Ah, the holidays. Loads of food, drinks, love – and sleep! Wait a minute. Is that last one true? Read on to discover our holiday sleep tips to help make it all a breeze this year!

I remember our first holiday season with our oldest daughter, Sofia. She was 6 months old, and we had just gotten her sleep under control. We were feeling like brand new human beings, well-rested, rosy-cheeked and giddy. And then it hit us – after all that we’d been through, we might mess it all up, just by going to my family’s Christmas celebration! Giddiness turned to panic.

Are you in a great place right now with your little one’s sleep, and hoping not to mess it up over the holidays? Are you in an ‘okay’ place right now with your little one’s sleep, and hoping not to make it any worse over the holidays? Wherever you’re at with sleep, these holiday sleep tips are designed to help bring you some peace of mind – and more sleep!

Holiday Sleep Tip 1: Set realistic expectations

This first holiday sleep tip is very important. Remember that sleep is about much, much more than just sleep. It’s about the entire 24-hour “day in the life of” your baby, toddler or preschooler. The quantity and quality of their sleep depends on multiple factors. Over the holidays, one of the most influential factors is stimulation. How your little one normally handles stimulation mostly depends on their temperament. 

For those of you with more flexible children, seeing lots of faces in one place – perhaps some of them new – and engaging in a lot of social activities, will have a limited impact on their sleep. For other little ones who are more sensitive to changes in their routine, participating in social activities might be really stimulating and therefore tiring. As their parents, you have to set realistic expectations ahead of time about how your holiday plans are going to affect your little ones – and as a result, how many of those events you’re going to commit to attending.

Holiday Tip 2: Think in term of trade-offs

Don’t be afraid to guard and protect bedtime like it’s sacred – because it is! As well-intentioned and helpful as your family members might be, it’s your little one’s parents (you!) that are going to have to deal with the aftermath of overextending them. Try to think in terms of trade-offs. If Grandma’s insisting that your baby joins her in yet another visit to yet another relative’s house, and naps are skipped, then the trade-off is that bedtime needs to be earlier to compensate for the lost sleep. If you’re planning to keep your toddler up late for a special event, then at least make sure they get a solidly long and restful nap that day. 

It’s unfair to ask our little ones to be overstimulated and under-rested and somehow, miraculously continue to sleep well. But, there’s another trade-off to think about here, too. Is it worth a bit of sleep disruption in order to enjoy your family’s events and let your family enjoy your little one too? Yes! Absolutely.

Sleep Tip 3: Recreate your sleep environment

If you’re traveling, you’ll want to bring along the most essential elements from your little one’s perfectly sleep-conducive environment to help them feel comfier and more relaxed at your destination. This includes their white noise machine, your toddler’s lovey(s), your baby’s well-slept-in (read: unwashed) crib sheets, your blackout blinds – whatever will help them feel, sense and smell their familiar sleep environment. Also, you’ll want to ensure a separate sleep space for them. 

Keep in mind that many hotels offer cribs to travellers, but since you can’t be sure if these cribs are modern and up to snuff in terms of sleep safety, I always advise bringing along a travel crib instead. There are many options on the market that are compact and foldable. There are also many baby equipment rental companies in major cities that will deliver a rental crib right to your door! With a little preparation and planning, your little one will feel right at home wherever you are, increasing your chances of great holiday sleep.

Holiday Sleep Tip 4: Manage time zones carefully

If you’re changing time zones during your holiday travels, your next holiday sleep tip is that you’ll want to get your little one on the new time zone the first full day you’re there. That means that if you’re arriving late in the day at your destination, you’ll continue following your “home” sleep schedule until the following day. On the following day, make sure your babe is up at their usual time and falls asleep for naps and bedtime accordingly. 

Keep in mind that the bigger the time shift, the longer it’ll take for your little one to adjust. In general, though, time differences shouldn’t cause more than a couple of days’ worth of adjusting. By the same token, if you’re making a minor time zone change for only a couple of days, it may actually be easier for all of you simply to stay on your home time zone/sleep schedule. Regardless, stay patient, stay consistent, and you’ll get through it before you know it.

Holiday Tip 5: Stick to your good habits and routines

If you haven’t already established a bedtime routine, getting one going before the holiday madness begins is a great idea. Continuing to provide your little one with their solid bedtime routine throughout the holiday season will help you get through all the potential sleep bumps – over-stimulation and otherwise – effortlessly. Little ones crave consistency. If everything else is changing around them (even if all the parties are exciting!), a consistent bedtime routine will help them thrive throughout this time. 

And, be sure to stay consistent with independent sleep if you’ve already taught them these skills. Trust me, you’ll thank yourself later when you’re not dealing with days (weeks for some little ones) of sleep disruption because you were just so tired that you caved and fell back on old habits. On the other hand, don’t be too hard on yourself if you do trip up over the holidays – just get right back on track as soon as possible.

How did these Sleep Tips play out for us?

As for our first Christmas with Sofia, she did surprisingly well with my big, loud Italian family and all of the new places where she slept. We were so relieved! What I didn’t realize at the time – and am now 100% confident about – is that little ones with solid independent sleep skills fare incredibly well with changes in their routine. It’s true that this is easier for those of you who have little ones with flexible temperaments. However, this is also true of little ones with more sensitive temperaments, as long as you take some time to recreate their good sleep habits, routines and sleep environment.

Happy holidays, everyone! Enjoy the hustle and bustle, brace yourself for a few bumps along the way, and get right back on track as soon as you’re able. Above all, make some fantastic family memories together!