My family is getting ready to go on a nine-day vacation next week by car, toddler and dog and all. We've done a fair amount of traveling before this, but at the time my daughter was nursing and sleeping in a crib. She's since weaned and sleeping in her own bed at home ~ with some issues around staying in bed all night. I'm wondering how best to set up sleep accomodations for her on the road. We have a trundle bed for her when we get to our destination, but we have four overnights in different hotels getting there and back, and I am wondering if it's going to be easier to get her a crib, bring a cot, or plan on co-sleeping those nights. She's really quick to form new habits too, so I am afraid if we start co-sleeping on vacation, we're going to have new sleep issues when we get home... but I don't know how she'll do going back to a crib. Anyone else have this experience?
Thanks everyone for your advice! We bought a toddler cot from One Step Ahead, and it worked pretty well. We set it up at home first and let our daughter play in it to get used to it, and by the time we actually used it it was no big deal for her. I did bring an extra pad to put down on it as it seemed to me that you can feel the middle support bar, and she did roll out of it onto the floor the first couple of nights (without waking up!), so I wouldn't wholesale recommend this solution for everyone. But she liked it well enough that we used it the whole time, even when we got to our destination.
Hi K.,
What we would do is get a room with two queen beds. You can put her in the middle of her own bed and put pillows all around the bed. Then, at night, if she is not "doing well", you can always climb into bed with her.
I wouldn't stress about it. I bet it will be just fine. :)
Have a great trip!
A.
Depending on what type of hotel you have, my daughters love to have us push the two chairs together and let them use that as a bed. If the chairs are not the nice upholstered armchair kind, then we bring their sleeping bag, which they also love to sleep in, and let them lay on the floor.
Good luck!
When I travel with my 2 year old I just get a room with 2 beds, and he sleeps in one. If you are concerned about rolling, just ask for extra pillows to put along the edge of the bed.
We co-sleep with out 2.5 girl while traveling. By the time we get back home we are all excited to get into our routine at home and back to her crib she goes.. We have tried port a cribs at motels but she was not having it and so we just all snuggled in a king bed.. have fun on your vacation.
lenc
mom of a 2.5 and 5 both girls
When our daughter outgrew the pack and play we bought her the Youth Aerobed (http://tiptoeturtle.com/AeroBed-For-Kids.pro) from Target.com, but I'm not sure if they have it anymore. She loves her "moon bed" and loves sleeping on it! She will be able to use it for years!
We also considered the Ready Bed which our local Target and Walmart both carry (http://www.target.com/Dora-Jr-Ready-Foot-Pump/dp/B0007OGW.... (you may need to copy and paste the last one - it didn't link correctly - sorry!)
YOu've gotten some really great advice. What has worked for us in the past while traveling with our little ones is to mirror her sleeping situation that she has at home. Anythign they sleeps with, lovie, pillow, baby, blanket.. I typically pull the bedding all the way down except for the fitted sheet, place pillows strategically around the sides and put all their favorites in the bed. It also helps to make them involved, have a bag that she can pack with some of these things so she has control of her environment. Make it an adventure! And wear her out! If the motel has a pool, awesome! If not? Go for a long walk before the bedtime ritual begins, stick to your routine too, bath, books, songs, whatever.. Have fun!
Get a room with two queen beds at all your hotel stops. You can push one against the wall and then pillow her in, or bring a traveling fold-up bed rail. That's what we did. Hotels will often have cribs, if you request them, but our kid isn't a crib sleeper. Good luck.
I would have her sleep in a cot and put pillows on the floor on each side of it, or on one side if it can go against a wall. Make sure you explain to her that she is such a big girl, that she gets her very own "special" bed at the hotels, one that they bring in only for special occasions. We did this with our two boys and they thought is was a lot of fun and that they were so grown up!
Good luck!
C.
We just went through this. We drove from Washington to Texas with our two year old and needed a place for him to sleep once we got to my parents'. Their other guest bed is an antique and adults need a stool to climb in bed. We also had nights on the road, and a stop-over at Disneyland. We got him the Kid's Aerobed. It comes with a cover for it so he wasn't just sleeping on the plastic and I didn't have to rig up a sheet or anything. It was a little pricey, but I think it was so far beyond worth the money. Like your little one, I didn't want my son deciding it was ok to sleep with Mommy and Daddy, which he would have and wouldn't have worked out well for us. We also never sleep well when we've had to put him in our bed (NONE of us!), when there are things like winter storms with blackouts and he gets scared and cold in his room. I went to Amazon.com to find the best deal. We ended up having the Cabela's site ship it to their local store (Lacey), but I think that even with shipping they were the cheapest, AND quickest, I couldn't wait 6 weeks for the things to ship. It was a LIFESAVER. Good luck.
When I did this same thing, (having her sleep in a porta-crib on vacation) my daughter actually really liked it! She felt comfortable and thought it was fun, and actually slept well. It seems that if you have any problems, it would just be sleeping in a different place, so make sure you bring the same blankets and stuffed animal she sleeps with at home, and hopefully that will help her feel more comfortable! Good Luck!
Hi there. At www.leapsandbounds.com they have a "Deluxe Travel n' Trundle" bed. It is made for taking on trips and folds down to the size of a duffle bag. I have never used it but we have concidered it for our travels. They have a ton of other great travel tools for children. I hope you have a great trip. God bless you and your family.
K.,
We have traveled a lot with our little ones. Every hotel we have stayed at has a crib. Even when we ask for one in advance, we typically have to remind them when we arrive. When we didn't want to wait for the crib to arrive at our room (late night arrival at hotel), we would put our son in the second bed and prop pillows around him. They are usually queen size beds so there is plenty of room to do this. He loved sleeping in the big bed and loved that he got one all to himself while mommy and daddy had to share. Good luck!
You could always ask for a roll away from the hotels you are staying at. I know most hotels have them and do not charge. Or you could get her a sleeping bag and set her up on the floor. We bought one of the little sleeping bags, with small play tent, and made it fun for our little ones to "camp out."
Good Luck!
Most hotels have cribs or pack n plays you can use.
I've actually had many people tell me and SWEAR by having their toddler sleep in the closet of the hotel. They take one of the bedspreads and fold it up to fit on the floor, and a suitcase next to the open doorway. The 1/2 slider door acts as a barrier for their feet/legs, but their head is "open" and the suitcase is also a barrier.
I haven't tried this cuz my ds is too old, but it does sound as if it would work.
Depending on the hotel, they may be able to supply you with a cot or something toddler friendly so you dont need to co sleep. Have you ever used one of those blow up sleeping bags i have seen for children or the ones that roll up but have an animal for pillow end?
I would use a porta-crib if you have one. Otherwise, buy an inflatable mattress-even one for the pool-and make that her hotel bed. Put her blankets, pillow, etc on it. We just went on vacation with my 2yo and he actually ended up sleeping on a blanket on the floor, but I think that an inflatable would be much more comfortable.
if you know the hotels you will be staying in then definitely call and ask for a crib in the room. we did this and what it ended up being was a pack and play. we filled it with our daughters usual bedtime blankets and snuggle kitty and she was fine. the good thing about doing that is this way you are not adding to your luggage. you don't need anything once you get to your destination, you said, so why pack extra "stuff" when i'm sure you are packing plenty already:)
Have fun!!!
-B
I got my daughter (turned 2 in April) the toddler Aerobed on amazon.com. It comes with a storage bag, a plug in pump to inflate, and a special sheet sized to fit it - all for around $80. It has slightly raised sides so they can't fall out easily...my daughter LOVED having "her own bed" at my parents - it was an instant hit. So much so that everyone new who came to the house had to go see "her bed"! It's large enough that she will be able to use it well into grade school. Have fun!
-K.
Our little girl will be 3 in October and has been in a big bed since March, but we usually take the pack n' play for her to sleep in while we're away from home. We've taken two recent trips. One was a flight to CA and we didn't want to drag around the PNP but we had two beds at the hotel and we didn't need to borrow the PNP from family because she actually stayed in bed. We came home from another trip yesterday where we were at a family cabin with no option for a second bed, so she was in the PNP. I find it easier than dealing with her getting into things in an unknown room. Plus, I never know how toddler-proof the room is, so I feel much safer if I know she's contained during the times we're not in the room with her. Have fun on your big trip!! :-)
Hi K.,
When our 22 month old started scaling over his pack n play when we traveled, we got him a super cool Thomas the Train blow up bed with sleeping bag attached. We made a big deal about how cool it is, and brought along his stuffed animal that he sleeps with at home. He feels like a big boy in his super cool bed. It was still a bit of an adjustment, but it works great and now he knows that when we travel he gets to sleep in his train bed. When we give him advance notice about new things and talk them up, he is better prepared to handle travel surprises and we don't have as much resistance. Happy driving.
Most hotels have travel cribs that you can order to be put in your room. Than find an alcove or create a little room with blankets - or use the closet if it's big enough.
A.
Most hotels and motels have a cot for use but if you aren't sure bring one along.
We have a 2.5 year old who was in his own bed right around when he turned 2. He sleeps on a mattress on the floor, no boxspring yet (because he likes to be able to climb "up" onto his bed). When we travel, I usually sleep with him - we travel at least once a month. If in a hotel, we get two full beds, husband sleeps alone (lucky him) and I sleep with the toddler...it works just fine for us, he doesn't feel like we should sleep with him when we get home. I think that your child will not want a pack n play, which is a pretty typical hotel "crib"...not very big for a 2 year old.
K.,
My first thought is to make her a nifty nest on the floor in the corner. I was around 13 or so and did that once and found it to be fun.
Another thought is to put her in a bed by herself with either pillows around her so she doesn't fall off, or pillows on the floor around the bed if she does fall off.
I'm not a big fan of co-sleeping all night just because I'm a toss and turn sleeper. I'm always afraid of rolling over in the night and squishing my kids.
Good Luck,
Melissa
Hi, we just got back from a 9 day trip by car down to Lake Tahoe mid July for a family reunion and stayed at 6 different locations. We found co-sleeping to be the best method with our 18 month old son, he is now soundly sleeping in his own crib with no problems.. It took a couple days to get him back but we're pretty easy going about it.. I noticed by the 3rd location, he was getting pretty hard to manage at night especially being over stimulated with all the relatives, we had 75 of us in a lodge on the lake.. Literally everytime he woke up we were in a different location, whether it be napping and waking up in the car or sleeping at night in a different hotel or lodge.
But, you know thinking back maybe if you got him something now, such as one of those porta sleepers suggested above and maybe started putting him in it before you left town.. he would get use to sleeping in that with the same blankets, etc.. and then would be able to wake up each time in different locations in the same little bed.. That might be more comforting!!
We had a Great time and it was our first real road trip, he has flown plenty of times but being stuck in a car seat is alot harder.. we only would go about 4 hours at a time, anything after that.. he started getting real antsy. We stopped in Medford on the way down and that seemed to be about the right distance for a little one with lots of energy! Good Luck and Have a GREAT trip!!
Hi K., we did quite a few road trips with our now 3 year old. what worked for us was to bring along our own pack and play, and "blanket" (his lovey). If your daughter has something she sleeps with every night it helps, and we tried to keep to his usual bedtime or within an hour of it. Hotel rooms are very interesting (lol) good luck! and don't get discouraged....if she falls asleep in the car a little drive may be a good fall back.
E.
Borrow a friends Barbie (or other cute character) sleeping bag. She'll look forward to sleeping in it no matter where you put it (and it's her own space).
We just returned from a trip up north and my son slept in the recliner chair! He thought it was cool! We've pushed 2 plush chairs together for him, or put the large decorator pillows on the floor, I guess we've got him adapted to sleeping on the road as an adventure!
Aerobed or just a plain old sleeping bag... it's just like camping but in a hotel.
K.,
Use a cot. When we went on a trip with our boys (twins) they used cots or pull-outs. They still use cribs at home, but while traveling as long as they understood where Mom and Dad could be found they did wonderful. We rocked them to sleep since the sleeping arrangements were new for them...and in the mornings they came to wake us up!! It was actually a great view for me to see they are almost ready for Big Boy Beds.
good luck,
T.
What we have used for our children while traveling are those kid sized air matress and sleeping bags. They come in all different themes and characters, which makes it fun for the kids to pick out. Both or our girls have used them and loved them. They travel well, when deflated they fit nicely in a suit case. They come with a pump so no need to buy anything extra. They work great for hotel stays and for overnight adventures to friends and family. Hope this helps.
