Some people prefer not to use sound machines and that is just fine…
but we are not those people.
I, myself, sleep infinitely better with some pink noise in the background and we utilize white noise for Stella as well. And when traveling, they have become one of our absolute must-haves when maintaining sleep for the baby.
No matter where we go or for how long, we always bring our main sound machine that we use in Stella’s bedroom. When traveling, whether you stay in a hotel or rental, you will likely have very little to no control over the sounds that happen around you. A sound machine is a tremendous help in blocking out those unexpected or louder than usual noises.
We also always utilize a portable sound machine (we really like this one, linked here). When on the go, a small sound machine next to Baby can go a long way in creating a decent enough sleep environment to let you stay out and about all day.
In a louder place, in the heart of a big city for example, a portable sound machine wouldn’t be able to get loud enough to block out all of the sounds from outside. But in other locations, you might be fine with just a portable version. For our family, sleep is important. So we always bring our big guy along with the smaller one.
To get the most out of your sound machine, the key is to place it between the baby and the location of most of the noise. In a hotel, this may be between baby and the door to the hallway or maybe even the window if there is a lot of noise from the street.
If you are in a rental, it is likely that you will have more space and Baby may even have their own room. As long as Baby is in there with the machine, you can stay in another room and enjoy your evening with family or friends without worrying about waking the baby. Just like at home, the volume should be loud enough for you to hear it clearly outside of the room when the door is shut.
But Kelly, what happens if I forget my sound machines or my luggage was lost and I don’t have them? How will my baby get any sleep?!
Well… if all else fails and you feel that you need a sound machine then there are many great apps that you can download or you can play the noise on your phone via Youtube/Spotify/Apple Music.
Ultimately, this all comes back to trying to maintain the same or similar sleep environment on vacation as you do at home.
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