Getting Sleep Back On Track After Vacation
Summer is always a love/hate relationship for me. I LOVE the fact that there’s no schedule, no running around with carpool and pick-ups, and no waking up early. The feeling of not being rushed all day. Late nights, lazy days, and sometimes even getting to travel, is a good way to reset minds and bodies in the middle of the year. Of course, there’s always the hard part; when my kids are home and I’m trying to get any sort of work done and I keep hearing the words “I’m bored” or “I’m hungry.”
Regardless of how you’ve spent your summer days, getting back into the routine of early morning wake ups, and going to school, can sometimes be a hard adjustment for all.
But don’t worry! You can get you and your family back on track. Below are a few tips:
1. Allow some days of ‘down time’ between travel and school starting: Try scheduling your return flight a few days before school starts to acclimate being home. This is helpful if you’re coming back from a different time zone and need some time for the little ones to adjust to the new time. If you’re able to, try having your kids do some ‘down time’ days prior to school starting. A few days back at home, where there’s no travel, no late nights, and sometimes even no daily runaround can help everyone settle down.
2. Go back to your normal bedtime routines: Make sure to go back to your regular bedtime routine to help your child wind down and transition to an earlier sleep schedule. A lot of times during the summer we’re out late and skipping our regular bedtime routine. We have late night BBQ’s, or traveling through the city and hanging out with family and friends, that we want to take advantage of as much sunlight as possible. Often, kids are going to sleep much later than the norm. Bedtime routines are often skipped, and bringing back the consistent and predictable bedtime routine will help our little ones transition smoother.
3. Adjust schedules: From day one when you return from your travels, make sure to back to your child’s regular sleep schedule. Naps, wake windows, bedtimes, are all very important to adhere to, to make sure you have a smooth transition. No more late bedtimes or late wake ups. Try waking your little one up in the morning, so they don’t sleep in late anymore. Try to enforce earlier bedtimes, by slowly moving bedtime earlier. If possible, try to create a little more of a structure throughout the day, especially in the morning wake up and right before bedtime (like no late night TV and screens).
4. Restart sleep training: This one is sometimes the hardest part. You’ve had a great sleeper before traveling, and you now have a child with a sleep regression. If you’ve created new habits around sleep, that are different than what your child is used to at home, it is possible that your child will need a reminder of what they are capable of doing and what the sleep expectations are at home. For example, if you found yourself rocking your child to sleep, co-sleeping, or you’ve even introduced a new night feed, you will need to remove these new sleep crutches with sleep training. Often, for those who were great sleepers before, this shouldn’t take long.
If you’re finding it hard to get back into the swing of things, let’s talk! Don’t worry! You can always travel and enjoy your summer and get back into the school routine. I’m here to help you through that process!