We're going on a trip! Tips for your baby to sleep well 2026

It is always exciting and fun to travel with the family, but for everyone, including the baby, and our rest, it is also important to consider something else: a baby's brain does not have the filters that adults have, so all the information from the environment (noises, lights, smells, temperatures,...) impacts them in a different and more direct way.

Therefore, it is easy for young children to become overexcited in new environments and find it more difficult to fall asleep when they need it.

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Keep these tips in mind to have the best family vacation:

Family vacations are not the vacations as a couple or with friends that you used to have. It is obvious that a baby or a small child up to 5 years old cannot keep up with an adult. Thus, planning too many activities during the days of the trip can have a negative effect on the child. It is best to slow down and make sure to schedule regular naps and early bedtimes, just as you would at home. It is a mistake to believe that if a child does not take his naps during the day, he will sleep better at night. On the contrary, not respecting these daytime rest times will cause you to sleep poorly at night due to exhaustion.

It is crucial to maintain the schedules that are followed at home. A nap in the car or going to bed a little later than usual won't hurt you too much. But if the baby's naps happen everywhere and he goes to bed much later than usual for several days in a row, he will be so tired and cranky that the holidays will become hell.

If you have established routines and schedules at home, follow them as much as possible. It takes approximately three days for a baby to acquire a sleep habit and two to lose it.

Even if your baby sleeps well at home, the change of environment may negatively affect him. It's normal for babies and toddlers to test boundaries when it's bedtime in a different place.

The rules you have at home for bedtime apply to all environments. Your child will understand that a change in environment means a change in rules or even the elimination of them. He or she may cry for a while or wake up at odd hours during the night. The best way to deal with this type of behavior is to react the same way you would at home. If you are firm, in just one or two nights your child will get used to the new environment and will sleep like at home again.

When packing your suitcase, be sure to include your child's favorite stuffed animal or blanket. Having something familiar will be a great support to help you feel safe and be able to fall asleep in a strange environment.

It is a big mistake to go on vacation and share a bed or room with your child if you don't do it at home. Even if it's just for a couple of nights, if you decide that this will be your new preferred way to sleep, you could find yourself facing a big problem when you return home. It is more than advisable to always try to have the baby sleep in a separate room from the parents or older siblings, if that is the usual situation at home. If your accommodation is a hotel or a small apartment, a good solution is to ask for a crib or an extra bed and place it somewhere in the room or even in the bathroom if it is large and has ventilation.

Video: 30 quick questions about the sleep expert

Amelia Hunter is an expert in children's sleep. This Australian, based in Barcelona, ​​designs personalized plans for each family, based on methods created by psychologists and pediatricians with the aim of helping babies and children up to 8 years old acquire the ability to sleep independently and stay asleep throughout the night. The fight against her own daughter's sleep problems and against sleep deprivation inspired her to become a Sleep Consultant and help other families in the same situation.