Traveling Routines & Rituals

When it comes to my children’s routine, sleep is the critical element. Days preceded by restless nights, or a late bedtime, typically yield lots of whining, with an occasional meltdown, or three. Gemma is the only one that has a set nap schedule, and Siella is down to maybe one nap a week now. For my sanity, and their own good, I try to nap them whenever possible, but with school, activities, and lots of play, it’s not always possible to get them down for their afternoon siesta. Nighttimes could be rocky if one of them wakes up in the middle of the night.  Since they are sharing a room, one kid crying or making noise can quickly result on all three awake. I can sometimes get them to go back down, but there are plenty of mornings that I find myself sipping coffee before sunrise.

This past weekend, my family and I enjoyed a staycation at The Benjamin Hotel, located in midtown Manhattan. It was a great opportunity to spend some time in a different part of the city, soaking up the neighborhood. We headed uptown on Friday afternoon, with great anticipation for the warm weather and our swanky hotel room.

Upon arrival at our one bedroom suite, The Benjamin had pint sized robes, bedtime books, and the little plush owls laying out on the bed, waiting for the kids. They were extremely excited to see some of our favorite tales like Good Night Central Park and Twinkle Little Star. Reading is a staple in their bedtime, and something they look forward to every night.

We headed out to an early dinner, and we were welcomed back to the room with juice and a fruit plate for children. I had notified the staff that Ryder cannot have gluten, so they made sure to send fruit instead of cookies. As we started to get ready for bed, it was time to order from their exclusive pillow menu, offering a huge selection pillows, each catering to individual sleep position and preference. Special pillows for the children were available, but the five-foot body cushion, which was even taller than the kids, was everyone’s favorite.

We learned about The Benjamin’s complimentary Winks’ Kidzzz Club children’s program, created to educate the youngest guests on the importance of sleep. The Benjamin provides children with a child-sized pillow and bathrobe, a library of family bedtime books, and an official Winks’ Kidzzz Club Sleep Certificate awarded at check-out. This program is absolute genius, as most of the time while traveling, the kids don’t really get a proper night sleep.

That night, we went through our usual bedtime routine, topped off with mini robes and special pillows, and new owl lovies. Low and behold, everyone slept in past 7am- a new record. Sure, we had the two big kids wonder into our room in the middle of night, but we all slept snuggly in the king size bed.

We all woke super refreshed and ready to enjoy the unusually warm NYC weather. The day started with breakfast at The National restaurant, located in the hotel, followed by a day of exploring in Central Park.

We acted like total tourists, soaking in our family time. The kids even went fishing in Central Park (don’t worry it was catch and release!). Along the way, an artist drew characters of them. The sketch will hang in their bedroom as a reminder of the glorious day.

Thank you to The Benjamin Hotel for sponsoring this post, and offering my family an incredible (well rested!) weekend in NYC.