Tips for Baby to Sleep on the go or in New Environments

If you’re a new or even an experienced parent, I think we can all agree one thing is pretty daunting: and that’s getting baby to sleep on the go or in a new environment!

If you don’t know me, hi! My name is Kara, I’m a mother-baby registered nurse and mom to 3. I go by @karathebabynurse on TikTok and Instagram and have a passion for educating parents and teaching them to advocate for themselves. I am the author to a book about all the things I wish I knew before becoming a parent (“Why Didn’t I Learn All This Parent Stuff Sooner?”), as well as a baby sleep course (“ Why Didn’t I Learn This Sleep Stuff Sooner?”).

In this article, I’m going to share some tips and tricks for getting baby to sleep on the go, on a vacation/trip, or in a new location!

First, let’s talk about car rides! We’ve done several long car rides with our kids (the longest being 15 hours in one day). The AAP recommends stopping at least every 2 hours to unbuckle your child (good for their circulation/muscles, etc).

If driving with small kids or infants, a portable sound machine on white noise is a great tool to drown out noise and hopefully be a mental trigger to your child when it’s time to sleep. You might think about getting some window shades to reduce light in the car as well.

When we stop, we change diapers, nurse or bottle feed the baby, snacks for bigger kids, and get a few steps in. Don’t assume your child will nap at the same time on the road that they do at home. A lot of times I just go with the flow: if they are acting tired at noon and normally don’t sleep til 2 pm, I go ahead and flip the sound machine on and let them sleep then in the car at noon. When traveling–since it can be more unpredictable–I work around when they show sleep cues more than worry about specific times. I go into detail on sleep cues, wake windows, and managing a routine in my baby sleep course.

For traveling on a plane: you can look into bringing your car seat as an option. Another thing that we really found helpful was a baby wrap or carrier. You can’t wear baby for take off or landing but can during the flight, and a lot of babies sleep really well on planes due to the natural white noise of the engine. Biggest tip I have for older kids is lots of snacks! Most toddlers or school age kids are going to be entertained by the plane/take off/landing. Our favorite thing we brought to entertain our older kids was a busy book and stickers!

Before you arrive to your destination, be aware of where you’re going to put the baby and/or older kids. We’ve gotten creative with space and had a portable bassinet for baby in the walk in closet! Think about if you want to bring your own travel pack and play or bassinet or look into if where you’re staying offers one or if a local company rents them.

Think about safety things such as door knob protectors, door monkeys, or outlet covers you might want since you’ll be in a new environment that’s not necessarily baby proof.

Again, try to make the sleep set up as similar to what your baby is used to as possible. One tip is black trash bags and painters tape to put over windows if the room is super bright. Again, a sound machine, or even little things like a book if your child is used to getting one at bedtime can be a big help for getting them down smoothly.

If there is somewhere you go to frequently (let’s say grandparents house), it might be worth the investment to get products that you keep there all the time so you don’t have to travel with them. A lot of times you can find a great Pack and Play for super cheap on Facebook Marketplace or a garage sale. If you travel somewhere often, it’s one less physical and mental item you have to account for!

All in all, ultimately don’t stress about your child not sleeping as well on a trip or vacation. If you’ve laid a good foundation of sleep at home, then more than likely they are going to settle right back into their normal sleep and routine when you get back to their regular environment. Don’t stress about the little things or missed naps. It takes typically 3-5 days to settle into a new routine–and coming back from a trip might take a couple days to get back into your regularly scheduled programming.

What works for me honestly is setting my sleep expectations low when we are in a new environment. That way, if I’m pleasantly surprised by better sleep than I anticipated, it’s a win-win.

I wish you the best of luck with any travels with baby! You CAN do it, you WILL make it, I promise!