sleeping while travelling

[ericher]

Hi,
We are about to embark on a summer of several trips with our boy, currently six months old, who needs to be seen by all the various relatives on the East Coast. I am planning to invest in a pack 'n' play to give him something to sleep in while we're at various hotels. Any suggestions about a good one that is lightweight and relatively inexpensive? We don't the bassinet part at this point since he would be too big for it anyway.

Thanks for any tips,
Elise

having fun with Harry, 11/9/04

[Raidra]

We have a fancier Graco at home, the one with the bassinet and changing table, and we like it just fine. When we flew to Florida this winter, my MIL had bought the cheapest Graco and it was basically the same. We have a different brand of sheets at home (Nojo, I think? they're terry), but in FL we used a sheet that she had that felt/looked the same as regular crib sheets, and those were fine, too.

Are you flying or driving? If you're taking trips by plane, it might be better to see if there's a place where you can rent one once you get there.

[ellies mom]

I think Graco makes a smaller version of the Pack'n'Play that would be perfect for traveling. If I remember right I saw it at Target. I kind of wish I had one because I'm not looking forward to lugging our regular size one all over New England this summer.

[ilfaith]

If you do plan to stay in hotels throughout your trip, you might want to inquire as to whether they have cribs available. Most major chain hotels do. I know Hampton Inns (and other Hilton properties) offer a Pack and Play-type crib, and the Starwood hotels (Westin, Sheraton) I've stayed in provide some version of their "heavenly crib". I know the cribs (at least at these chains) are offered free to guests. We are staying in a couple of small, independently owned inns on an upcoming trip, and while both happily provide cribs, one is charging a nominal fee.

If your child is most comfortable with a particular type of sheet, you might want to pack those to bring along...but keep in mind, they may not be the right fit for a hotel crib.

And if you have family you plan to visit frequently, you might want to consider keeping some sort of crib at their home. My parents were kind enough to spring for a Pack and Play (one of the more basic models) to have on hand for our visits...and, no doubt, in hopes of having more grandchildren in the future.

[ericher]

Thanks for the suggestions. It now looks like we will be in hotels the whole time so I think i am going to call and see if they have a crib we can use. I know some people are nervous about using those old hotel cribs but I guess we'll take the chance.

Elise

having fun with Harry, 11/9/04

[Java]

Kael is a crib man - he has a hard time sleeping anywhere else. He's one of the few who does not like to co-sleep. We're renting a crib on our trip. Unfortunately, the resort we're going to does not provide one so we have to rent one for $60 a week. We are bringing his fleece sheets and pillow so at least there will be familiar things in the new crib.

We purchased a basic model PnP - I think Graco for $50, no bassinet or changing table - and never used it. It's over at MIL's. Supposed to be for naps but MIL liked to nap with him so it was relegated to storing his toys.

I thought crib mattresses are standard sized? Shouldn't most sheets fit it? I've never had a problem with sheets not fitting and we have a ton of sheets.

Good luck!

[tarahsolazy]

I just stayed at a Crowne Plaza, fairly fancy place (my work paid, LOL!), and they had a very nice Cosco portable crib made of aluminum tubing. It was very cozy for DS. We've also stayed at hotels with Pack and Plays. I bet they've all got them.

[August Mom]

I am one of those people who was nervous about using "those old hotel cribs" and generally took my Graco PNP. However, on one trip I took with DS and my parents, we couldn't take the PNP and used hotel cribs and they were fine. I didn't encounter any of those horror story cribs I was worried about. Most places had PNPs and I took my own sheets - a PNP sheet and a regular crib sheet. One place did have a portable crib, but it looked brand new. Perhaps if you stayed at an older, independent hotel there could be a problem, but we stayed in motels owned by various chains and all the cribs were fine.

Have a nice trip.