The holidays are a beautiful time of the year. It’s a time to reconnect and celebrate with family, old friends, and loved ones. But, it can also be a stressful time with disrupted schedules and sleep, particularly with our kids.

Keeping a regular sleep schedule for ourselves and our kids amidst the parties and gatherings can be challenging. Additionally, travel, irregular meals, and late nights can further wreak havoc on our children’s sleep.

How do the holidays affect sleep in our kids?

1. Change in sleep schedules

Often, our kids may stay up later than their typical bedtime. Several distractions could keep them from being able to stick to a routine. These holiday events tend to clash with your child’s bedtime, and you may need to prioritize. As parents, we are often conflicted because, while we want our kids to spend time with extended family, we realize poor sleep impacts their mood. Even in the short term, sleep-deprived children tend to have more tantrums and be more irritable. If there are scheduled activities, there is often a temptation to skip naps, making them even more overtired. Toddlers and preschoolers have difficulty taking naps in unfamiliar environments. Attempting to enforce this could only lead to frustrations. Moreover, they don’t want to miss out on the fun and end up having a later bedtime.

2. Different sleep environment

Most children have a hard time adjusting to change. If you are spending the night at a family’s place, you may have a more challenging time getting your child to wind down to sleep. Subtle differences like the room’s temperature can put a dent in the time your child takes to fall asleep. In addition, toddlers may be anxious and may not want to sleep alone and insist on sleeping in your bed. If you stay in a hotel, you may have to co-sleep with your children due to limited space.

3. Changes in time zones

If you are traveling a distance across time zones, this can certainly impact your child’s schedule due to jet lag. Depending on east or westward travel, they may wake up before dawn and have a hard time falling back asleep or have difficulty falling asleep altogether.  

How to prioritize sleep during the holidays

1. Keep an eye on the schedule

There is the temptation to schedule so many activities to connect with family, but you have to set some boundaries to prioritize sleep. Have some downtime scheduled in between events to decrease exhaustion. Even if they cannot nap, free from excessive stimulation, creating some rest opportunities will allow the kids to relax. Also, you can excuse yourself to put them to bed as close to their typical bedtime as possible.

2. Incorporate a routine

This can be a shorter/modified version of your typical bedtime routine. For example, taking a bath, singing a song, and sometimes cuddling helps reassure your little ones that they are safe even though there seems to be a lot of change.

3. Optimize the environment

Try to pack familiar objects with you to ease your child’s transition to sleep. This could be old pajamas, a blanket, or a favorite stuffed animal. A helpful tool is a portable sound machine that would be helpful to mask any noises. Keep the room temperature comfortably cool and ensure the room is dark. Create a sleeping area for your child with a pack and play if available. You can move the crib/pack and play as close to your bed as possible to provide reassurance, especially if they don’t want to sleep alone.

4. Adopt the local time zone as soon as you arrive

Crossing time zones can be challenging with symptoms of jet lag. Try to adopt the local time as quickly as possible. Rather than allowing them to sleep in till their own time, keep the blinds open so they can wake up to the sun.

5. Encourage outdoor activities and exercise

Spend time outside. This allows exposure to the natural sunlight and helps regulate their circadian rhythm, promotes melatonin production, and helps them sleep better at night. Even though it might be chilly outside, fun activities like taking a walk, going on a hike, or building snowmen can keep your little ones occupied for hours.

6. Limit electronic use

Holiday movies are an all-time favorite tradition. Electronic devices like cell phones, Ipads, video games, or TVs, however, emit blue light that can interfere with your kid’s circadian rhythm or internal clock, further delaying their bedtime. The brain perceives this light as daylight and suppresses the production of melatonin, the hormone that promotes sleep.  Replace TV time in the evening with family fun activities like board games or other interactive activities.

7. Finally, cut yourself some slack

Juggling family schedules, entertaining guests, and dealing with relatives can be very stressful. No matter how hard you try to prioritize sleep in your kids,  you may feel like you are not doing it right. No one expects things to be perfect. Give yourself a break, and don’t get so carried away by adhering to rules that you miss out on creating memories. On the flip side, find what works for you and stick to it without apologies. Remember, you would be the one to deal with the toddler meltdowns and tantrums. Make their sleep a priority as best as you can, and if you need to have an early night to put your child to bed, that’s ok.

What are ways you try to maintain normalcy with your children’s sleep during the holidays?

I would love to hear from you.

Interested in additional sleep support? Learn more about Sleep Coaching and our Private Practice The Restful Sleep Place.