Baby Travel Don'ts and Don'ts

Three weeks into the trip, let's take stock on what we've done right and what we've done wrong with Lyra and see where her sleeping and general well-being is up to.

1) It's impossible to distinguish jet lag from the effect of the accursed long summer evening. Long summer evenings are great for adults but really crappy for children. We can't really take blackout curtains wherever we go, can we?

2) Every time we go away, she gets a little worse. Now she's in Gamlingay, another house, another room, and we're leaving her to scream herself to sleep. If you go up to her and open the door - instant silence. Anne, whose opinion as a child-care expert I respect (mostly because she agrees with me) opines that Lyra is playing a game, that she is being naughty and just doesn't want to be left alone.

3) There is the legendary 18-month separation anxiety sleep crisis as well in the mix.

So what have we done wrong? Moved around too much, not been strict with bedtimes, not been strict with sleep discipline generally. What have we done right? Good question!

Last night she figured out how to climb out of her travel cot. So we had two hours of screaming and banging on the door too!