Need suggestions for travel sleeping arrangement with a 10 mo old

[Anonymous]

We'll be going on a few trips this summer and need to find a suitable travel bed. We don't have a pack n play so what can we use? We could buy one but it wouldn't last DS very long. The aerobed looks great but they say age 3 and up. Should we just co-sleep? Snugglenest on the floor? We're staying with family and they don't have any kid stuff. Renting doesn't make sense as we plan to start traveling more often so want something we can use for a while moving foward. Thanks for your help.

[Anonymous]

Pack and Play can be used until your child is ready for a big bed. DD slept in one when visiting family until she was a bit over 2.

If you're not used to co-sleeping, I think that would be difficult for everyone involved. I certainly couldn't sleep if I was worried about blankets and pillows on my baby. And when my baby is in my bed, she thinks it's playtime!

If you don't want to commit a lot of $$, I'll bet you could borrow a pack n play or buy a used one. They are bulky, but if you're driving you'll have room in the car.

And once DS is more mobile, you may find it useful around the house. I use mine for about 2 minutes a day when I need to run to the basement and don't' want the baby to follow me, or run out to my car for groceries and don't want him crawling out and down the front steps.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't recommend the Snugglenest for a 10 month old. While we loved ours when our children were younger, they outgrew them by about 4-5 months old so I would guess that it is already too small for your DS.

I would suggest either co-sleeping (which we sometimes still do since they seem to sleep better with us when they are in an unfamiliar place), or reconsider getting a Pack N Play. I understand not wanting to spend a lot for something with limited usefulness, but I see second-hand ones advertised all the time on Craig's List in the $30 - $50 range. I think that would even be less expensive than an AeroBed, and you can always re-sell it in a few months time! We loved our Pack N Play, and both of our children did well in it when we traveled.

[Anonymous]

PPs, thank you. DS is 21 lbs and very long. I think he might feel caged in in the pack and play. And he is not used to it. Is there one that is for larger babies? We can try. Any other ideas?

[Anonymous]

OP, just for the sake of information, I wanted to let you know that my 9 1/2 month old is nearly 23 pounds and about 30 inches. He sleeps in the Pack N Play when we travel and has no issues, although he has slept in it for travel since he was a newborn so he clearly is used to it.

[Anonymous]

Ditto here. My 11 month baby is at least 23+ lbs and over 30" tall (which is pretty long and tall) and he still has plenty of room in his pack and play at grandmas

[Anonymous]

we just went to NYC with a borrowed pack-n-play for our 10-mo-old. he is also a big baby -- 95th percentile for length. he slept comfortably with room to spare. we have also done co-sleeping on trips, which is fine for overnight, but not good for naps, when you don't want to be stuck in bed during the afternoon.

so, I suggest borrowing a pack-n-play, if you're driving.

[Anonymous]

My 30lb 32.5" 2 year old still sleeps comfortably in his PnP.

[Anonymous]

We just returned from a 2 wk trip with out 10 month old and co-slept as we were staying with family also who didn't have baby stuff. Would definitely NOT recommend it if you do not co-sleep to start with as when we got back, we had to retrain db all over again that her crib was the place to sleep and not mommy and daddy's bed. She's still waking up at night 2 weeks later.

[Anonymous]

There is some travel bed thing called Peapod something or other available at One Step Ahead. Also Phil & Ted's makes some sort of travel bed thing also.

[Anonymous]

Would suggest you buy or borrow Pack n Play, or have the family you're visiting borrow one from someone there. When we've visited friends and family, they've done this so we didn't have to schlepp it on the plane. FWIW, I believe some of the other suggestions people have made (e.g., Phil & Ted's) would also have the effect of "caging" your son, so not really better options if that's your concern. Our now-11-month-old son was 31 inches (off the chart) at 9 months, and sleeps just fine in the PnP. It's not terribly different from a crib, IMO.

You said he wasn't used to the PnP, which may make a difference, but really, is he used to any of the other things you're considering? He may not sleep all that well when traveling, regardless. Not wishing that for you, but just be aware. You might try out whatever option you decide on before you go, just to get him used to it. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Our 14 mo old (31" 26 lbs) naps twice a day iin a packnplay as part of a namnyshare setup. We also use it on trips. The one thing we noticed when he was about 3 mo old was that it worked better with a large sofa pillow (the size of the pnp) under the pad. Must have been more like his crib.

[Anonymous]

We needed something bigger than a pack-n-play when my son was 18 months old. He is very tall for his age - 36 inches at 18 months...we ended up buying a Phil&Ted's travel cot. Its great! (Google it!)

My son, who is now 23 months, climbed out of his crib a few months ago, so at home he now sleeps in a twin bed. We traveled two weekends ago and tried to put him down in a bed, but he was too excited by his surroundings to sleep. Luckily I bought the travel cot with us - and he was able to sleep just fine in it.

The benefits of the travel cot are:
- Longer length for baby/toddler. This means you can use it longer
- Very lightweight and much more portable than a Pack-n-play
- Although it doesn't look like it, it is very sturdy. TRUST ME on that one - my son could climb out of a crib, he can't climb out of this.

The cons of the travel cot:
- Setting up takes about 5 minutes...once you do it though you establish a routine and can set it up pretty quickly (so practice before you need to use it)
- It is a little more expensive than a Pack-n-play. But you'll be able to use it longer and its cheaper than staying at a hotel so that they can provide you with a crib.