travelling with baby

Hello all- I hope someone can give me some advice. My daughter is 11 months, and is in an excellent routine, with two sleeps a day and 12 hours at night. In a weeks time my partner and I are going away for two weeks, and I have just started to get really worried about how my daughter will handle it. We will be staying in several different places including with relatives and in self contained accomodation. I've travelled with her before, when she was 7 months, which she handled really well, but now I'm worried that she'll have a hard time coping with sleeping in a travel cot in strange places, and what if when I get her home she can't fall back into her routine?
Any tips? I really want to be able to relax and enjoy myself, as its been a very rough year. I will be very grateful for any advice.

Hi Ellie

I have a 17 month old son and we've been away with him a few times. Sometimes he sleeps really well while we're away and other times not so well. It usually takes a few days after we arrive home for him to get back into his normal routine but he always does. Our child health nurse said once they are good sleepers even when they have an unsettled period they will always go back to being good sleepers again. Maybe before you go, get your daughter used to sleeping in the portacot. Take some familiar toys etc. When you get back it may take a few days but she should get back into her normal routine. I hope this helps. Have a good trip smile

Jasmine

Hi, my son is 9 1/2 months old and we just came back from a 4 day trip in Adelaide (plane trip)...I too was stressing out but all went really well.
He slept on the plane there and back..just gave him a bottle on take off...no worries there....

Once we arrived......... trouble with the portable cot in the motel....if you can get a normal wooden cot (so its like being at home) GET ONE....thats the only downfall of our trip....everytime he went in a portable cot he wouldn't sleep...
We actually used after day one the sister in laws cot and Jai slept like he was a home again....

Also....I would recommend if they have a time difference keeping your watch set to your normal State time....for example Adelaide was 30mins behind Sydney....we just left it the same and now we are home he is exactly in the routine he was prior to going..... he is sleeping as good as before and eating/drinking well.

I think that the best advice is though....relax, your daugther will pick up on your moods and react accordingly....just take one day at a time and you'll be fine...

Have a ball, good luck
Em

Hi Ellie!

Its so great to have a really good routine with your bub huh? We used to travel a lot with Alynta, and I would probably suggest that the best way to prevent problems on your trip wouldbe to start practising with anything you may encounter.

Try using your portacot for a sleep per day or something and even for a couple nights. Put it in different places in your house, and even take it to friends houses a couple times and put her to sleep there. It may throw her a bit to start with, but if you do it a few times, she'll get the idea. Also maybe, you could try putting her down not in a cot at all a few times just incase the situation arises, just carry a familiar sheet or quilt (small) or something that you put down for her to lay on.

I hope this helps some. Good luck and I'd love to hear how things go.

Smiles! grin
Shanna