Helping your child sleep on holiday, in an unfamiliar place

You dreamed of this holiday, and now your child won't sleep. An unfamiliar bed, different smells, sounds they don't recognise: far from their bedroom, they lose their bearings, and in the evening, it shows. The good news is that their anchors don't live in the walls. They live in a routine, a comfort toy, a story that's always the same. All of that slips right into the suitcase.

Why won't my child sleep on holiday?

Because everything that used to help them fall asleep changed all at once. Their bedroom was a place they knew by heart: the light, the shadow of the furniture, the hum of the fridge in the kitchen next door. On holiday, none of that. The bed is softer or firmer, the ceiling has a different shape, and outside, instead of the usual cars, there are crickets or waves. For a little one, that's a lot of newness to take in at the same time, and bedtime is precisely the moment when they most need the familiar.

There's also the excitement. Holiday days are full: the beach, the pool, the cousins, a bedtime that shifts from one evening to the next. All of that is joyful, but it fills the head, and a full head has trouble settling down in the evening. That's why a stable framework at bedtime becomes even more precious when everything else is moving. Child-development experts put it well when it comes to travel: it's better to try to keep a certain stability in your child's life, even on holiday, by maintaining similar routines for meals, naps and bedtime.

The anchors that travel: the evening routine

The first portable anchor is the sequence of evening gestures. Your child doesn't know where they're sleeping, but they know what comes after the bath, then after the pyjamas, then after the story. That familiar order reassures them, wherever you are. A recognised parenting resource reminds us that a good bedtime routine helps your child gradually calm their body and mind: that's exactly what they need in an unfamiliar bed.

The idea isn't to reproduce everything identically, which would be impossible in a rental or at friends' homes. The idea is to keep the same sequence of gestures, in the same order, at a roughly similar time. The setting changes, the flow stays. Experts also stress that giving your child time markers, so they know what to expect, increases their sense of security, which encourages sleep. On holiday, those time markers become your best ally.

The comfort toy, the pillow, the story: the suitcase of anchors

After the routine, it's familiar objects that do the most good. For travel, experts on travelling with young children suggest bringing a few of your child's favourite toys and books, because they remind them of their routine and reassure them, even when they're far from home. The comfort toy, of course, comes top of the list. For children who have one, child-development experts explain that it's a source of comfort and security because it bridges the known and the unknown. A bridge: that's exactly the word you need when sleeping somewhere else.

Here's a little suitcase of bedtime anchors to pack before you leave:

1. The comfort toy, of course, and if possible a second one in case the first gets lost in the sand or the car.
2. Their usual pillowcase or fitted sheet: the familiar smell travels with it, and it reassures little ones enormously.
3. Their night light, or failing that a small soft light, to find the same dimness as at home.
4. One or two familiar books, the ones they ask for, rather than new ones to discover that very evening.
5. An audio story that's always the same, that comes back evening after evening and becomes an anchor again, wherever you are.

All these objects have one thing in common: they smell of home, they tell the story of home. Placed in an unfamiliar bedroom, they make it a little more familiar, and that's often what's enough to unlock falling asleep.

The first evenings: gentleness and patience

Even well prepared, the first evening often stays the hardest. Give yourself, and give them, the right to a slightly longer bedtime than usual. About moments of change, experts wisely remind us that it's worth temporarily lowering your expectations, because adjustment takes time. On holiday as anywhere, a child who feels safe eventually finds their sleep again.

Show them around the bedroom in daylight, show them where you sleep, where the toilet is, how to switch on the little lamp. When evening comes, keep the bedtime roughly stable despite the days that stretch out: experts emphasise the importance of maintaining similar routines even on holiday. And if one night goes badly, it's no big deal. A few evenings are usually enough for the unfamiliar place to become, in its turn, a familiar one.