It’s summer here and for many families summer means vacation! Whether you’re off to a tropical resort, to a cabin in the woods, or road tripping to your in laws, vacation offers you the chance to escape your real life and spend a few days or weeks relaxing.
Unless you are traveling with a child that has anxiety when it comes to sleeping in unfamiliar environments. If that’s the case vacations probably don’t feel the most “relaxing” to you. As a mom who has had many vacations that were a million times more stressful than just staying at home, I can honestly say it does not have to be that way!
So here are some simple ways to make bedtime as painless as possible for your family while traveling. Put these 5 tips into practice the next time you’re traveling with your child, and make bedtime more peaceful for everyone.
How to Help Your Child Sleep Peacefully When Traveling:
1. Stick to the Schedule as Much as Possible
When vacationing everything is new and exciting…and crazy hectic. In wake of the whole kick back and relax mentality schedules get jumbled. Who doesn’t want to sleep in and catch a late brunch?
However, this can cause some stress on your little one as not only are they in a new environment, they also are up in the air about what is happening when. For kids routines are comfortable. So, if you are unable to stick to your child’s daily schedule make sure you are communicating with your kiddo to let them know what is happening when.
If you have a child that is highly-adaptable, congrats! Enjoy! The rest of us are just tad jealous… 😉
2. Build Excitement!
So you don’t want to build excitement to the point that your kids are bouncing off the walls…but that doesn’t mean that you cannot make a hotel stay fun! Pack books from your local library on vacations (or load up your tablet with free eBooks). Plan a movie night. Pack a pop-up tent. Bring swimsuits and burn off some energy at the pool, or pack up a spa kit and have fun pampering yourself and your kids. Model a fun and relaxing time and your kids will follow cue.
3. Lay The Groundwork Before You Leave:
Ideally when staying in a hotel room with kids you are going to want to get a room with two beds, but that is not always an option. If you are going to be using an air-mattress, cot, floor pad, or travel crib, introduce these to your child before you expect them to sleep in it. Blow up your air mattress and have a family movie night or pop-up the travel crib in your room for nap times…whatever it takes to help your child get acquainted in a non-threatening manner.
4. Make it Feel Like Home:
Bring comforts from home such as pillows, lovies, and blankets that smell familiar. A favorite lullaby CD, sound machine, or even favorite bedtime book.
Also when choosing which hotel to stay at, pick a chain that is family friendly. Personally we are loyal to the IHG® global company because their chains have always done an awesome job at being sensory friendly while maintaining the comforts of home. As an added bonus with every stay we earn FREE nights for a future stay! Plus for a limited time points double!
The IHG® global company has 9 hotel brands and over 4,800 hotels, and all these hotels give you access to the IHG® Rewards Club.
This FREE Program provides more options and more places to use points and more opportunities through the IHG Rewards Share Forever Summer Promotion shareforever.ihg.com. Members can earn points for their stay as well as share additional points with those that matter most!
Here is how it works:
- Earn 500 Points for your next IHG hotel stay from May 1, 2015 – September 2, 2015
- Earn another 500 points for that same hotel stay to share with another member! (Or keep the points for yourself!)
- Earn from 68,500 to 115,500 “Share Forever” bonus points plus a maximum 58,500 bonus points to share, or keep.
IHG® Rewards Club members have NO blackout dates, can redeem FREE Nights with as little as 10,000 points – up to 50,000, and members can combine points with cash at any of our hotels and resorts. Plus, points can also be used towards travel and merchandise.
As a member you will receive FREE Internet, Extended Check-Out Options, a Free Weekday Newspaper, and more! In addition, members can earn points through qualified partners for everyday activities like renting a car, buying flowers, shopping and dining.
To sign up for FREE, visit Register Now . The process is easy, simply enter a few details. You will then start earning additional points once book your next stay.
5. Give Yourself a Pep Talk!
Even if you take every single precaution you can, there’s still a good chance that your child just isn’t going to sleep as well on the road as he does at home. Such is the reality of vacationing with a child! So be prepared to be flexible, and to make the best of whatever comes. Your attitude is what will set the tone!
And don’t forget to pamper yourself!
Giveaway Time!
For more information this program, visit shareforever.ihg.com. You can also check out IHG® Rewards Club on Twitter at @ihgrewardsclub and Instagram at @ihgrewardsclub.
Disclosure: Parenting Chaos receives products in order to conduct reviews. No monetary compensation was provided unless noted otherwise. All opinions are 100% my own. Some posts may contain affiliate links that I receive commission for payment from in exchange for referrals. In the event of a giveaway, the sponsor is responsible for delivery of the prize, unless otherwise noted in the posting. Giveaways are not sponsored by Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+ or any other social media site. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I personally believe will be a good fit for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”