How To Help Your Family Sleep Better While Travelling: Advice From A Sleep Consultant

My name is Katrina Taibinger, I am a trained and certified infant/child Sleep Consultant, and founder of The Good Night Sleep Company. Aside from being a sleep consultant, I am a mother of 2 beautiful children who enjoys cooking and trying new recipes, reading and travelling with my family.

As a sleep consultant, I help families build a healthy independent routine around sleep and get them the good night’s sleep they deserve. I am educated, trained, and possess the techniques and knowledge to help families get on the right track to building healthy sleep routines and getting everyone a good night’s sleep, every night. You can catch us on Facebook or Instagram and check out our services at The Goodnight Sleep.

I started my journey as a sleep consultant after struggling with my then 4 ½-month-old daughter. After trying endless solutions (none of which worked) and reading countless books I found and hired a sleep consultant. After just a few nights we had remarkable results and I knew then that I wanted to be able to help other parents and families in the same situations. I am so passionate about sleep because as a mother I know firsthand how real and frustrating the struggle around sleep can be. This understanding motivated me to begin my journey of learning about sleep and becoming a sleep consultant.

Good quality sleep is vital for you and your baby’s health and well being.  From your mental and physical wellness to your feelings of joy, contentment, and happiness, sleep is the foundation for the quality of your life.
The value and benefits of a wonderful night’s sleep can never be overstated. As essential as food and water, sleep is necessary for survival but is often neglected as we rush through our days. Not getting enough sleep or only experiencing poor sleep quality can lead to sleep deprivation, which weakens our immune system and leaves us susceptible to declining mental health, such as anxiety and postpartum depression. Feeling anxious and depressed makes it difficult for you to be the parent you want to be. It also makes finding a balance between parenting, relationships, and work almost impossible.

Travelling is a tricky endeavour when you’re trying to keep a baby on a sleep schedule. With the holiday season approaching, I know how chaotic it can be to travel with children and ensure they are still getting a proper night’s sleep. There’s always something exciting going on, friends and relatives who are anxious to see the baby, and they have no idea how hard you’ve worked to get your little one sleeping through the night.  As tempting as it may be to let your baby skip a nap, or let bedtime fall back an hour or two so that you can fit these extra activities into your trip, I highly recommend you resist the temptation and stick to the schedule as closely as possible.

Here are a few tips that I hope will help make this holiday season a little easier for everyone.

• Bring along baby’s blanket, lovie and sleeping clothes. Anything that smells familiar and reminds them of their home sleeping environment will help them get to sleep in their new surroundings.
• Try to stick to your schedule as much as possible. If your baby’s tired and cranky, you’re going to have a lousy time. Sticking to the schedule and keeping the baby well-rested will assure that the time you do get to spend with friends and family is fun, happy and relaxed.

• In the event you must share a room with your little one, try to create some kind of partition in the room so that baby can’t see you from their crib. Hang a blanket from a line running across the room, if necessary, but don’t bring them into bed with you if you can avoid it.

• Try to make sure at least one of their naps is in a crib/cot so they are getting restful sleep to help them through the day. It’s ok if your travelling and they fall asleep in the car, but keep in mind this sleep is not as sound and reenergizing as a nap in their bed.

At the Good Night Sleep Company, we currently offer packages for newborns up to the age of 12. Our sleep consultation packages include 1-on-1 support for 2-3 weeks (depending on age) with email and text support to help ease your mind through the transition.  Our packages offer parents the guidance and tools they need for sleep success from an early age and avoid bad sleep habits that lead to sleepless nights down the road. Getting your child to sleep through the night is a huge milestone for both of you. This can however become a difficult task. But that is where I come in, as a certified sleep consultant I take the guessing work out and start implementing proven strategies that work. Sleep is essential to our health and well being. As a certified sleep consultation, my mission is to help you and your child achieve the most restful night’s sleep possible. The services provided in support of this mission are comprehensive, holistic, evidence-based, and individually tailored to you and your child’s specific needs.  As a parent who has been where you are, my goal is to both educate and empower you on better sleep techniques and everyday adaptations that will positively change your and your child’s life.

If your child or someone you know suffers with sleep you can find us and book your FREE 15-minute sleep consultant at The Goodnight Sleep Company or e-mail me directly at katrina@thegoodnightsleepcompany.ca.

I hope you all have a safe and Merry Christmas, and wishing you all the very best in 2021. 

Cheers and happy sleeping!!

Katrina