How I get my toddler to sleep on road trips

Did your baby or toddler all of a sudden STOP taking naps in the car? 🚫💤🚙

Same here girlfriend.

While lots of little ones seem to get their best sleep in the car, there are certainly kids like mine who do EVERYTHING in their power to fight car naps 🤺

I am by NO MEANS an expert on this however I do make it a priority to always do what I can to help ensure my toddler gets the rest he needs when he needs it.

And trust me, he NEEDS rest. That’s where my secret weapon comes in handy 👋

Here’s what I do:

💤 Get in the car ~15 min before nap time

💤 Comfy clothes + fresh diaper

💤 No shoes

💤 Bottle

💤 Lovey + sleep sack as a blanket

AND my secret weapon… ✨ a movie ✨

Hear me out…

My son does not watch much TV. In fact, compared to a lot of moms I know, he hardly watches any. His screen time is quite limited despite having had his own tablet since the time he was 6 months 🤯

The ONLY time he EVER has his tablet is in the car and this is because he truly hates being in the car.

The best thing I can do to up our chances of a nap is to simply put a movie on and make him as comfortable as possible.

While I’m sure plenty of people will disagree with me on this one I honestly don’t think the screen time negatively impacts his ability to rest and relax in this scenario 🤷🏼‍♀️

Is it guaranteed that putting a movie on will result in a nap? Absolutely not but for us at least, it does guarantee a peaceful ride and some much needed rest and relaxation for my toddler 🧖

I’ll take that over him letting him cry and fight sleep any day 🙌

So this post isn’t for everyone. In fact, it may not be for anyone. But just incase there are any other moms out there afraid to take their kids places because of this very issue, you’re not alone ✊

Obviously this isn’t the perfect solution but I don’t think there is one. It’s just what works for us. And I don’t feel an ounce of mom guilt about it ❤️