So you’re staying in a hotel with your baby. Maybe it’s for a night or maybe it’s just for a week. No matter the duration, your sleep and keeping baby in their routine are extremely important. I wanted to share the tips that we have learned over the last 9 months with Oakley (keep in mind we have taken her to Hawaii, Alaska, Nashville three times, a wedding in Ohio, Ft. Lauderdale, Dallas twice, Put In Bay to fish, Indiana to visit friends, etc)- when I say we have learned some helpful tips and tricks- I mean it!

My 7 Tips

• Match Your Home

• • Just like us, babies like feeling comfort. Bringing all of their normal bedtime items from home is critical in ensuring you are setting yourself up for a successful home away from home
  • Some items we always bring with:
    • Weighted Sleep Sack
    • Pajamas
    • Sound Machine 
    • Sheet for Pack and Play
    • Travel Humidifier (most hotel rooms are extremely dry)
    • Pack and Play (if you aren’t flying)
• Use a Monitor
  • If you aren’t going to a hotel, I highly recommend bringing an easy 2 way monitor to set up (in case you use one at home that runs on WiFi). It’s never a guarantee to have good internet when you travel so we always just bring a very simple monitor 
• Time Zone Tips
  • I always plan flights around naps and bedtimes. The biggest time zone difference Oakley has been through is 5 hours to Hawaii when she was 6 months old and 4 hours when she was 9 months old. I do my absolute best to keep her on her regular schedule, so if bedtime is at 6 pm, I have her go down at 6 pm in our new time zone. It usually takes a day for her to adjust but pushing bedtimes and naps to keep everything as consistent as it is at home- the better they will adjust!
• Ask About a Fridge and Microwave
  • If we are going to a hotel, I always call ahead for at least a fridge and microwave for baby food
• Call Hotel for Crib or Pack and Play
  • Most hotels have the option to use their crib or pack and play while you are there. If you are driving and have the room, I recommend just bringing your own. Sometimes it can take some time to get it up to your room. Luckily we have never had any issues with getting a crib or pack and play when we fly but the peace of mind knowing you have it is worth packing it.
• Bathroom Baby
  • Babies sleep best in pitch black. If you are in a hotel room, keeping the hotel room black once the baby falls asleep isn’t always the easiest thing. Most hotels, if you call ahead of time, will book you in a larger room if you ask to accommodate getting the crib in the bathroom. This allows you to still work, watch TV, etc while the baby sleeps
• Consider a Suite
  • While this isn’t always an option, traveling with a baby does increase the need for additional space in a hotel room

I hope these tips help with any travel you have scheduled for you and baby! Full disclosure- I do make a small commission on the links listed above. I prefer to keep my blog ad free and support through shopping my links helps me do just that! Also, all commissions earned go directly into Oakley’s college fund!