‘Tis the season for gatherings with loved ones, holiday parties and making memories with your family! It’s a magical time of year, and many of us have traditions we look forward to sharing with our little ones this year. As much as you’re looking forward to the season, you may wonder how to navigate naps during the holidays. You may be feeling a bit anxious about being out and about during nap time. Whether it’s your baby’s first Christmas or you’re navigating nap time during the holidays for the second or third year, I have you covered with practical tips to get you through nap time, AND that will allow you to take in (and enjoy) all the festivities this season.
Tip #1: Realistic expectations
First and foremost, it is so important to have realistic expectations for naps during the holidays. Whether you have just a few events to go to, travelling across the country to stay for the holidays, or anywhere in between, your baby’s typical rhythm will be disrupted. And that’s OK (repeat that with me.) Is every nap going to go as planned? Probably not. Will bedtime be later than usual? It could be, or it could be earlier to make up for out-of-routine naps. Will baby become overstimulated, overtired and have a harder time falling (and staying) asleep? It is quite possible.
There really is no way to guarantee that these things won’t happen, but if you’re feeling stressed, your baby is going to pick up on your energy which will more often than not lead to more disrupted sleep.
The important thing to remember is that a bit of disrupted sleep and routine over the holidays is not the end of the world. Your baby will fall back into routine shortly after the season is over. Stressing about these things is only going to rob your joy. Setting yourself up mentally for success but accepting and expecting that some sleep disruption is going to happen will help you relax and enjoy the season a whole lot more.
As I’ll share in tips 2-7, there are many ways you can support naps during the holidays so that the disruption that is likely to happen is minimized as much as possible.
Tip #2: Naps in the carrier
If you’ve read my blog on why I love contact napping, it is probably no surprise that a carrier nap is my favourite way to manage naps during the holidays. If you have a baby who is a regular contact napper like my daughter O, this will probably be your best bet to get a decent nap while you’re out and about this holiday season.
Click here to read Why I Love Contact Naps
Carrier (or wrap or ring sling) naps are so soothing to many babies. Motion is very calming for lots of babies. Babies also attach through their senses in the first year, meaning unless they can hear, see, smell or touch their primary attachment figure they are alarmed, which makes the carrier a perfect recipe for naps. Being hugged snuggly against mom’s body, breathing in her scents and hearing her heartbeat and voice will help baby feel at ease enough to fall asleep.
For those that nurse to sleep, you can nurse while baby is in the wrap or carrier with certain brands, then adjust the baby into the proper position once the baby is asleep. I used this Beluga Baby Wrap last Christmas and could nurse O to sleep and reposition quite easily. As always, ensure you follow TICKS for safe sleep when baby wearing: Tight, In view at all times, Close enough to kiss, Keep chin off chest, and Supporter back.
Tip #3: Recreate sleep space as close as possible
If you’re travelling for the holidays or going to be at someone’s house overnight, you will need to set up a sleep space for nighttime. In this case, you may want to consider using this sleep space for naps as well. For safety, it is recommended that you use the same sleeping arrangement as you do at home ( see Safe Infant Sleep by Professor James McKenna for more details.) If you bedshare, it is not recommended to put the infant on a separate sleeping surface, such as a pack-and-play, bassinet or crib, unless bedsharing cannot be done safely in this new environment (click here for safe bedsharing guidelines).
Similarly, if you do not routinely bedshare at home, it is not recommended to do so while travelling. If your baby sleeps in a crib or bassinet at home, then you will want to ensure your baby sleeps on their own surface when away.
If you are already setting up a separate sleep surface, this is an excellent choice for a nap if your little one is used to napping independently. To ease the transition to a new space during naps and at night, try to set the sleep space up as close to their sleep space at home as possible. Bring unwashed sheets and sleep sacks that smell like home. If the baby has a noise machine or certain music, bring that along. If you use blackout curtains, perhaps consider buying a travel blackout curtain. The closer the sleep space is to what the baby is used to, the more likely it is that naps will happen as they do at home.
Considerations when travelling
Even if you set up an almost identical sleep space as home and have done practice in the sleep space before travel (see tip 5 below) naps during the holidays may still be a bit off at first since baby is in a new environment. Sleep could be significantly off if you’ve travelled or the baby is jet laggged.
Typically it takes adults about one day for every hour of time difference, although babies can adjust faster than adults. It is also easier to adjust when travelling east versus west since you lose time. Depending on how long you will be gone for and how many time zones you are crossing you may want to keep baby on their same schedule. If you’re away for more than a week or crossing more than three time zones it may make sense to move baby’s schedule. Be patient as you make this change, and know that baby will adjust soon enough. And consider adding in a few of these other tips to get naps in if baby is struggling to nap in their own space.
Tip #4: Naps on the go
Another great option is car naps (or stroller naps of your walking to an event in your neighbourhood). Some babies don’t like the car, or sleeping in the car is hit or miss, so this may be more stress than it’s worth. But if your little one easily falls asleep in the car, this might be your best bet, assuming the timing of events works out reasonably well. You can plan for a car nap on our way to or from gatherings (or between gatherings if you have more than one on the same day.)
If your baby is a bit older or doesn’t thrive on short naps, plan to take a bit of a longer route or plan what to do when you arrive at the event, and the baby is still sleeping. Remember, it is never safe for a baby to sleep in the car seat once it is no longer clicked into the base. If you have a stroller compatible with your car seat, consider bringing that along to safely transfer the baby from the car once you arrive. If you don’t have this option you’ll unfortunately need to wake baby when you take the car seat out of the car. You can try to “recuse the nap” if you want by using contact, nursing or any other sleep association. But if this doesn’t work (or you don’t want to miss out on visiting) remember that naps are simply used to take the sleep pressure off, accept the short nap, move on and have fun.
Also, it is unsafe for babies to sleep in their car seats for more than two hours, so be sure to wake them up if they’ve been sleeping that long. Plan for breaks along route if you’re driving for more than two hours to give baby car seat breaks. For all things car seat safety, including safe car seat sleep, I love the Instagram account @safeintheseat.
Tip #5: Plan in advance
Whether you plan to use contact or carrier naps, will be setting up a separate sleep space or are going to aim for naps in the car highly recommend practicing them a few times before the holidays. Especially if these aren’t ways your baby regularly naps. Practicing ahead of time will increase the likelihood that baby will nap in this new way when you’re visiting over the holidays. If you’re bringing a pack-and-play from home that baby will be sleeping in overnight, it may be helpful to practice a few nights in the pack-and-play before you leave.
I also recommend layering in some new sleep associations that you can easily implement no matter where your baby naps. Singing or playing a specific song is a great sleep association, as you can incorporate it into various sleep arrangements. You can easily put on music whether your baby is napping n a carrier, in the car or stroller, or if you’re helping baby fall asleep in a pack and play. Portable white noise machines are another great tool. Feel free to try shushing, bum patting, swaying, or anything else that is easy to implement anywhere. The whole idea is you want something familiar to baby when they are attempting to fall asleep in an unfamiliar environment.
Tip #6: Plan an escape
And I don’t mean a mad dash out of a party because baby isn’t sleeping (remember, you can do everything “right,”’ and naps may not go according to plan). By “plan an escape,” I mean plan what to do if you notice your baby becoming overstimulated. Babies take in everything. The world is new, and they’re wired to soak it all up and learn. Holiday events are a recipe for overstimulation for a baby with new faces, Christmas lights, and lots of sounds and smells. For some babies, this is not a big deal. For others, especially highly sensitive little ones, it is sensory overload.
You know your baby best, and if you think there is a chance they may be overwhelmed, plan an escape where the two of you can retreat for some downtime. It doesn’t have to be long, but a short break for a quiet feeding or diaper change in a calm environment can go a long way. Even a quick walk in the fresh air can be a great reset. Follow your baby’s cues, and give them as much quiet and connection with you as they need. If they’ve been passed from relative to relative all evening, a few minutes alone with mom may be exactly what they need to feel safe enough to fall asleep.
Tip #7: Host an event at your home
My last tip is for those of you who, after reading all this, still feel anxious about taking a baby out over the holidays, or for those mamas with newborns and going out feels daunting. If you host an event at your home, baby will be in their environment, which may be easier to get in naps during the holidays.
This is also an excellent tip for those with many events spread over a few days. My husband and I live close to both of our families, which is great, but it also means that we juggle multiple visits around the holidays. Last year we did a lot of visiting and gift delivery on December 23rd and knew all of O’s naps were going to be in a carrier or the car on Christmas Day, so we chose to host our family on Christmas Eve to avoid napping on the go three days in a row. This was a great compromise to seeing our families as we always do on Christmas Eve, but it also gave O a day in her own home for some normalcy. A variation of this schedule might be exactly what helps you feel at ease.
Remember, this season comes once a year, and it is so much fun seeing loved ones. As a parent, one of my greatest joys is seeing the season’s magic through my daughter’s eyes. Please don’t let stressing over naps during the holidays steal any of this magic from you. Focus on what you can control and make as many memories with your baby as possible!
