Back from holiday? How to get your little one back into a healthy sleep routine

Guest blog by sleep expert Charlotte from @lullabee

The suitcases are unpacked, the laundry is running, and everything should really be back to normal. Except for sleep. Your little one is still wide awake at 9 p.m., waking up more often during the night, or standing next to your bed at 5 a.m.

Sound familiar? Don’t panic. A disrupted sleep routine after a holiday is completely normal – and luckily, it’s usually quite easy to get things back on track.

As a certified baby and child sleep coach, Charlotte has helped more than 2,500 parents regain control of their little one’s sleep. In this blog, she shares her top tips for getting back to a familiar routine after the holidays.

Your little one’s body runs on an internal biological rhythm. Once that rhythm becomes fairly consistent from day to day, their body knows when it’s time to feel sleepy and when it’s time to be active.

On holiday, you happily throw that rhythm out of sync: different bedtimes, a different bed, more stimulation and sometimes even a different time zone. That’s a lot for an adult, let alone a child’s developing brain.

So it’s not a sign that you’ve done something wrong as a parent, nor is it something your little one is doing “on purpose”. It’s simply the natural result of a few weeks of different routines and experiences.

Did your little one already know how to fall asleep independently before the holiday? Then that skill is still there. You don’t have to start all over again. You simply pick up where you left off – and in most cases, things get back on track faster than you might expect.

✅ Go straight back to your usual routine

As soon as you’re home, go back to the bedtimes, naps and routines you follow at home. The sooner you bring back that sense of familiarity, the sooner your little one’s body can readjust.

✅ Don’t make the following evening unnecessarily long after a busy day

Was your little one’s nap shorter than usual, or was the day particularly stimulating? In that case, it can help to put them to bed a little earlier. This can prevent built-up tiredness from causing extra restlessness.

✅ Feel free to plan a reset day

Does the first day back home still feel a little chaotic? Take a quiet day: keep stimulation to a minimum, skip the packed schedule and simply give your little one some time to settle back in.

✅ Create a familiar, safe sleep environment

Back in their own bed, with familiar bedding, sends a reassuring signal: this is where we sleep. A comfortable, well-ventilated sleep environment can also help your little one settle down and sleep peacefully.

✅ Give it a few nights

For little ones who were already able to fall asleep independently, their sleep routine can often improve again within a few nights of consistent repetition. There’s no magic trick – just consistency and clarity.

What helps most is following exactly the same routine, night after night. No battles, no second-guessing yourself – just calmly stick to what you already know works.

A five-month-old baby needs different support from a one-year-old toddler.

• For babies between 4 and 9 months, sleep is already changing rapidly, even without a holiday. Their sleep cycles are becoming more mature and naps are changing, so a disrupted holiday routine can add another layer of change.

• For little ones between 9 and 18 months, other challenges often come into play: early mornings, shorter naps or a nap schedule that gets thrown off as they master exciting new skills such as standing and walking.

• Older toddlers and preschoolers can also experience temporary changes after a holiday. New experiences, a different routine and more freedom can make bedtime at home feel like a bit of a balancing act again.

A holiday doesn’t have to have a months-long impact on your little one’s sleep routine. You haven’t ruined anything by being a little more flexible with bedtimes, naps or routines while you were away.

Once you’re home again, familiarity, structure and consistency will help your little one find their way back to their usual routine. Give it a few days, stick to what works and, most importantly, don’t be too hard on yourself.

There’s no such thing as a perfect holiday – and there’s no such thing as a perfect sleep routine either. ;-)