Hotel travel with baby

[Anonymous]

I'm trying to figure out the logistics of a trip I'll be taking soon with my baby who will be 11 months at the time. I'll be flying alone with him to the midwest, where he and I will stay in a hotel for three days, and my sister will join us to help take care of him while I attend some professional meetings. Then, he and I will travel about 200 miles to visit family for about a week (and we will either take the train, or they'll come pick us up). Once we get to their house, they'll have everything we need—car seat, crib, stroller, etc.

Because it's a multi-leg trip, and I'll be doing much of the traveling on my own, I'd like to pack light. So I'm trying to decide which to bring—stroller, PNP, or car seat. I've pretty much ruled out car seat because I think we can use public transportation for the first few days and then use my family's car seat when we get there.

Soooo... PNP or stroller? If we didn't bring the PNP, how would we sleep in the hotel for three nights? I'm not opposed to co-sleeping in these circumstances, but I don't know how I'd keep him from rolling off the bed since you can't usually push it up against a wall in a hotel. Are hotel rental cribs really that sketchy? (Or are there other places you can rent cribs from?) Is it usually possible to rent a stroller, and what type of places rent strollers?

I wear the baby a lot, and would be happy to skip a stroller for 3 days, but my 24-year-old sister is doing me a big favor by coming to watch him for a couple days, and I think she would really appreciate being able to stroll him around the city.

I know this was long. The short version: do I absolutely have to bring a PNP for a 3-day hotel stay, or what are my alternatives?

[Anonymous]

Hotel rental cribs are not sketchy at all. I've used them plenty of times and wouldn't bother with the PNP.

[Anonymous]

Define "sketchy."

[Anonymous]

Nothing wrong with hotel cribs.

Bring the stroller.

Also, you can push a hotel bed up against a wall, most of the time. You might have to move a nightstand, and it might not looks so pretty, but it can be done.

Alternately, buy and bring a bedrail. Like this:
http://www.amazon.com/Dexbaby-Safe-Sleeper-Bed-Rail/dp/B00BFEY20O/ref=sr_1_6?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1409602920&sr=1-6

[Anonymous]

Have the hotel supply the PNP. Bring your own quilter sheet. Can you bring the bucket seat and a snap n go? The bucket can be installed without the base.

[Anonymous]

Use the hotels crib and bring your stroller. Bring your own crib sheets. Nothing sketchy about it

[Anonymous]

OP here. So, sketchy hotel cribs was just a bit of DCUM snobbery that I should have been able to see through? Oops.

In the process of thinking about this, though, my googling led me to <https://babysaway.com>. Anybody used them? Their prices seem cheap, but their website is a little primitive. (And I don't even know where on the internet you would go to read reviews of this sort of service. Yelp?)

[Anonymous]

Or what about this one? http://travelbabees.com/index/default.php

Anybody have experience with any of these companies? I didn't even know they existed.

[Anonymous]

We rented a crib when we stayed at a house once, but when we stayed in a hotel we always used their crib. Every hotel we have stayed in except one gave us a pack n play, and they we're clean and new looking. The other hotel gave us a metal mini crib, also new looking. I would definitely bring the stroller, especially if you're taking public transport, and a carrier if your child likes it. The stroller can also be used for bags and other things if you end up carrying the child.

[Anonymous]

Meh. I wouldn't use a hotel PNP. Looking clean means nothing. I either bright my own or improvised. Pushed chairs up against the bed (back to the bed). Hard bolster pillows next to that. That sort of thing.

It's just the two of you. It's a king size bed I assume. Put a pillow against the night stand so he can't smack his head on it and pillows on the floor on the off chance he did roll off.

[Anonymous]

I have used hotel cribs dozens and dozens of times. Hotels were also required to update their cribs after the massive regulatory change in cribs a couple years ago. Since then I have not seen a 'sketchy' crib. I would bring your own PnP sheets. Frequently they give you regular queen bed sheets for the PnP. I would bring the stroller.

[Anonymous]

I can't imagine ever bringing a pack n play with me anywhere other than a destination where I was driving. It seems ridiculous. Hotel cribs are perfectly fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Meh. I wouldn't use a hotel PNP. Looking clean means nothing. I either bright my own or improvised. Pushed chairs up against the bed (back to the bed). Hard bolster pillows next to that. That sort of thing.

It's just the two of you. It's a king size bed I assume. Put a pillow against the night stand so he can't smack his head on it and pillows on the floor on the off chance he did roll off.

I like how you're sleeved out by a pack and play that looks clean, but are fine with using an upholstered chair and bolster pillows for the baby in the hotel room. Those are NEVER cleaned and in colors that hide dirt.

[Anonymous]

I would get a room with a king-size bed and co-sleep. Line the side of the bed with pillows so that baby cannot fall off. Done.

[Anonymous]

Use the hotel crib. Wipe it down if you are skittish.