Naps and travel

[weaver]

Hello,
New to this forum, delighted to have found it and hope I'm posting in the right place. I am looking for advice on how and when (or even whether?!) to travel with my baby boy. 

My baba is usually a very good sleeper and we make a big effort to ensure that he has the vast majority of his naps in his cot, in a darkened room and so on.   He's now 17 weeks and is not in the habit of sleeping in his pram or in a car seat.  I used to take him out for a walk in the afternoon in his pram with the idea that he'd do his cat-nap while we were strolling. That only worked for a short period and once he realised how many interesting things there were to look at, he stopped napping in the pram completely. So that was the end of the afternoon stroll! We don't have a car but the one weekend we took him away in a car we had a similar scenario: he dropped off in the car seat around his usual nap time but woke after 30 minutes and, of course, was fascinated by all the things there were to look at.  He reverted back to his usual naps (4 hour EASY, pretty much textbook!) with a bit of help the following week.

So my problem can be summed up like this:  all of my family live at least a two and a half hour drive away and we do not have space for visitors.  Is there a good time to travel (maybe during first naptime?)? And what if a day's travelling would be needed?  Do I just go for it and try to fix his naps on the following days? Or do I just stay at home til he's a lot older?   Is there a risk of sabotaging his night-time sleep by messing about with his naps in this manner? 

Thanks for any thoughts
Anne

[Shiv52]

If you are doing a day trip once every so often I'd be inclined to go for it.  Its important to see family and get a break too.  Obviously how often you do this will depend on how quickly he bounces back but I always found with my LO a couple of consistent days once home again was enough to get her back on track.  In the car seat you could try putting a very lightweight blanket over it so if he does wake he can't see anything and will have more chance of going back to sleep.  Same with going for walks in the buggy.  I used to cover it so DD couldn't see and she would sleep on through or else resettle herself. 

HTH xx

[weaver]

Thanks for that tip. 

He really does love being out and about and meeting peope so I'll be a bit braver

[Powerpuffgirl]

Oh please let me know how that goes for you! I've been wondering about the same thing: i'd like to get out if the house during the day, but i'm scared that might mess up DD's naps! So far we've been on the routine for only 2 weeks (she's 4 m/o), and i am getting a bit worried that i'm stuck inside the house for a good  while!
Thanks

[APBK]

I am no expert (just a Mom) but I wanted to comment that I have done a lot of travelling with my LO and the best thing that worked for me was trying to stay as consistent as possible when visiting (keeping naps the same, etc.). My LO loved to sleep in the vehicle so perhaps that helped us out. When you are back home, get straight back into your routine. You have to get out of the house and the earlier they learn to get out and about, the better I think it will be. Ensure you have your routine consistent for some time before you start your travelling as that should make things easier on you, and your LO.

[derya82]

I have a 6 months old spirited DS and I had the same problem and I remember the times I did not put my foot out of the house for weeks for the sake of better sleep. Then I realized that I have to be courageous enough to take the risk of a bad night and went to London for a few days. It went surprisingly well after I discovered some tricks. My LO is a tummy sleeper and does not sleep well in any other position and in light. I bought a new stroller which can be 180 degree flat and put a pillow then when it is time to nap outside I put him on his tummy and tied him to the stroller in that position. Then I put a blanket on top of the stroller to make it darker and I gave him his lovey. He woke up at 40 minutes mark mostly but then if I bounce him a little in 10 minutes he continued sleeping. First couple of tries he cried but slept anyway but after London I had the enough courage and I went on a vacation with him by then he was used to sleeping in the stroller and it was much easier. Night sleep was disturbed only a little bit during that time but was really not a big deal he mostly continued sleping through. When we got back home only difference was that he woke during the naps on 40 minutes mark during a few days and everything went back to normal for both of us whithout so much trouble. So take the risk and try different things to find your lo's way. Good luck