Whenever I talk to friends and readers of To & Fro Fam about family vacations, one of the biggest travel stressors is—you guessed it—sleep. Maintaining kids’ sleep schedule on vacation isn’t easy, and when the entire family is cranky and tired, it sure puts a damper on your trip.

But you don’t need that. After all, you’ve worked hard to plan, schedule and make this family trip happen. All you want is fun quality time with your kids and your partner—so you need the kids’ sleep routine to hold steady.

I’m 100% with you precisely because I’ve done family vacations with sleep… and without. (It’s no surprise that we all prefer the well rested vacations.)

Here’s where you should really pay attention: In this blog post, I’m going to share 13 tips to protect your kids’ sleep schedule on vacation. Yes, I have earned—and tested—these nuggets of wisdom, but I’ve also brought in the brilliant Brittney Stefanic, a super-successful sleep consultant (who, by the way, lives what she preaches with her 2-year-old son).

Brittney is a traveler at heart, and she loves to explore the country with her husband and son. In fact, they recently finished a 4-week bi-coastal trip, including adventures in Colorado and North Carolina! She knows firsthand that when you don’t sleep, life is way too hard—especially on vacation—so she works with families with young kids to help everyone get the rest they need.

So don’t leave your littles’ sleep on vacation to chance. Safeguard your kids’ sleep schedule on vacation—and have a beautiful, relaxing and rested trip!

13 tips to save your kids’ sleep schedule on vacation—approved by a sleep consultant!

1. Split the difference on time zones

How to deal with changing time zones and kids’ sleep is one of the most common questions I get about family travel, and for good reason: It’s so confusing! Heck, even adults have trouble adjusting to a new time zone.

Brittney has a rule of thumb that works for her sleep consultancy clients and her own family: If you stay four days or more in your destination, split the difference between your home time zone and the time zone in your vacation spot.

For example, if you’re going from the West Coast to the East Coast and your daughter’s bedtime is usually 7pm, put her to bed at 8:30 eastern time—halfway between the two time zones.

2. Darkness #ftw

Tape tin foil to the inside of windows—this budget trick is like blackout curtains but super cheap, portable and easy to buy no matter where you travel. You can also blackout your windows with black garbage bags and painter’s tape.

In fact, this tip helped my kids sleep in an extra two hours on vacation—and I now swear by it. This is the #1 sleep hack I share with my friends when they travel!

3. Naps—at whatever cost

Schedule long drives during nap time so your kids will fall asleep in the car. The naps aren’t as awesome as they would be at home, in their bed and surrounded by loveys, but they’re better than skipping a nap entirely.

Level 10 travel tip: Use screen time strategically. We splurged for an in-car DVD player when we bought our minivan, but I don’t let my kids watch a movie during nap time because there’s no way sleep would win over My Little Ponies.

4. Lovey lifeline

Bring everything your child uses to sleep at home: lovey, white noise machine, sleep sack, blankie, extra binkies, etc. The last thing you want on vacation is a sleep strike because you forgot your child’s favorite Elmo doll.

5. Same-old, same-old

Keep the sleep environment as consistent as possible. If your kids are used to own their own crib, for example, don’t make them bed-share. If they don’t sleep in the same room as you, reserve a suite with separate bedrooms or get an AirBnB with as much space as you need.

6. Come on, feel the noise

Use a white noise app (I use and like White Noise; free). Even if a white noise machine isn’t a make-or-break deal at home, when you’re trying to protect your kids’ sleep schedules on vacation, they’re a life-saver. Your kids might be sleeping more lightly because they’re in an unfamiliar situation. Or you might find yourself in a situation like we did when we visited Seattle, when we stayed on a 5:30am garbage day route. Either way, white noise is your kids’ sleep schedule’s friend.

7. Bring sheets

One time I stayed at a hotel with Kiwi when she was about 8 months old. She stayed in a hotel pack n play, and when she woke up, she had hives all over her body. That was the last time I’ve ever used hotel sheets for my kids’ bedding.

Both of my kids have super-sensitive skin, so now I pack sheets from home. I know they’re used to the gentle detergent we use every day, not the heavy-duty cleaner they use at hotels, so I don’t have to worry about skin reactions overnight.

8. Less is more

Don’t overcommit yourself and your vacation schedule. When we traveled to San Diego as a family, I was tempted to DO ALL THE THINGS because hey, when’s the next time we’d be in San Diego? After a few days of overscheduled vacation, 2-year-old Peeper crashed, and we ended up spending 3 hours in a hotel room while she napped—during perfect beach weather. Womp-womp.

Now when I plan a family vacation, I plan on doing only two activities per day—one in the morning, and one in the afternoon. We’re less rushed, and we do a much better job of protecting the kids’ sleep schedule on vacation.

Brittney approves of my 2 activities rule. “That limit leaves time for a nap,” Brittney says. “It also cuts back on overstimulation: We’re so excited about all the new things to try and do, but the newness and cognitive challenge is more intensified for children, which can really throw off their sleep.”

9. Eat dinner in

I’m pretty sure you’ve experienced this just like me: You do a bunch of family-friendly activities when you’re on vacation and finally head to dinner. But by the time you order, get food, eat, pay the bill and collect the kids from their meltdown on the french fry-strewn floor, it’s late.

So at least once during your family vacation, skip that routine and eat in. Get takeout or cook something familiar (boxed mac n cheese, anyone?) at your AirBnB. “Eating in is especially helpful when you have a couple of late nights in a row,” Brittney says. “Keep the evening like your typical routine at home. The more relaxed time will also act as a reset if you’ve fallen into some bad kids’ sleep routines on vacation.”

10. Protect your (sleep) boundaries

I’d bet these words have come out of your mouth: “Just let the kids have fun on vacation; we’ll get back into a sleep routine when we get home.” But letting them stay up as late as they want and sleep in as long as they want will be hard to correct once you get home.

Instead, Brittney recommends, hold fast to your sleep boundaries. This can be harder if you vacation with other families that are more lax about their kids’ sleep schedule on vacation. If the cousins get to stay up late to eat popcorn and watch movies every night, your kids will want to, too. But guess whose kids will be overtired, cranky and a pain to be around the next day? Answer: Not your well rested angels!

Here’s where I, personally, make an exception: If there’s a once-in-a-lifetime special occasion, I’ll bend the rules for my kids’ sleep schedule on vacation. For example, we’re going camping during the Perseid Meteor shower this month, and I’m going to let my kids stay up. Normally I’m doing my darnedest to get them to bed by dark, but I’m totally willing to compromise so that they can see comet debris burning in the upper atmosphere at 37 miles per second.

11. Everybody puts Baby in the corner

Raise your hand if you’ve set up your baby’s pack n play in a closet while on vacation: I have! #noshame This make-do technique gets the thumbs-up from pediatric sleep expert Brittney. “If it means the best sleep for everyone and it’s safe, then there’s no need to second guess yourself,” she says.

If you still feel weird about it, listen up: Brittney—the expert sleep specialist—recently put her son to bed in a pack n play in a closet at her mother’s house while they vacationed. If this trick is good enough for a pediatric sleep consultant, it’s good enough for me.

12. Shrug off the #fomo guilt

Resist friends and family’s pressure to stay at gatherings that would disrupt children’s sleep schedule. (One way to do this: Describe their crankiness—and the disruption that would cause the next day—if they don’t get their much-needed sleep.)

If your loved ones continue to press you to let the kids stay up, suggest that they get to handle all the childcare the next day while you sleep in/get a massage/visit an antiques store/enjoy time free of a meltdown-y child.

13. Alternate busy days

Sometimes packing a day full of activities is unavoidable—like if you’re part of a wedding party. On vacation days like that, your kids might skip a nap or stay up late.

Follow up hectic days like that with a low-key day, Brittney recommends. “It can help get everything back on track,” she says. “You’re more likely to follow your at-home routine and get back on your kids’ sleep schedule on vacation.” So plan for a mellow day at the beach or the pool, or simply playing board games in your AirBnB.

Get more sleep on vacation

When you have all these tips and tricks to protect your kids’ sleep schedule on vacation, you’re basically guaranteed to get the R&R you want—and so deserve.

What sleep hacks have you tried? What’s your #1 way to make sure you and your kids sleep on vacation?

Brittney Stefanic has much more sleep wisdom to share! You can visit her website to learn more about ways she supports clients, follow her Pinterest which is full of sleep tips, like her Facebook page for virtual sleep Q&A sessions and stalk her on Instagram to see adorable pictures of her son!

PS – If you’re staying at a hotel, you definitely want to read my other post on getting kids to sleep more on vacation: How to get more sleep when sharing a hotel room with kids!