Sleep While You Travel with Help from Jet Kids

We get asked all the time for ways to help your babies and toddlers sleep well while you are traveling. It can be hard to know where they should sleep and how to help them best feel comfortable. No one wants an overtired and cranky baby or toddler while you’re on vacation so planning for good sleep is important. I’m so excited to tell you about some amazing new-to-me products that solve some tricky sleep and travel problems - a place for your toddler to sleep and how to help your baby or toddler sleep well on a flight.

Where should my toddler sleep when they have outgrown the pack n play?

Ever wondered this? There comes a time where your child is to big for their beloved pack n play or travel crib and they aren’t ready for their own big bed (or maybe your space doesn’t have one for them!). It can be tricky to figure out a solution for where these little toddlers should sleep! Enter the Jet Kids Cloud Sleeper.

The Cloud Sleeper is an inflatable toddler mattress and I’m in love with it. Designed for kids 3+, it has an integrated pump, a compression bag for packing, and a soft top layer for snuggly sleep. Jet Kids sent us one of these for our recent spring break trip and my boys loved it. The mattress was so much lighter than other inflatable toddler mattresses we have used in the past and it packs up so tiny! We slipped it in our checked luggage and it worked perfectly! The integrated pump was so easy to use and that’s what keeps the weight down. If you have an electric pump where you are, there’s a valve that you can use too. Wade slept soundly all week while we were gone and we were able to slide his bed into the corner of his brother’s room where it fit perfectly without them having to share a bed.

Having used lots of inflatable toddler mattresses, I’d recommend the Cloud Sleeper over them every time. It’s a great size, comfortable, and easy to pack. It also would fit perfectly under the Slumberpod for your little one to be sound asleep in their own, dark space.

How to help your toddlers sleep on a plane

Flying overnight (or during naptime) with toddlers and babies feels so stressful. I’ve been there many times bouncing a baby up and down the aisles or trying to nurse them to sleep. Not only do you not want to be trapped in a plane with a cranky baby, you want them to get rest so that the rest of the day will be enjoyable! One of my biggest plane tips for babies and toddlers is to feed on takeoff and landing. For babies, this would mean nursing them or giving them a bottle and for toddlers I use a snack or lollipop to keep them occupied and give them something to suck on. The sucking helps their ears adjust to the altitude and keeps them pretty content.

Another one of my plane sleep tips is to do your normal bedtime or naptime routine as best you can. Go to the bathroom and change into PJs, brush their teeth, and read a story before you “tuck them in” at their seet. Jet Kids has a great solution to help your little ones sleep more comfortably on those long flights too! Their BedBox is a suitcase that turns into a bed. I know. My mind was blown too. This rolling suitcase pops up to create a small bed in their seat so your toddler can lay down, with seatbelt still on, and get some sleep.

Wade got to use the BedBox on our flight and loved it. He wasn’t napping but was so much more comfortable with his feet not dangling down for 3+ hours. Also, the BedBox has a great feature - your kids can ride on it! Not only was this fun for Wade, I wasn’t constantly asking him to catch up as we walked to our gate. All the kids on our trip wanted this cool suitcase.

We are huge fans of JetKids and these great travel pieces! Especially if you travel frequently with your kids, these will make your life so much easier. For more travel sleep help, we have our very own Travel Handbook available for purchase. It’s full of tips and tricks to help your kids sleep while while you are traveling so you all can enjoy your trip.