Travelling with a Baby This Holiday Season?
Here’s How to Keep Sleep on Track with some Top Tips From Our Expert Sleep Consultant Carlene from Sweet Dreamers Sleep Consulting
The holidays are a magical time, filled with family gatherings, travel adventures, and plenty of excitement. But for parents of babies and toddlers, they can also bring a little (or a lot) of disruption to sleep routines.
As a baby and toddler sleep consultant, I know how important consistent, quality sleep is not just for your little one’s wellbeing, but for the whole family’s sanity too! Whether you’re travelling interstate, flying overseas, simply spending nights away from home, or out for Christmas lunch across just one nap, here are my top tips to help your baby sleep soundly during travel and while settling into new environments.
Plan Travel Around Your Child’s Sleep Routine
Whenever possible, try to plan your travel around your baby’s natural rhythm.
For daytime travel:
If you’re driving, aim to leave just before a nap time. The motion of the car often helps babies drift off to sleep easily. For flights, try to board with enough time to feed or settle your little one before take-off, as the hum of the plane can mimic white noise and help with sleep.
For longer journeys:
Overnight flights or drives can work well if your baby is a strong sleeper in motion. Just be prepared with comfort items and familiar sleep cues to make the transition as smooth as possible.
Bring Familiar Sleep Cues from Home
Babies and toddlers sleep best when surrounded by familiar scents, sounds, and textures. Recreating elements of their normal sleep environment helps them feel safe and calm, no matter where you are.
✅ Pack these essentials:
- Their usual sleep sack or blanket
- A favourite comforter
- Familiar pyjamas (unwashed so they smell like home!)
- A portable white noise machine – I love the Oricom Portable White Noise Machine, which is lightweight, rechargeable, and ideal for travel. It helps block out unfamiliar background noise in hotels, planes, or holiday homes and if you already use white noise at home, it can help to replicate their usual environment making them feel more at ease.
Help Babies Sleep Safely While Travelling
Whether you’re on a plane, in the car, or at a relative’s home, sleep safety should always come first.
In the car: Never leave your baby unattended in their car seat once you’ve reached your destination.
In the pram: When out and about during naps, use the Baby Sleep Pod. It’s made from 100% breathable mesh, blocks 97% of light, and 97.5% of UV rays. It’s the perfect on-the-go sleep aid for holidays and family events, helping your baby nap safely while staying protected from the sun.
Available at babysleeppods.com.au
Maintain Safe Sleep and Peace of Mind
When you’re sleeping in a new environment, it’s normal to feel a bit anxious about your baby’s safety, especially when you can’t check on them as easily.
This is where Oricom’s trusted range of baby products really shine:
- Oricom Babysense7 Breathing Movement Monitor – provides peace of mind by monitoring your baby’s breathing movements, alerting you if no movement is detected for more than 20 seconds.
- Oricom Baby Monitors – lightweight, portable, and perfect for travel. Keep an eye on your little one from another room, whether you’re enjoying dinner with family or relaxing after bedtime.
- Oricom Portable White Noise Machine – creates consistent sound for comfort and better sleep anywhere.
All of these are excellent-quality, compact and travel-friendly, helping you create a familiar, safe sleep space wherever your adventures take you.
Adjusting to a New Environment
Once you arrive, aim to set up your child’s sleep space right away.
- Try to recreate their sleep setup from home as closely as possible (same cot sheet, same sleeping bag, same white noise, dark environment etc.)
- Keep bedtime routines familiar - bath, bottle or feed, story, cuddles, then bed.
- Use your Oricom white noise machine for consistent sound cues, and rely on your Babysense7 monitor and baby monitor for safety and reassurance.
- Dim the room using blackout blinds if possible, or improvise with a black garbage bags taped to the glass. This is both very cheap and effective.
- If your child seems unsettled, give them a bit of extra comfort and reassurance. A few nights of consistency is usually all it takes for them to adjust.
Keep Sleep Expectations Realistic
Holidays are full of stimulation, new faces, late nights, and exciting adventures. It’s okay if sleep isn’t perfect. The goal is to keep things as consistent as possible and return to your normal routine once you’re home.
By travelling smart, preparing with the right tools, and maintaining gentle routines, you can enjoy the season without too many sleep disruptions.
Written By: Carlene Rotblat from Sweet Dreamers Sleep Consulting
Carlene is a Certified Gentle Baby and Toddler Sleep Consultant, AHPRA registered Nurse and mum with over 12 years experience in the field. As a gentle sleep consultant, Carlene focuses on responsive and holistic approaches to sleep without the use of controlled crying or cry it out. She provides consultations and personalised sleep plans to families all across Australia and can assist children from 0-6 years of age. Carlene also developed Baby Sleep Pods, a universal pram cover designed to support sleep on the go and lifestyle flexibility.
Carlene hopes to help as many families as she can, get the sleep they need, in a gentle way that fosters children’s’ needs for support and reassurance, whilst helping them to feel happy and confident to have better quality, independent sleep.
You can find Sweet Dreamers Sleep Consulting at https://www.sweetdreamers.com.au or on Instagram @sweetdreamerssleepconsulting.
If you wish to purchase your own Baby Sleep Pod you can find them at www.babysleeppods.com.au and use the code ORICOM15 for 15% off your order, FREE Standard Shipping Australia wide and FREE Gift
