I think some times we forget among all the fun that things can only stay fun for so long with littles until someone needs a nap or poops themselves.

Today is gonna be short and sweet. In honor of talking about rest, I {the tiered prego one who has been running littles around all week in the name of fun} will be going to bed on time tonight; even after taking a good nap today 😉

When traveling with littles from babies to preschoolers, keep in mind their routine nap time. If you're going to be out for that time, make sure to take comfort items {fav blanky, paci, sleeping buddy, music, etc} as well as prepare ahead to have a place for them to rest {comfy carseat, stroller, pack-n-play} all at a comfortable temperature or your toast. lol

Check out this post series on sleep.

Babies {infant-1 year}

Thankfully, infants are one of the easiest "little" ages to travel with. Most require very little effort to get to sleep when its time. Many times, traveling can even help. Now that I have older ones as well, the option to not travel doesn't always work well, some do learn to sleep in the car or stroller, but honestly, if you push it too far with this age, nobody's happy.

Suggestions for comfy car riding:: carseat wings & lap blanket

Toddlers {1-3 years}

Unfortunately, I don't know many ways around lots of travel and running with tiny babies that involve good rest/sleep, so I've always tried to limit the running with this age. This is the hardest age to travel with. They are now very aware of things around them yet still in desperate need of real sleep. Most of my children at this age {early end} still took 2 naps so it felt like there was really not good time to do things.

Suggestions for comfy car riding:: neck pillow, lap blanket, and possibly travel DVD players

Preschoolers {3-5 years}

Lots of children at this age are fighting naps, have "given up" naps, or have convinced their mamma not to stress the nap. The good thing is, at this age, it is less crucial that they get a nap every day. Although, running them like crazy will make naps an even more important part of their day.

Suggestions for comfy car riding:: seatbelt pillow {tutorial coming soon}, lap blanket, possibly travel DVD players, and Leap Frog Tag books/pen & headset

Even if your child isn't napping,think of some down-time activities to help them slow down and rest.

• Take a sabbath
  make sure you are taking a day of rest every week as a family
• Use movies
  even though I like the idea of avoiding screen-time, this has been a life-saver for this exhausted pregnant mamma
• Read books
  of course reading with your child is awesome but consider giving them audio books {you can make these} or a Tag pen to help you rest
• Snackseating should be restful and not rushed

Reminder:: when things begin to get me stressed during what was planned to be a fun summer activity, more than likely, its me who is being selfish and inconsiderate of what is really best for my child in the long run.

• Plan to take lots of breaks.
• Take snacks.
• Work in rest/nap time.
• Try to limit fun outing to 1 a day

Pinterest...and Sleep 😉

The rest of the week includes:

Monday-- 5 Days of Summer {little style}: Entertainment

Tuesday-- 5 Days of Summer {little style}: Food

Thursday-- 5 Days of Summer {little style}: Learning

Friday-- 5 Days of Summer: Summary & a GIVEAWAY