Is a travel crib a long term sleep solution for a baby?

September 25, 2014 1:42 PM

Our baby (who is six months old) now sleeps in this Lotus travel crib. We did this because we travelled a lot when she was first born and were in the middle of moving. Now we're settled, and we're thinking of getting a proper crib -- but is there any harm in just letting her sleep in it permanently?

I suppose the only issue is whether the mattress is okay. Frankly, it's really hard -- basically a thin pad on the ground. But then again, all crib mattresses seem hard. I'm not against getting a real crib, but since she's used to it, and it would mean not buying anything else, I'm considering keeping her there. Obviously if it's bad for her back, I'll switch! You are not my doctor, but my doctor doesn't seem very helpful here.

Thanks!

posted by caoimhe to Shopping (9 answers total)

Our children slept in something similar until they outgrew it. I think it was the Graco version. They are doing just fine, 2 and 5 years later. Not an authoritative answer, perhaps, but many anecdotes make data, right?
posted by procrastination at 1:48 PM on September 25, 2014

Lots of people just use portable cribs or co-sleepers with little babies... we did for both kids because of space issues. As long as she fits in it okay with some space to maneuver I'd think you'll be fine. When she gets old enough to be getting up and moving around/walking/climbing you may want a larger crib to effectively contain her, especially if you're not sleeping in the same room. Otherwise who knows where you might find her! My two and a half year old, who sleeps in a "big girl" bed, was standing on top of a table bouncing up and down this morning because she could see the fog outside. "IT'S FOGGY!!!!!" ....Ok then.
posted by selfnoise at 2:04 PM on September 25, 2014

I think the answer's gonna depend on your kid -- if she turns into an early climber or not. Kid BlahLaLa never, ever tried to climb out of his crib -- even when he was bigger. It's like it just never occurred to him. Consequently we kept him in there to an older age than many of his pals. As for the mattress issue, you could try a folded-up blanket under the entire travel crib, perhaps? So that hard mattress is on a slightly softer surface?
posted by BlahLaLa at 2:10 PM on September 25, 2014

Our kid is sleeping in one nightly, and I fully expect she will stay sleeping in it for the foreseeable future. I have no worries that it's fine for her, though I wish the sleeping platform were higher. It's a bummer to do all that bending down.
posted by Admiral Haddock at 2:10 PM on September 25, 2014

Why not? If you're all happy with the arrangement.

I slept on the floor for parts of my childhood and I still have a fondness for a very firm bed to this day. Didn't hurt anything.

They tried to keep me in the crib, but I was a monkey so it didn't work.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 2:44 PM on September 25, 2014

You can buy thicker mattresses - for the Graco ones at least. We did this for littlelemon and he's doing fine, though at 3 feet tall I'm wondering if they make full length cribs.
posted by yogalemon at 2:44 PM on September 25, 2014

The hard mattress is a safety thing. I put my tiny baby on her back on our bed which had a duvet over it and in the minute I had my back turned, she rolled over and was struggling to lift her head from the pillowy duvet to breathe. Kids can sleep on anything - my other kid preferred to nap on the tiled floor, face down, butt in the air, over a mattress. I wouldn't worry about the mattress for at least another year.
posted by viggorlijah at 6:50 PM on September 25, 2014

My daughter slept in a Graco Pack n' Play until she was about 7 months old for similar reasons. At that point, we decided to get a crib because the low mattress was messing up MY back. Also, I think it was sometimes a little cold down there, close to the floor (we live in a place with cold winters; maybe not an issue where you live...). Finally, I don't think her back was really affected (babies' bodies are, in some ways, more resilient than ours because they don't sit at computers all day or wear ridiculous shoes), but the mattress of the Pack n' Play started to break down - the places where it folds up broke apart inside the fabric covering, etc, so it seemed even less supportive. I concluded that it wasn't really meant to be used on a nightly basis. My daughter definitely slept more soundly in a regular crib.
posted by JubileeRubaloo at 7:19 PM on September 25, 2014

My kid slept in a pack and play until age 2, when we transitioned her to a toddler bed. We never had a full size crib. Five years later, I am not aware of any harm that came from this treatment.
posted by crazycanuck at 8:34 PM on September 25, 2014