Help! I need a safe bed for camping.

[JP4]

We are planning 2 camping trips in the next few months. On the first trip, our baby will be 6 1/2 months old. We will be in a small tent and I don't think we'll have room for a pack-n-play. I'm looking for a portable bed that will be safe for a baby this age. I saw a crib transitioner/travel bed at Right Start, but I think he'll be too big for it. I saw a toddler travel bed/mat too but it's for age 2 and up. I think he'll also be too big for the portable bassinets I've seen. I don't sleep too well when he sleeps with us because I'm always worried about rolling over on him or pulling the blankets over his head. I would love to find a portable bed/bassinet with bug netting that would still be useful for an older infant. Any suggestions?

[Momof3Labs]

How much does he weigh? Fisher Price makes a portable bassinet - are those the ones that you've already looked at?

Could he sleep in a stroller that is reclined fully and covered with bug netting?

Lori & Colin 9/28/02

[August Mom]

FP makes a portable bassinet, but they also make a play dome that can be used as a sleeping area as well. Whether it would be big enough for your 6.5 month old, I do not know, but I think it would be big enough for my 6 month old. It zips closed with a protective netting. Here's a link to the details: http://www.fisher-price.com/us/babygear/callout.asp?c=bgb&sku=B0003&pn=Learning+Patterns%99+Play+Dome Something else that might work for you is the Snuggle Nest from One Step Ahead. Perhaps you could cover it with stroller or infant seat netting. You can see it at: http://www.onestepahead.com/jump.jsp?lGen=detail&itemID=51755&itemType=PRODUCT&iProductID=51755

Good luck. HTH

[cara1]

I have no suggestions, but kudos to you for attempting such a feat! Please let us know how camping with an infant goes!

[mary b]

Hi, we camped with friends with several friends last summer and had several kids using Pack N plays. Have you tested it out to be sure it defintley won't fit? I agree, they take up a lot of space, but it worked great for us and we had 2 adults and the pack in play and did have room to move around. We were in a 5 person tent. Is it a 2 person tent?? If you are going to be tent camping alot, it might be a better investment to buy a bigger tent if yours won't work and you already have the PNP than to buy something else just for camping.

Let me know if you have any other general camping with baby questions and I will be happy to help!

HTH,

Mary

[JP4]

We may buy a new family tent, and if we do then the pack-n-play would work. However, my dh likes to backpack and we would like to buy a new backpacking tent instead. It would only be big enough for 2-3 people. I remember camping with ds7 when he was a baby, but I believed we used a family size tent. I'm not sure what we'll do in a backpacking tent!

[mary b]

oh, you are a serious camper/backpacker! (LOL!). We are more casual campers (take the entire house and stuff it in the wagon!) Anyway, you don't need my help! ha



have a great time and good luck deciding..
mary