtime routine early to support melatonin production.
5. Gradual Shifts Before Travel
If you’re only away for a short time, you might not need to fully adjust to the local time zone. But if you’re travelling for a longer stay, consider gradually shifting your child’s schedule by 15-30 minutes each day in the run-up to your trip to ease the transition. If you are travelling to Europe it can also be helpful to stay on UK time (especially as this can give you a later bedtime which can help with dinnertime)
6. Be Flexible, But Stay Calm
We can plan everything to the last minute, but it doesn’t always work. For example, you plan their nap and then the plane is delayed. Try not to worry too much. Focus on keeping their routine, not introducing new sleep habits and when you are back home, go straight to your normal routine.
Most importantly, have an amazing time. Holidays with kids aren’t always picture perfect, every single second, but they can make gorgeous memories and maybe (just maybe) 5 minutes of relaxing for you!
