How to Keep Baby's Sleep Schedule During the Holidays
As cute as seasonal jammies may be, the holidays can totally throw your baby’s sleep schedule out of whack.
With school on break, unpredictable food schedules, visits with family and friends (whether in-person or over Zoom), and new toys and treats, it can be tempting to take a holiday from your child’s sleep schedule—at least until the New Year’s confetti settles. But unless you want to be dealing with a tiny Grinch for the rest of the season, it’s important to keep your baby’s sleep schedule amidst the hustle and bustle of the holidays.
Here are 10 tips to help you maintain all the healthy sleep habits you’ve been working so hard to build and enjoy a little holiday hoopla too.
#1: Be realistic with your plans.
There are going to be times when you’re stuck in traffic, or the line at the grocery store takes way longer than expected, or the quick visit with a friend turns into an hours-long chat—don’t beat yourself up over it.
As much as I encourage you to stick with your little’s nap and sleep schedule, it’s not always going to be possible. But if you know something isn’t going to work—like dinner with your in-laws not starting until 7 p.m. or a full day of away-from-home activities—figure out a Plan B.
This might mean hiring a babysitter (which may be a challenge during the holidays… and in the middle of a pandemic) or asking your family to shift their schedule to be more family-friendly. Just don’t rely on hoping for the best; the holiday season is full of magic, but it won’t make your little magically fall asleep when you want them to.
#2: Follow the 80/20 rule.
Here’s an add-on to the first tip. Part of being realistic is knowing that things won’t always work out how you plan, so if you can adopt the 80/20 rule, you’ll be able to pretty much stick to your little’s sleep schedule while leaving wiggle room for those unplanned, missed-nap moments. (The 80/20 rule means sticking to your baby’s routine 80 percent of the time, and then being okay with things going awry 20 percent of the time.) This might mean letting a nap slide for special occasions, or making sure your little gets their first nap of the day in if you’re not sure they’ll get a restful second nap.
#3: Find consistency where you can—especially during feeding and bedtime.
Following the 80/20 rule means looking for consistency 80 percent of the time. Consistency can come in a lot of different ways. For example, making sure baby’s first nap is always at the same time; or bringing along the bedsheets and noise machine to maintain a consistent sleep environment; or keeping the same bedtime routine even if you’re away from home for the night. But if you can keep your little’s rhythm of feed and sleep consistent (and that’s ALL you manage to do during the holidays), then you’ve done a great job!
#4: Maintain a dark, quiet sleep environment.
If you’re staying with family over the holidays or if they’re staying with you, baby may end up displaced and sharing a room with you. That’s fine...as long as you maintain the same sleep environment they’re used to. (Again, consistency is key!)
If necessary, bring a pack n play or hang a sheet from the ceiling to create a makeshift partition to give your little their own space; you don’t want to risk them putting up a fight when they have to sleep in their own beds after the holiday season once they’ve gotten used to sleeping with you for a couple nights.
Trust me, you can create a great nap/bedtime environment anywhere! Just make sure the space is filled with familiar sleep cues, like a sound machine, darkness, (these travel blackout shades are amazing), and a lovey. (And if you need proof that setting up a sleep environment can be done anywhere, check out this video.)
#5: Travel during your little’s nap times.
Plan your travel to coincide with your baby’s regular nap times. That means doing your best to schedule flights while your baby should be napping or hitting the road during that time if you’re traveling by car. If your little is still taking multiple naps, try to plan for the first nap to be at home—to ensure at least one high-quality nap before the traveling and frenzy ensues.
By the way, if you want more traveling-with-baby tips, especially for now, when traveling during a pandemic—read this post.
#6: Take advantage of on-the-go naps.
If your baby naps a few times a day, it may not be realistic to have all those naps take place at home. Instead, you’ll probably need to have some naps on-the-go—in the stroller, baby carrier, car, or even plane. It’s okay to bend the napping rules a bit during the holiday season, especially if that means your little is actually getting those naps in.
#7: Enlist the help of your family and loved ones.
More than likely, your family and friends will be so excited to cuddle and take selfies with your little, and it can be tempting to let them, but if you do, you’ll be the one dealing with a cranky little when everyone else has gone. Let your loved ones know in advance what time you expect your baby to nap, and remind them of what may happen if your little doesn’t get it. You may even want to create a little ‘Shh! Baby Sleeping’ sign to put on their door while they nap. If you get everyone on board and willing to help, it’ll make nap times so much smoother.
#8: Make time for down time.
Holidays can be a blast, but the twinkling lights, hugs from family, and nonstop Christmas music all adds up to a lot of stimulation for your little—which doesn’t make settling down for sleep any easier. To ease the transition, set up a down-time buffer before you start your normal bedtime routine.
Here’s a tip for toddlers: Even if your little isn’t taking daytime naps anymore, they can still benefit from down time during the day! The chaos and excitement (and sugary treats) of the holidays can leave kids with adrenaline and sugar highs...and a big crash at the end of the day. Find some time to retreat to a room and read for a little bit or go on a nice, quiet walk to give them time to wind down and re-balance.
#9: Don’t fall back into old patterns (or create new bad habits)!
You might be tempted to give your baby their pacifier (even though it took months to get them to give it up) or rock them to sleep if they’re crying instead of sleeping, but resist the urge! Baby is going to get used to those sleep cues really, really quickly—and that could last way beyond the holidays.
If you do fall back into old habits, like nursing or rocking your little to sleep, you might have to spend a few nights re-sleep training them once things calm down. (But don’t worry...if you’ve built a healthy sleep routine already, it shouldn’t be too difficult to get things back on track.)
#10: Reverse the damage.
Once the holidays are over and things have settled down, start thinking about getting back to your little’s normal sleep routine. If bedtime has shifted to later, gradually start putting them to bed slightly earlier, by 15 minutes a night, until things are back to normal. And if you need help getting things back to normal, you can schedule a free 15-minute sleep conversation here.
The holidays are all about joy and spending time with your loved ones, so don’t stress too much about your little’s sleep schedule. Do your best to keep things consistent and try to help them get the best, most restful sleep possible—other than that, enjoy the season! (And tag me in or send me all those cute holiday PJ photos, @healthylittlesleepers!)