Travel crib suggestions?

[yumyumsmom]

One month after the birth of our expected child, my husband and I will be moving across the country. En route to our new home, we will be stopping and staying with relatives for a few weeks. We don't plan on buying a permanent crib until we arrive in the new city (and even then, it might take some time for the crib to arrive after we have ordered it).

I would appreciate recommendations for a travel crib or bassinet that we could use for the baby's first eight weeks or so.

It needs to be small enough to travel in the back of an SUV and be versatile to be used in multiple cities.

Thank you for your help!

[edurnemk]

There's always the typical Pack n Play (Graco, Chicco, Evenflo), but they're heavy and bulky and don't last too long. Some come with bassinet attachments and changing tables (if you go this route, be sure to go for one of the folding changing tables)

If price is no object I'd get this:
http://www.amazon.com/BABYBJÖRN-Travel-Crib-Light-Blue/dp/B000XDYLEK

Or this:
http://www.amazon.com/Phil-Teds-Portable-Traveler-Black/dp/B0016LUPAM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=baby-products&qid=1287080661&sr=1-1

They have more room for a growing toddler and are way lighter and compact. And you can set them up in seconds. I have them on my wishlist for the next DC and I'm getting rid of our PnP.

I have a KidCo Peapod Plus, but I wouldn't use it for such a young baby.

You could also get an Arm's Reach Cosleeper and use it for some time at your new home before purchasing a crib.

[♥ms.pacman♥]

i have the Baby Bjorn Travel Crib. I love it to pieces, it's so useful. Totally worth the money IMO. And it's not big & bulky like the Graco PnP. It takes seconds to put together, and it's very light to carry around.

The other big thing, is that the Bjorn Travel Crib is decently sized enough that it will probably last until baby is 2 or 3 yrs old, so u can use it later on for future travel. with many other travel cribs or bassinets, this is not the case, as u can use them for 3 months *max* (less if your baby is bigger), so it doesn't seem worth the $$$. My son grew out of the bassinet and his Arms' Reach Mini Cosleeper at 6 weeks (and he weighed less than 7lbs at birth). So for us the BabyBjorn crib was super useful. Also great for when we go to a dinner party at family or friends house, we have a place for DS to nap.

[yumyumsmom]

Thank you for your great suggestions.

I would love to also know what crib sheets you use with these travel cribs.

[alirebco]

There's always the typical Pack n Play (Graco, Chicco, Evenflo), but they're heavy and bulky and don't last too long. Some come with bassinet attachments and changing tables (if you go this route, be sure to go for one of the folding changing tables)

If price is no object I'd get this:
http://www.amazon.com/BABYBJÖRN-Travel-Crib-Light-Blue/dp/B000XDYLEK

Or this:
http://www.amazon.com/Phil-Teds-Portable-Traveler-Black/dp/B0016LUPAM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=baby-products&qid=1287080661&sr=1-1

They have more room for a growing toddler and are way lighter and compact. And you can set them up in seconds. I have them on my wishlist for the next DC and I'm getting rid of our PnP.

I have a KidCo Peapod Plus, but I wouldn't use it for such a young baby.

You could also get an Arm's Reach Cosleeper and use it for some time at your new home before purchasing a crib.

Ditto the Baby Bjorn or Phil and Teds. If I would have known about them, I probably would have gotten one of those instead of the PNP which is so heavy and bulky.

[lowrioh]

I also recommend the Bjorn Travel crib. It will last you a lot longer than a PnP and it is much lighter and easier to set up. We have a PnP that we borrowed from my SIL and it was great when DD was little, but she outgrew it before we were ready to have her sleep in a regular bed.

The only negative to the Bjorn is that you are going to have to bend all the way down to the floor to put the baby down.

You could also buy/borrow a PnP that has a bassinet feature.
Are you staying with the same relatives for the whole time or moving around. If you are staying in one place, you should see if they know anyone with a PnP with a bassinet that you can use while you stay with them.

[peanut520]

we love our phil and ted's. we originally bought it bring to the pool and beach while we vacationed, but was a lifesaver when i noticed there was a spec of rust on the crib the ritz carlton gave us i refused to have her in there or any of there cribs. it is so light weight and portable. it fit inside our suitcase for traveling. as for sheets; we just used her regular crib sheet by wrapping it around a few bath towels to make a matress pad type thing.

[Armywife1stDr2nd]

I was looking at the Graco Travel lite for our trips. They are on sale now at Albee baby and I think you can find them for different prices on line. I know our local Burlington Baby Depot has them and for a bit less I believe. I haven't tried it so I can't recommend it but it's just something else to look at.

http://www.albeebaby.com/graco-travel-lite-crib-1749735-in-marlowe.html

[lowrioh]

I was looking at the Graco Travel lite for our trips. They are on sale now at Albee baby and I think you can find them for different prices on line. I know our local Burlington Baby Depot has them and for a bit less I believe. I haven't tried it so I can't recommend it but it's just something else to look at.

http://www.albeebaby.com/graco-travel-lite-crib-1749735-in-marlowe.html

We got a Travel lite from a friend that we used in our bedroom as a bassinet. It is smaller than a regular PnP but still heavier than the Bjorn or P&Ts AND it is much smaller so you probably won't be able to use it long term.

[MarthaT]

We have the phil and teds and love it, i def. recommend it