5 Tips to Help Your Baby Sleep in the Summertime

During the summertime, it's best to maintain a routine to help your baby sleep, although there may be some flexibility. Keep reading.

Reviewed and approved by the pediatrician Marcela Alejandra Caffulli.

Written by Yesibeth Rincón

Last update: 31 May, 2023

Getting your child to sleep well and rest during the vacation season may be a bit tricky, as this is the time when they’re used to traveling, going on family outings, or visiting friends. Therefore, the change of habits often affects the quality of sleep. In this article, we’ll give you some tips to help your baby sleep in the summertime.

Baby’s sleep is as important for their growth and development as is their nutrition. When leaving home this summer, try to maintain their routines, schedules, and comforts. Also, try to freshen up the spaces where they’ll sleep, so that you can give them the comfort they need to rest well. Keep reading and take note!

Tips to help your baby sleep in summer

Here are some tips to follow so you can help your baby sleep better in these hot summer days when family routines vary and, therefore, the sleep of the little one may be affected.

1. Maintain a sleep routine

If you go on a trip or are going to be away from home for several days, maintain your baby’s sleep routine. Put on pajamas on them, nurse them or give them a bottle, turn off the light, sing, and put your baby to sleep according to the habit you’ve created. This will make your baby feel safe and secure, even though their environment has changed.

2. Respect schedules, but be flexible

Even if you’re out and about, as much as possible, respect your baby’s sleep schedule, both at night and regarding their respective naps. In any case, you could make the time to go to sleep a little more flexible. It’s not a matter of giving up walks or leaving aside some activities that you want to do at this time of the year, nor is it a matter of abruptly disrupting the whole routine that you carry out during the year. Here are some tips to keep in mind:

• Bringing your child’s stroller: This will help you put your child to bed while you’re at the beach or shopping at the mall. Respecting daytime sleep will help your child sleep better at night.
• Don’t change the schedule too often: During summer vacations, dinners or evenings out tend to last longer than usual, so it’s very likely that you’ll have to put your baby to sleep a little later. If you do it once in a while, it won’t affect them too much, but if it becomes a habit, it’ll become complicated to resume the baby’s sleeping hours.
• Modify the schedule gradually: If you need to stretch your baby’s nighttime schedule, make the change gradually, with a delay of only one hour. For example, if you put your child to bed at 7 p.m., start at 8 p.m., and so on until they adapt to the new schedule.

3. Don’t change the way they sleep

To help your baby sleep better during the summertime, the best thing to do is not to change the way they sleep. Lay them on their side or on their back, just as you do at home. This also includes the use of the same stuffed animals or blankets that accompany them in their crib during sleep. If your little one sleeps with a special toy, put it in the travel suitcase, as this will contribute to making them feel at home.

4. Freshen up the sleeping space

Another tip to help your baby sleep in the summertime will be to freshen up the space where they’ll sleep. In this season, high temperatures cause discomfort for babies, so they become irritable and sweaty and, consequently, have difficulties falling asleep.

Cooling the room with fans or, if you can, turning on an air conditioner will be much better for the baby. In any case, try not to let the air reach the baby’s crib directly because they could catch a cold. Another trick you can apply is to close the windows and lower the blinds during the hottest hours of the day, which keeps the room from reaching very high temperatures.

Don’t forget to dress your child comfortably at bedtime. You can put light cotton T-shirts on them, which facilitate perspiration. Also, if it’s not necessary, don’t cover them up. Their body temperature will tell you if they’re hot or cold.

5. Try a soothing method

To help your baby sleep better this summer, try a soothing method before bedtime, such as a bath or a gentle massage. Filling the bathtub with warm water an hour before going to bed will lower their body temperature, relax them, and improve the quality of their sleep.

Get your baby to sleep well in the summertime

Follow these tips and get your baby to have restful dreams on hot and busy summertime days when rest is combined with walks and fun. It’s not a matter of following schedules to the letter, but you can maintain your baby’s routine with some flexibility. Also, pay attention to your child’s sleep signals. This will help you a lot at the time of their nap or nighttime sleep.