Guess what? We are on a beach in North Carolina as you read this! Which is why this post is even more important to share! My dear friend and Boss Babe Buddy (Yes that is an official title) Brittney Stefanic, is a pediatric sleep consultant who put together some essential tips on balancing your family's schedule during the summer.

Mr. Bridge and I are pretty adventurous and LOVE to travel! We have this dream of visiting all 50 states before our oldest graduates high school. So last summer we hit the road for a 26 day road trip with our daughters, Lydia (then 3) and Emmersyn (then 3mos). Call us crazy...it's okay, most people did...we won't be offended! And truth be told, we felt a little crazy! We even asked each other before we left, "Are we crazy?" Ha! The trip itself was super awesome and full of adventure but it did end up being extremely exhausting and I wish I had been better prepared.

As I write this, I am getting ready to pack us all up for a beach vacation and let me tell you, I am so excited that my friend happened to share these tips because I am already feeling better about traveling with my littles. You see last summer, on that crazy long road trip, I made many, many mistakes. In fact, as you read on, you will see that Brittney lists 7 common mistakes parents make during the summer time and I literally made all 7!!  But not this time people! This time we are well prepared, have a plan in place and will enjoy our vacation even more because we are following these tips.

So without further ado... please enjoy this blog post by Brittney Stefanic Sleep Consulting and enjoy a well rested summer!

The summer sleep struggle is real

With summer quickly approaching, most parents are worried about weekend travel, later sunsets and frequent neighborhood BBQs totally derailing the routines they have created in their homes. Fact of the matter is… Those fears could not be more well-founded.

Between the travel, excitement, increased outside play and wonky sunrise and sunset times, summer break is a pretty easy way to throw schedules and routines aside and end up with overstimulated babies, overtired toddlers, totally bonkers school-aged kiddos and moms who are ready to pull (the rest of) their hair out.
But… I’m happy to tell you that it doesn’t have to be that way! With some strategic planning and an iron will, you can keep that carefully orchestrated routine running just the way you did through the colder and darker winter months.

Most common mistakes that parents make in the summer

Here are seven of the most common mistakes made by parents in the summer, and of course, how to avoid them:

1 — The biggest mistake parents make in the summer is that they over-schedule themselves. They try to pack in all the fun and adventure they might normally have had back in their “child-free” days of summer, forgetting an important fact: They have a child (or children) now. Obviously there are many outside activities to be enjoying with the whole family, but the days of 9 pm sunset concerts in the park might be a bit more limited than they used to be.

2 — An occasional car nap or slightly later bedtime probably isn’t going to do too much harm to schedules, but if your baby spends a couple of days taking car seat naps here and there and having late bedtimes, they may become so overtired that by the time bedtime rolls around on day two or three, they have a complete meltdown and seem to “forget” all their sleep skills and are able to totally cry the house down.

3 — If overtiredness happens, you might start to get very nervous because (a) your baby, who has been happily chatting themselves to sleep for weeks, is now crying again, and (b) your mother-in-law is standing outside the door repeatedly asking you if you’re sure the baby is okay. You may start to give into this pressure and bend your expectations for your baby’s sleep. It’s easy to see how you could revert back to your own familiar ways in no time if you gave into this pressure and fear.

4 — It’s very normal for babies and toddlers to test the boundaries around sleep when they are somewhere new or experiencing a change in routine, and it is even more common for parents to panic (even if a little bit) as soon as something feels off. Just because the rule is the rule at home, that does not necessarily mean the rule is the same at Grandma’s house or in a hotel. This may mean that your baby cries for some time during bedtime while traveling or has a night waking or two. The best way to handle this is to stay consistent with how you would respond under normal circumstances at home. You can go in every ten minutes, or so, to offer a bit of reassurance, but other than that, don’t bend your rules. If you hang on tight to your consistency, within the first night or two away from home, your child will be used to the new environment and will be sleeping well again.

5 — In order to try to save space and take less, a lot of parents will try to pack as lightly as possible. This is fine, but make sure you bring your child’s lovie and/or blanket, sleep sack and white noise machine while you are on the move! Keeping consistency, as much as possible, is going to be a big win in your book. In other words… Familiarity is our friend, people.

6 — Another big mistake parents make is to bed share with their baby or toddler while traveling because it is the easier option. Even it’s it is only for a few nights, if your baby decides this is their new preferred location, you could find yourself starting back at square one when you get home and expect your kiddo to sleep in their own room. Most hotels have a crib you can use or rent, or take your pack and play along and use that as a crib. If your child is eight months or older, my advice is to try to make some sort of a private space for your baby to sleep. This could be the bathroom, if it’s big enough, or the closet. Anywhere that you can build some sort of a partition between you and your baby, so that if they wake up in the middle of the night they are less excited and not tempted by thinking it’s play time! Of course, getting an extra bedroom for your child is great if that’s an option for you.

7 — Darkness wins. The later sunset and early sunrise of summer means lots of brightness in the bedrooms. It is best to keep rooms dark, and I mean really dark, to avoid any decrease in production of melatonin, the sleep hormone, and increase in cortisol, the awake hormone. When traveling, this might mean packing some black trash bags and painters tape in your suitcase so you can make even the brightest of hotel rooms dark. Parents may feel silly going to this length and amount of work, but I promise that they’d feel a lot worse to be woken up by a kiddo who rises at 4:45 with the sun!

Want to stay happy? Be realistic in your expectations and plans!

I hope this list is helpful in determining what to avoid when it comes to over-committing yourself and your family this summer. Be realistic about what your priorities are, and don’t be afraid to voice your ideal plans to your family and friends. This summer might feel different than the ones without children in tow, but remember that different can also mean bette

By all means, enjoy the sunshine, travel and time with friends and family, but remember that children crave consistency and stability. Everyone will be happier if schedules remain at least partially intact, and summer is, after all, a season of happy!

Sleep well, stay hydrated, and enjoy your summer adventures,
Brittney

To find out more about Brittney Stefanic Sleep Consulting, visit her website!

PS~ We invested in Brittney when Emmersyn was about 6 months old and it was one of the best decisions I've made. We now have really wonderful sleep routines and as a past client, I continue to receive helpful tips that keep us on track even as Emmy's sleep needs change. Sharing this blog today was just one of many extremely beneficial things I've learned from this sleep guru!! And as a mom, I am always interested in helping other moms out!!