Christmas Sleep Tips and Advice

Christmas is a magical time of year, especially after the past couple of years. So many people have missed out on valuable family and friends visits and time together, and as we approach the festive season, I know many parents are wondering how to manage your child's sleep schedule and still not miss out on making those valuable memories with your loved ones.

I am going to share my top Christmas Sleep Tips to try and help you strike a balance between managing your child sleep schedule while enjoying the festive season to the max.

1)    Balance is key – sick to your routine the days you are home / hosting

An easier way of striking this balance is on the days you are home or have guests visiting your home try to stick to your child's nap and bedtimes as much as possible. It can be tempting to go fully off routine at Christmas but when a little one gets overtired, this is no fun for anyone.

This will give you more flexibility on the days you won't be home and will help to avoid an accumulation of overtiredness building in.

2)    Naps – How to manage for both baby and toddlers

If you have a toddler, and a missed nap is unavoidable due to a family event/dinner clashing I recommend trying to offer some "quiet time" if possible and always compensate a missed nap with an earlier bedtime. Try and ensure there will not be two consecutive days where a nap cannot be offered to avoid overtiredness creeping in.

At the baby age, try avoiding a missed nap as they generally cannot tolerate this - bring the bassinet of your buggy/similar to where you will be visiting, and try and find a quiet dark area for baby to safely sleep in.

3)    Bring along your child’s sleepwear

If you are visiting family/friends and know you will be home close to/slightly after their usual bedtime, ensure you have dinner for your child and bring your child's sleepwear to dress them in prior to starting the journey home. Then if they do fall asleep on the journey home, you can try and transfer them to their cot/bed when home, or at the very least they are ready for bed without delay.

4)    Napping in transit

If there is a long car journey to start/finish your trip and your little one sleeps with ease in the car, leave a half hour before their nap time so that once they settle into the journey, they should fall asleep for their nap, and this will also ease any restlessness in the car.

I would also add if your little one is at the toddler stage, some fresh air and exercise or a playground visit in advance of the journey can reduce restlessness on the car journey and help with the onset of sleep.

5)    Setting up your sleep environment while away from home

Bring something familiar belonging to your little one on your trip – so if they have a comforter, teddy, or blanket for example, bring it along. I recommend bringing along their familiar sleep bag, and if you need to bring along bed linen for your trip, bring along their sheets they have slept on the previous night for that sense of familiarity and scent of home.

Don’t forget portable black out blinds to keep your little one’s sleep space dark to help the production of the sleepy hormone melatonin, otherwise bring along a trusty black refuse bag and some tape to create your own temporary blinds.

Finally, try and not stress. If you notice over-tiredness creeping in to your little one over the festive period, offer a couple of earlier bedtimes to allow them to get the extra rest they need. Remember, generally a child that goes to bed earlier does not wake any earlier when over tiredness has crept in.

Enjoy the festive period. It's been a tough couple of years for many. Striking a 80/20 balance will inevitably reduce the stress and ensure your little one doesn't get excessively over tired. Once the festive season is over, go straight back to your routine and don't allow any new sleep associations occur that you cannot sustain.

Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas,

Colette McCann

Child Sleep Consultant