Successful sibling room sharing on vacation is in reach! Traveling with young children can be such a memorable but challenging experience, especially when it comes to managing sleep routines.
In this episode of the Little Z’s Sleep Podcast, I’m addressing a common concern: how to prepare for sibling room sharing during vacations. If you have young children these tips are helpful for everyone to get restful sleep while away from home!
Why Practicing Room Sharing Before Vacation is Key
One of the best ways to prepare your children for sharing a room on vacation is to practice at home.
Set up a trial run where your kids sleep in the same room, mimicking the vacation setup.
This helps them get accustomed to the new sleeping arrangement and allows you to troubleshoot any issues that arise before your trip. If you’re worried about how this might disrupt sleep at home, try practicing your vacation setup at a friend or family member’s house nearby to simulate being away from home…without too much risk!
Six Tips For Successful Sibling Room Sharing on Vacation
Create Physical Barriers
If your siblings are room sharing while on vacation and they aren’t used to room sharing they could become easily distracted by each other! To help with this, create a physical barrier between kids!
Use a piece of furniture, a sheet, or even a SlumberPod if available. This way, they can’t see each other, reducing the chances of them waking each other up during the night.
And an added bonus of using a SlumberPod: it helps create a fully blacked out sleeping environment for your baby or young toddler (use code LittleZSleep for a discount!).
Utilize Sound Machines Effectively
Doubling up on sound machines is another strategy for sibling room sharing! The goal is to block out the noise from the other sleepers in the room to keep disturbances down.
Place a sound machine near each child’s sleeping area, but ensure they are at a safe distance from their ears.
You can download decibel reader apps like this to maintain a safe sound level around 50-55 decibels, which adheres to OSHA standards.
This additional white noise can help mask any disturbances and promote uninterrupted sleep.
Our family travels with this one from YogaSleep and this one from Snooz and we love them both! (Amazon Affiliate links)
Bed Placement
Next, consider the bed placement based on your children’s sleep schedules.
If one child goes to bed earlier, place them further from the door to minimize disturbances when the other child comes in later.
This small adjustment can make a significant difference in maintaining a peaceful sleep environment.
If you haven’t already seen the new SlumberTot from SlumberPod this is a great alternative for your older toddler and preschooler! Be sure to use code LITTLEZSLEEP to save!
Handling Night Wakings
Vacation sleep disruptions from siblings while room sharing are inevitable, but handling them calmly can make all the difference!
Try not to rush in at the first sign of your child waking up.
Often, these partial arousals will resolve themselves within a few minutes.
Giving your child a chance to self-soothe can prevent unnecessary wakefulness and help everyone get back to sleep faster.
Communicate with Older Toddlers
If your older toddler can understand, have a conversation about the new sleeping arrangements. Explain that they might hear their sibling at night but reassure them that everything is okay!
Setting expectations and offering reassurance can help your toddler feel secure and less likely to react to nighttime noises while they are sharing a room with their sibling on vacation.
As an aside, if you want to know more about raising siblings and communication check out this Podcast from Raising Boys & Girls!
The Power of a Toddler Clock
Introducing a Toddler Clock will be a game-changer for your older siblings who are room sharing on vacation! Of course, introduce this prior to the trip so they know what to expect!
These clocks change color or emit a sound at a designated time, signaling to your child when it’s morning and okay to get up.
This tool can help maintain your toddler’s sleep schedule and minimize early morning wake-ups. Learn more about how to use a Toddler Clock in this free tutorial!
Be Prepared with Little Z’s Travel Guide
Do you have siblings who will room share on vacation and now feel confident on room sharing but want MORE tips?!
For comprehensive travel tips beyond sibling room sharing, our Little Z’s Travel Guide is an invaluable resource for all families who want to keep sleep a thing while away!
This guide covers everything from packing lists to handling naps on the go, managing time changes, and recovering from off-schedule days.
It’s designed to make sleep a priority, no matter where your travels take you!
Key Takeaways
- Practice room sharing at home to help your little ones know what to expect while on vacation (bonus if you can practice at a family member’s house!)
- Creating physical barriers with furniture, a sheet, or SlumberPod is super helpful in lessening the distraction in the shared sleeping space
- Use sound machines strategically to help mask the noise of the other little sleepers in the room
- Manage bed placement by placing the child with the earlier bedtime furthest from the door
- Communicate with your older toddler about what to expect to set the stage for successful sleep on the road
- A Toddler Clock is a powerful tool to take on the road to help your older toddler understand when it’s time to sleep and when it’s okay to wake
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Keep sleep a thing on vacation with the Little Z's Travel Guide!
