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Keeping My Sleepwalker Safe While Traveling

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This blog post is brought to you by VTech and The Motherhood. All opinions are my own. Post contains affiliate links.

I don’t think I’ve ever talked about my 13 year old’s sleepwalking adventures. Both his dad and I were/are both sleepwalkers. He’s definitely kept us on our toes! I never thought about it being an issue while traveling (because really, there are so many other things to think about) but it has come up a few times, so I have some steps that I take to feel that he’s safer and so that I get better sleep when we’re away.

Keeping my sleepwalker safe while traveling

When I say that he sleepwalks I mean really sleepwalks. Occasionally it’s little things but he’s turned on the shower and been ready to get in, scared his brother half to death slamming down on his bed, spilled and tried to pick up a huge box of nails and has walked out of the house to where we were talking with neighbors at 1:00 am. He’s also done it while at friend’s houses for sleepovers! I’m telling you, he’s kept us on our toes for sure.

Keeping my sleepwalker safe while traveling

We first started taking precautions when we were staying at a beach house on Kauai right on the beach. I put an alarm on the door and he did open it one night but it was SO loud, woke everyone up and scared us all half to death. Thank goodness technology has advanced quite a bit since then and I have more options.

Here are some tips to keep your sleepwalker safe on vacation:

  • Try not to overtire them. Sleepwalking happens MUCH more often when they’re super tired or stressed.
  • Clear objects on the floor/nightstand that could hurt them if they do sleepwalk.
  • Make sure all the doors and windows are locked.
  • Don’t wake them if they do sleepwalk just tell them to go back to bed/lead them to bed (mine usually wants to go to the bathroom first).
  • Install safety gates if needed (mine is a pro at sleepwalking stairs though).
  • Get a monitor so that you know you’ll wake up if they do sleepwalk. I LOVE the VTech Safe & Sound® DM271-110 DECT 6.0 Digital Audio Baby Monitor with Open/Closed & Motion SensorsKeeping my sleepwalker safe while traveling

Obviously my older kids don’t want to feel like they’re being watched so this VTech Digital Audio Monitor has been the perfect solution for us. It comes with open/closed & motion smart sensors so that even if I don’t want to hear noises from around the house, I can still be alerted that there was motion detected even with the “sound” portion of the monitor is off.

Keeping my sleepwalker safe while traveling

I bring removable mounting tape for the sensors (or find a spot it can go if I don’t want it on the wall) and turn it on at night. I put the “baby” unit on a console or table near the sensor so that if he does make the sensor go off I can just talk to him from the parent unit and tell him to go back to bed! I can’t tell you how much this helps me to know that he’s safe and get a good night’s sleep while we’re away (without waking up the whole neighborhood with a loud alarm like before).

Keeping my sleepwalker safe while traveling

Keeping my sleepwalker safe while traveling

I also love having a monitor around when I’m watching my nieces and nephews. Even as they get older I can talk and check in on them in another room to make sure they’re safe or don’t need anything. This VTech Digital Audio Monitor also has a fun feature that makes it a glow-on-ceiling night light that projects the moon and stars onto the ceiling, and can play a gentle lullaby during nap time.

I don’t know that VTech had sleepwalkers in mind when they created this model but I’m SO glad they did! They have such a great product line ranging from compact audio monitors to award-winning high-tech video monitors all helping parents keep their kids safe in new ways. You can stay in touch with them on Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest if you want to see all their new products (or maybe even new ways to use their products)!

Keeping my sleepwalker safe while traveling

Do you use any extra safety measures when you travel? Even without a sleepwalker there’s always little things like kids or pets going where it might not be safe for them. The boys were saying that we should put one of the open/closed monitors on the cabinet door in our kitchen so that when the dogs open in we can correct them through the monitor lol!

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Allison Waken is a wife, mom of boys and Phoenix, AZ native. She has been creating inspiring content for All for the Boys since 2011. Allison loves travel, movies and spending as much time as possible with her family while she can!

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