Spring Break Tips with Toddlers

Keep your toddler in a routine during a holiday.

Having been a teacher for the last decade, I still remember the feeling of the school holidays approaching. Having a break meant the world for my mental health. As the Spring break is creeping closer, a lot of families with their toddlers are planning a quick getaway. The weather is amazing this time of the year in the Middle East. Before we are being hit with full blown “5000 degrees” weather…. Hence the title of one of my sleep packages.

Travelling or even just having a “stay-cation” means a lot of play time, new adventures and ice-cream. Different routines, and later bedtimes are also happening. You would want to enjoy yourself by spending some extra quality time with your kids. Not having to worry about getting up early for school. As a sleep consultant I can 100% agree that you can still have an amazing time during your break and have later bedtimes. Everything doesn’t have to be set in stone. Keep your toddler sleeping well during Spring break travelling. Here are some tips you can follow to keep your sanity.

Fun in the sun for Toddlers

Having exposure to the sun provides Vitamin D, it can even help us to regulate our mood. Being in the sun, during the right time of the day (early mornings and late afternoons) can help us to produce melatonin. This will build up to be released at night when we are going to bed. Get them out and spend some of your time in the sun. Remember sunscreen and start accumulating your melatonin so your kids can cash it in for a great night’s rest.

Keeping Your Toddler in a Routine

We all have our routine of doing things. Toddlers especially feels safe when they know what is expected from them. Just because it is the holidays doesn’t mean you have to throw the whole routine out of the window. Still sticking your sleeping schedule more or less can make a huge difference during the day.

If you change your routine dramatically the more meltdowns and tantrums, you will get to see. It will take them longer to get back in routine and on a schedule again.

Whether your child is still on a 2-nap schedule, 1 nap schedule, you can still have an amazing time full of activities. While keeping that schedule and making sure we don’t push them into overtiredness. If it happens that one day is a complete disaster with skipped naps and super late bedtime, it is not the end of the world. Make sure the next couple of days you jump back to a “normal” routine.

You can download some sample schedules for your little one here.

Keep the room dark

When you are travelling it is difficult to have control over things like how dark the room will be.

Get that room as dark as possible. You will have the opportunity to cash out your melatonin for the best sleep. Having some light coming through the windows or from another source could potentially lead to multiple night wakings or early morning wake ups. If there is no opportunity for buying black out blinds, you can always use garbage bags to tape over the windows or even use thick cardboard, anything that can keep the light out.

Healthy eating for Toddlers

“You scream, I scream, we all scream for ice-cream” That is just the best part of being on the beach or being on holiday! And right now, we are right in the middle of the Bahrain Food Festival where you can find just about anything, and to add the cherry on top, we are walking distance from the festival this year. Having junk food and a lot of simple carbs can have a huge impact on your child’s sleep. Having a high carb intake can lead to multiple night wakings and reduce the amount of deep sleep.

If you are planning on being out on the beach, pack your cooler bag with fresh fruit and sandwiches or if you are going to a food festival like this, make sure to give your child a healthy nutritious meal before you go and then let them enjoy some treats when they are out.

Whenever toddlers are getting the majority of their nutrition from a healthy source, a Nutella “this” or an ice-cream “that” should really not have much of an affect.

The best part about being on a holiday/break is having fun and creating memories, spending quality time with your children and loved ones and most important to relax.

There is always a way to get things back on track again, the less you change schedules and routines the easier it will be. By incorporating some of these tips you can make sure to enjoy your break and have an amazing time.