3 Tips for the ultimate holiday rest for expat parents
By: Anieke Lamers
The other day I saw this quote: “No parent needs a vacation as much as the parent who has just had one” and it made me giggle.
Holidays are made to relax and rest, but many parents return from their holidays exhausted. Every parent knows that setting up a bedtime routine, eating and drinking the right things at the right time, and making your child comfortable are important. Those are no-brainers. Duhh! But during the holidays, all these routines go out the window.
We hope this article will give practical tips on how to rest during your vacation when you’re a traveling parent.
What happens when routines are broken: Error! - bzzt - child brain not functioning
Hey parent, recognize this? When families with young children are traveling you don’t have your own bed, the standard bedtime routines are broken and there are fewer breaks from kids and lots of activities. Or something else that happens is for example that as an expat parent maybe you try to visit family but you end up exhausted because everything is out of your control and out of the environment your kids are used to. Result: your kids get more cranky. You get tired and overwhelmed and ask yourself: wait what happened?! This holiday was supposed to be relaxing and fun, right?
We asked some experts in our network, and there are a few tips we can offer that could help. We made the top 3 pro tips to get the ultimate sleep and rest this summer holiday for yourself as well as for your child. or adults as well as for young children there are some tips to rest better:
Tip 1. Stay as close to their bedtime routine, while remembering it’s a holiday too!
If your normal routine before putting the kids to bed is brushing teeth, putting on pajamas, and reading a book (and in that order!), it’s recommended to stick to that order even when you’re out of your normal environment. The time they go to bed might change, but the events before bedtime are recommended to stay the same.
The reason why children tend to put up a fight before the bedtime routine is because they recognize a pattern “aha! It’s time to brush my teeth now which ends up with me being separated from my pack”. Separation can give children anxiety and even more so when you’re in a strange environment. If you build in a moment of connection and bonding in the bedtime routine, it’s a holiday for them too. For example, let your child relax before bedtime by reading a relaxing story or if you happen to forget to bring a storybook on your holiday, come up with your own story
A funny quote I saw the other day was: “no human alive cares more about hydration than a child past its bedtime”. This made me think of how I as a child also negotiated with my parents a lot trying all tricks in the book to stay up just a little longer. Bedtime routines set boundaries and help you avoid lengthy negotiations.
Pro-tip number 1:
Play a game to make tooth brushing easier by pretending there is a dinosaur in your child’s mouth that needs to be “brushed” away. Dr. Becky at Good Inside gives a great example of this in this story on Instagram.
Pro-tip number 2:
Let your child watch one or two videos from family at a distance in the Peekabond app whilst brushing their teeth, but don’t let them bring electronics into the bedroom.
Pro-tip number 3 for adults:
Keep regular sleep and wake times; you can for example also set an alarm to go to bed (not just one to wake up).
Tip 2. Make it comfy
We all know it’s important to give your child a cozy sleeping area where they feel safe at night. My little niece for example has pictures on the wall in her bedroom of all our family and her mom reminds her how much we love her and that we watch over her while she sleeps.
Pro-tip number 1:
Before going on a holiday, check if it’s going to be too noisy or if the room will have the right light conditions your child is used to. Some children like to sleep with familiar sounds, like white noise. Others like to sleep with a small socket night light. These are easy items to bring along and help your child feel at home.
Pro-tip number 2:
Children also love the familiar smell of their favorite stuffed animal or blanket so we suggest that when you’re on a holiday to bring those along.
Pro-tip number 3:
Bring a small sample or jar of the same washing detergent you have at home so your child’s clothes smell the same when you wash them on your holiday. When you’re visiting family you can even leave the detergent for grandparents or relatives to use so your child feels at home.
Pro-tip number 4 for adults:
We invite you to invest in and sleep with a great sleeping mask as well as earplugs. Especially during holidays where you’re sleeping in a different environment and you don’t know if there are blackout curtains and what noise pollution you might encounter, this makes the relatively small investment worthwhile! A restful parent makes a better parent.
Tip 3. Eat the right amount at the right time.
A funny thing I learned while traveling in South America was: “don’t eat too much meat during dinner, or you’ll be sleeping with Tarzan”. In certain cultures, it is customary to eat dinner at later hours and with all the nice cuisine it’s tempting to indulge but be aware; before you know it you’ll be awake at night with your stomach rumbling like Tarzan. The same holds true for our children; during holidays the routines can get lost, and you end up with a hangry, tired child which is no fun for anyone right? Especially when you’re traveling to other time zones, it can be very challenging with young children.
Pro-tip number 1:
Go in peace, bearing snacks. It might be worthwhile to bring your child’s favorite snack, such as biscuits so at least the first couple of days they have some food that is the same as at home. I remember when I went backpacking through Sout-East Asia I ran into a couple that was also backpacking with their young baby and they were carrying one extra backpack filled with a month’s supply of their baby’s food. I thought it was a bit extreme but in hindsight, the stress of finding the right food for their child might have been more stressful than just bringing it along.
Pro-tip number 2:
Keep naps to a norm. Especially when traveling to different time zones it’s challenging to adjust for young children. Your child’s biological clock might say it’s dinner time and evening when it’s still morning and daytime. It’s wise to keep them busy in a sunny room or play outside as much as you can and keep naps to a norm.
Pro-tip number 3:
An obvious tip is to try to stay hydrated and consume enough vitamins during your (summer) break. It’s tempting to spoil yourself with unhealthy food and an alcoholic drink or too, but don’t forget to drink enough water especially when you’re in the sun a lot. It’s wise to bring some vitamin C supplements to make sure your bodies get what they need to stay healthy (and avoid getting sick on a holiday).
Do you want your child to stay in touch with family and loved ones after visiting them this holiday? Or did you not get to visit them this holiday and want to be more intentional about your child’s long-distance relationship? Try out the Peekabond app for free: www.peekabond.com/try-peekabond.
About Anieke
Anieke is the Founder and CEO of Peekabond. Anieke is an ex-Venture Capital investor having worked on impact investments and consumer tech deals for the past 8 years of her career. Anieke founded Peekabond from a personal passion because she is an aunt of a 3 year old niece in Australia. She immediately began searching for alternative ways to bond remotely with her little niece. But she couldn’t find a real solution, so she made it her mission to create the best digital platform possible. To build beautiful bonds across generations, continents, and cultures. To connect with or follow Anieke click here
Join Us at Peekabond
Peekabond is an interactive video messaging app designed for young children to connect with family at a distance. Use our fun and age-appropriate activity cards as inspiration to send video messages to young grandchildren, cousins, nieces and nephews. Create, share, and safely store playful moments with your family and friends. Perfect for parents who want their kids to create memories with far away family members and friends. If you would like to try Peekabond click here
