Travelling with Babies and Young Children: Baby Sleep Consultant Tips for Naps, Night Sleep & Jet Lag
By Chloe Roche – Certified Infant & Child Sleep Consultant
Certified sleep consultant and mother of three shares proven travel tips for babies and toddlers — including naps, night sleep, and jet lag solutions — so your family can enjoy a stress-free holiday.
"Travelling with our little ones is just parenting… in a different location."
But with the right preparation, you can keep naps, mealtimes, and night sleep on track while on holiday.
What to Pack for Baby Sleep While Travelling
Creating a familiar sleep environment is key to avoiding night wakings and nap struggles.
Baby travel sleep essentials:
Travel cot (or hire one at your destination)
Cot/bassinet sheet from home with familiar scent
Swaddle or sleeping bag
Pillow (if age-appropriate) & spare pillowcase
White noise machine or portable version
Pyjamas, singlets, socks
Dummies (if used)
Comfort or attachment toy
Roll of foil or blackout blinds to darken the room
Blu Tack to cover small LED lights
💡 Pro tip: Keep these items together in a “sleep bag” so they’re easy to find after a long day of travel.
Best Time to Travel with a Baby or Toddler
Domestic travel:
Schedule the journey during your child’s longest nap or midday quiet time.
Let them burn off energy outdoors before leaving.
Overseas travel:
Book overnight flights where possible.
Reduce screen time before sleep; opt for quiet activities instead.
Board last so they can move and play until the last moment.
Baby Jet Lag & Time Zone Adjustment
Your child’s body clock is influenced by light, food, and social interaction.
When you arrive:
Morning sunlight: Get outside soon after waking.
Meals: Offer breakfast shortly after waking in the new time zone.
Naps: Limit to 3 hours for babies, 2 hours for toddlers.
If your baby wakes in the night and can’t resettle, allow quiet play before a later bedtime to help reset their rhythm.
Travel Snacks That Support Sleep
Choose snacks that stabilise blood sugar and promote steady energy:
Pureed vegetables with mince
Turkey & cheese wraps
Berries with yoghurt and muesli
Chia pudding
Ham & tomato on corn thins
Mini beef meatballs
Baked bean jaffles (wrapped to keep warm)
Dates with peanut butter
Vita-Weats with Vegemite
💡 Avoid high-sugar snacks right before naps or bedtime.
Extra Baby Sleep Tips for Travel Days
Bring your child’s comfort item (soft toy, dummies, blanket, pillow for 2+ year-olds)
Feed during take-off or before a long drive
Change to a fresh nappy before naps
Use socks in cool air-conditioned environments
After short naps, assist back to sleep if possible (rock, pat, feed)
Swaddle newborns; use pat/shush to help link sleep cycles
Setting Up the Perfect Baby Sleep Space on Holiday
Darken the room (blackout blinds or foil) to trigger melatonin
Let your child play in the space before bedtime to get familiar
Keep white noise at least 1 metre from the sleep space
Maintain as much of your home bedtime routine as possible
Baby Sleep Consultant Takeaways for Travel
Offer short naps on the go, but aim for the main midday nap at your accommodation
Stick to early bedtimes to prevent overtiredness
Keep meal times consistent
Camping with Babies and Toddlers
The same travel sleep principles apply — dark room, familiar sleep items, and consistent routines. Camping can work with babies, but it’s often easier once they’re old enough for their own tent.
FAQs: Travelling with Babies – Expert Answers
1. How do I keep my baby’s sleep routine while travelling?
Bring familiar sleep items, keep your bedtime routine consistent, and adjust nap times gradually to the new time zone.
2. What helps a baby sleep on a plane?
Book overnight flights, feed during take-off, use white noise, and bring a comfort toy.
3. How can I help my baby adjust to a new time zone?
Morning sunlight, consistent meal times, and capped naps help reset their circadian rhythm.
4. Is it okay to sleep train while travelling?
Avoid starting during travel. Offer extra support and resume once home.
5. What are the best snacks to pack for baby travel?
Choose low-GI, protein-rich snacks like wraps, yoghurt, and meatballs.
6. How long does jet lag last in babies?
Usually 3–5 days with consistent routines and light exposure.
But what if we could set our babies and young children up for success: a holiday with appropriate day naps, regular mealtimes and good quality night sleep?
Maybe this would make parenting whilst on holidays just that bit easier?
Let’s deep dive into the myriad of reasons why sleep is disrupted by travel and how to troubleshoot sleep problems that arise.
What do I pack for my little one?
A comfortable travel cot or have a hired cot arranged for your arrival
The sheet from your child’s bassinet/cot at home with its familiar smell and feel
Swaddle or sleeping bag
Pillow if your child uses one & spare pillow case
White noise machine (or purchase a small travel one)
Pjs or onesies, singlets, socks
Dummies if your child uses them
Attachment toy
Roll of tin foil or blackout blinds for travel to darken your child’s room
Blu Tack to cover any annoying lights from the air conditioner or TV etc
What time should I travel?
If you are staying in the country, try to time your drive or your book your flight to coincide with your child’s longest nap of the day and if your child doesn’t nap anymore, time it for when they have their usual quiet time (around the middle of the day).
Before the flight or prior to the drive, encourage your child to get out in the fresh air, have some time safely in the sun, expending energy and playing. This will help them relax into their flight or drive and better increase the possibility of a good nap.
For overseas flights, try to book an overnight flight! Encourage as many naps as possible to avoid overtiredness and encourage your child to have a break from screens and rest their eyes (which will hopefully lead to sleep!). Board the plane last to ensure your child can get as much stimulatory exercise as possible before entering the confines of the plane.
There are three external factors that entrain our biological rhythms and these are food, light and social interaction. When you arrive at your destination, try to get your child out in the sun as much as possible and keep them awake until you can achieve an early bedtime at your new destination. If you arrive early morning and it is still dark, encourage your child to go to sleep and set an alarm for yourself to wake them at a suitable time in the morning (at around 7am). Get them out in the sunlight first thing to set their circadian rhythm at your new destination and offer a healthy breakfast. Offer a midday nap to make up for lost sleep but don’t exceed three hours for babies or two hours for young children. We want them to go to bed tonight at an appropriately early time.
Is your child’s internal clock completely off-kilter? If they wake after bedtime and can’t return to sleep, get them up and read some books, allow them to do some drawing or some crawling around until you can offer them a later bedtime at around 10pm (treat the earlier bedtime as a last minute nap to deal with jet lag!).
Try to keep to your child’s usual routine but adjusted to the new time zone. If your child is having trouble self-settling, now is not the time to sleep train! Support them in falling asleep and get back on track one you are home (they will pick it up quickly again so long as you hold your boundaries and reimplement your settling method with gusto!)
What food is best for travel?
Provide nutritious snacks and a lunch that will keep them full and occupied for a period during travel. Ensure it can be packed in a lunch box with an ice pack.
Think: pureed vegetable and mince, turkey and cheese wrap, berries and muesli in yoghurt, chia pudding, ham and tomato on corn thins, little beef meatballs, pre-made baked beans jaffles wrapped in alfoil to keep them warm, milk poppas, dates and peanut butter, Vita Wheats and Vegemite. These food include the sleep inducing and blood sugar stabilising macro and micro nutrients your child needs to thrive: low GI carbohydrates, protein, fats and fibre. Offer any little sweet treats after their lunch to avoid the sugar high and crash that will prove sleep-disruptive!
Extra Sleep Again tips for transits:
Bring your child’s attachment toy on the journey
Offer a milk feed during take off or prior to leaving for your drive
Burp your baby and ensure they are wearing a clean nappy
Pop on socks if it will be cold from the air conditioner
Once they wake, give them a short walk around/play. If they are a baby who has only had 45 minutes or less of sleep during their longest nap of the day, assist them back to sleep however you can- rock, feed, pat
Swaddle your newborn. If they wake mid-sleep cycle, pat and shush them into the next sleep cycle
How do I set up my little one’s sleeps space once I have arrived?
Cover lights and darken windows with your black out blinds. This is paramount for settling and consolidated sleep as darkness releases melatonin, the sleep hormone.
Show your child around their room so it becomes familiar. Allow them to play in the room and in their travel cot. Show them their attachment toy and sleeping bag, roll around on the floor, make sure the room is safe, and if your child is older, show them where the toilet is and where you will be sleeping. Position their white noise no closer than a meter from their sleeping area. Desensitisation of the new sleep space is key!
Enjoy!
Offer naps on the go for shorter naps and try to be back at your accommodation for the middle of the day, before you charge the afternoon! Remember an early bedtime will always combat overtiredness and regular meal timings will keep your child happy.
Camping
Just don’t do it. JOKING- apply all of the above and enjoy yourselves! Catch me camping once my children are old enough to sleep in their own two-man.
Chloe X