Hopefully at this age, your child is sleeping well or starting to trend toward it. You may be looking for a two-bedroom environment like an Airbnb or vacation rental so you can put the baby down for the night and then enjoy your space.

Getting more space for sleeping

  • At this age, we recommend two separate rooms for your accommodation. It’s kind of one of those facts of life of starting to travel as a family.
  • Of course, this is not available for every family, in every destination and at every budget. For those times when you have to share a hotel room, invest in a SlumberPod for parent sanity!

Bedtime routine

  • Your 6-12 month old infant will start to recognize a bedtime routine toward the older end of this age group. They may expect a bath, and dimmed lights and a quiet short book on your lap.
  • Make sure to pack your essentials, like a travel sound machine, for this aspect of baby bedtime.

Accessories

  • Bedtime became a nice routine for us toward 9 months. A few things we always had ready for managing sleep during trips was a sound machine, temperature-appropriate sleep sack, travel crib and extra crib sheet.
  • Remember your baby monitor for having an eye on your child at this age. For babies who start standing early, you may get a baby who realizes they can pull themselves up in the travel crib toward the 9-month age category.

Preparedness for temperatures

  • Because we experienced our cold night in an Airbnb with drafty doorways when our child was around this age, we learned to pack differently for this reason.
  • If you typically pack a lightweight 0.5 TOG sleep sack, bring a 1.0 or 2.0 TOG sleep sack just in case rooms get cold at night (this is less the case in hotels and more the case in vacation rentals).
  • In the same way, if rooms are hotter than expected, bring a backup type of pajamas for your baby like a short-sleeve onesie and a light sleep sack, so that you’re not cornered into making them too hot and uncomfortable.

Other accessories to pack

  • If you’re going by common pediatric guidelines, your child may not yet have a lovey or sleep stuffie at this age. This means an empty crib (and less to pack).
  • In our personal experience, we did not start with loveys and stuffed animals in the crib until 12 months and we started with just 1 small and safe item.

Jet lag

  • Your baby might “care” about jet lag at this age, especially if they have started daycare or a strict nap schedule with a nanny on a regular daily basis.
  • See our page about travel jet lag in babies about how to draw out wake windows, plan for jet lag and when to expect it to subside.