Recently, my family spent the night away.  It was a vivid reminder of some of the challenges of traveling with children, (think "trip", not "vacation") and how the change in sleep environment can make it harder for children to fall asleep and stay asleep.  

My children generally sleep in their own rooms with blackout shades on a quiet street.  Last night they shared a room AND a bed.  There was (what felt like) a half an hour of squirming and noise as they adjusted to sharing the space.  Then, to add to the adventure one wall of the room has double french doors and floor to ceiling windows... basically one wall of glass.  With no curtains or shades.  Since we are almost at Summer Solstice, this meant it took a LONG time for the room to become even dim.  All I could think about was how the bright light was inhibiting their bodies' ability to produce melatonin and causing them to be energetic and wound up instead of calm and drowsy.

Annoyed by the loud noises and desperate for them to fall asleep I resorted to staying in the room with them as they settled down and fell asleep.  Which meant that my fantasy of relaxing and reading in this beautiful home was not realized as quickly as I hoped.  

Fortunately, once my children were asleep, they stayed asleep.  They weren't awakened as early as I feared by the bright sunlight streaming into the bedroom.  They were fairly good natured early on in the morning, with crankiness only creeping in later in the day.  However, the experience brought back memories of previous traveling sleep disasters:  

• the 2 week camping trip we took with my son when he was a toddler and he cried loudly in our tent during the night, 
• the time my son was awake in the wee hours of the morning at my in-laws and would not get back to sleep so as a desperate move I took him for a drive at 5:30 a.m., 
• the group campout we went to with my daughter when she was a toddler and the night-waking that continued most of the night.  

Unfortunately, this list could go on!  So, now that I am a sleep coach, what advice do I have for families?

• Be prepared.  Bring all of your sleep accessories, such as night lights, sound screens, comfy blankets, cozy pajamas, loveys, black trash bags for windows.
• Do your best to keep the same schedule and routines as you have at home.  If you need to resort to a car or stroller nap in order to insure that your little one has some daytime shut-eye, do it.
• Help your children be comfortable in their new environment.  Perhaps they are anxious about falling asleep in a new room.  Stay by their bed as they fall asleep, but don't resort to sleep crutches you have been working hard to eliminate.
• Explain to your children that things are different because you're not at home but that when you return they will go back to their usual routine.
• If your child has a hard time with transitions, think carefully about where you want to stay.  Perhaps s/he will not do well with moving around a lot and would do better with a one week stay somewhere.
• If you are using a pack and play or other travel crib help your child become familiar with it before your trip.
• Find time to relax and have fun!