Managing Your Child’s Sleep Schedule During Holiday Family Gatherings

The holiday seasons are times for family, friends, and festive celebrations, but it can also be a challenging period for you, as a parent, to maintain your child's sleep schedule amidst the hustle and bustle. If you have infants and toddlers, the task becomes even more nuanced, as different age groups have varying sleep needs. In this guide, we'll explore tips and strategies to help you manage and maintain your child's sleep schedule during holiday family gatherings.

Infants: Navigating Multiple Naps

Infants, especially those under the age of one, often require multiple naps throughout the day. Balancing these naps during holiday gatherings can be a delicate task, but it's essential to prevent overtiredness. Here are some tips if you have an infant on more than one nap a day:

1) Plan Around Nap Times:
Try to plan family activities around your infant's nap schedule. If your little one usually naps in the morning and afternoon, schedule gatherings during the gaps between these nap times.

2) Create a Portable Sleep Space:
Bring a portable sleep solution like a pack and play, bassinet or travel crib. This provides a familiar and secure sleep environment for your baby, promoting better sleep during holiday gatherings. It also ensures you are practicing safe sleep while away from home.

3) Pack Essentials:
Don't forget to bring your baby's favorite sleep items, such as a comfortable sleep sack, pacifiers, and any other safe sleep props you use at home. Familiarity can ease the transition to a new sleep space.

4) Consistent Naptime Routine:

Maintain consistency with your infant's naptime routine, even when away from home. If your routine includes winding down with a story, singing a lullaby, or using a particular sleep aid, replicate these steps during holiday naps to create a sense of familiarity.

5) Flexibility in Nap Timing:

Understand that holiday gatherings may not always align perfectly with your child's nap schedule. Be flexible in adjusting nap times if necessary. If you need to wake your infant a bit early from one nap, consider adjusting the next nap's timing accordingly or allowing them to sleep a bit longer during the next nap. You can also use this to your advantage, as if you infant is still on breastmilk or formula and won’t be eating the holiday meal, you can wake them from one nap 30 minutes early so that you can put them down 30 minutes for their next nap, having them nap through the family holiday meal. This will give you the opportunity to enjoy your meal with your family without passing around the baby.

If your family dinner falls during your baby’s bedtime, set up your safe sleep space (pack and play, sleep sack) and have those black out curtains and white noise machine. Do your usual bedtime routine (put on their jammies), put your baby to bed for the night and enjoy your family gathering. When it is time to go home, transfer them gently to the car seat and head home and place them in their crib as soon as you arrive home.

Toddlers: Navigating One Nap

As toddlers transition to taking only one nap a day, managing their sleep during holiday gatherings becomes a bit more straightforward, but it still requires careful planning. Here are some tips for parents of toddlers:


1) Schedule Around Nap Time:

If your toddler has a consistent nap time, plan holiday activities around that schedule. Aim for gatherings during times when your child is well-rested and less likely to become overtired.

2) Create a Comfortable Sleep Space:

Bring a pack and play or a comfortable mat for your toddler to nap on. Familiar items like a favorite blanket or stuffed animal can provide comfort in a new sleep environment. Just remember to follow safe sleep, so if you child is in a pack and play, stuffed animals and loose blankets can pose a suffocation risk so it’s best to only use those if you are using a mat.

3) Quiet Time Activities:

Engage your toddler in quiet activities before nap time to help them wind down. Reading a story or playing soothing music can signal that it's time for rest.

4) Consistent Naptime Routine:

Carry over your toddler's naptime routine when away from home. Whether it's reading a book, singing a song, or engaging in a calming activity, these familiar steps can signal to your child that it's time to unwind and prepare for a nap.

5) Flexibility in Nap Timing:

Recognize the need for flexibility in your toddler's nap schedule during holiday gatherings. If you have to wake them early or skip a nap due to festivities, consider adjusting bedtime accordingly. A slightly earlier or later bedtime can help compensate for any disruptions to the regular nap routine.

For example, if your holiday meal happens during your toddler’s one nap, allow them to sleep longer than usual in the morning, so long as they are still asleep at the time your usually would wake them. This will help them skip their afternoon nap.

If they wake earlier than usual that day or wake at their usual time, then try driving a slightly longer route to your get-together, so that they can doze off a bit in the car. This will help them get through the day without a nap. Then when you get home, do a quick bedtime routine and early bedtime. So for example, if your toddler usually goes to bed at 7pm, put them to bed at 5:30pm or 6pm. If you are wanting to have a later night with your family, then set up a space for your toddler to go to sleep at their early bedtime and put on pjs and do the quick bedtime routine before putting them to bed in this sleep space. Enjoy your evening, and when it is time to go, bring your toddler out of the pack and play, place them in their car seat, drive home and once you get home, transfer them right into their crib.

It also helps to tell your child in advance how the day will go. Explain where you are going and that they don’t have to take a nap today. Explain that instead of having a nap, you will all have fun day together and afterwards you will go home, take a quick bath (or maybe no bath) and go to bed early, or they will go to bed at so-and-so’s house and will go home with you when the visit is over.

Creating a Sleep-Conducive Environment Away from Home:

1) Travel Blackout Curtains:

Invest in portable blackout curtains to create a dark sleep space. These can be easily attached to windows, ensuring your child's sleep environment remains consistent even in unfamiliar settings.
My favourite travel blackout curtains are by Tommee Tippee.

2) White Noise Machine:

Bring a portable white noise machine to drown out unfamiliar sounds and provide a consistent auditory environment for your child. My favourite portable machine is the VTech Monkey or the HoMedics sound machines.

3) Temperature Control:

Pay attention to the room temperature. Bring layers or a sleep sack to ensure your child is comfortable, as holiday gatherings can vary in temperature. You can get a portable thermostat at a low price that will show you the actual temperature in the room your baby or toddler will be sleeping in. This will help you gauge how to dress them. My favourite is this one.

Maintaining your child's sleep schedule during holiday family gatherings requires thoughtful planning and preparation. Whether you have an infant with multiple naps or a toddler transitioning to one nap, creating a portable and familiar sleep space is key.

Remember, a big part of preventing overtiredness is knowing your child’s wake windows based on their age and you want to keep an eye on that during your gatherings. If you aren’t sure what your baby or toddler’s wake windows should be, check out my FREE Wake Window Chart. By prioritizing your child's sleep needs, incorporating consistent naptime routines, and being flexible when needed, you can ensure that everyone enjoys the holiday festivities while keeping your little one well-rested and happy.

If you are completely confused by all of this blog because your child won’t fall asleep without your help or without you holding them their whole nap, now is the time to teach the valuable life skill of independent sleep to your baby, and I am here to help. Book a FREE 15 minute discovery call today so we can chat about how I, as a baby and toddler sleep consultant, can help you on a journey to better sleep for all!

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