Sleeping arrangements for a two year old away from home?
January 14, 2011 1:02 PM Subscribe
We are headed to Key West in May with a two year old. I'm not sure where she should sleep. Suggestions?
She's currently still in a crib, but sleeps on a cot at daycare and in beds just fine. We have a three bedroom house, with six adults and her. She can stay in our room, but I'm uncertain what I should bring for her to sleep on. We have used a pack and play before, but that's unwieldy to travel with because we are flying, and she's mostly outgrown her pea pod. Are there air mattresses that might work for this kind of thing - small ones, for kids, that travel well? Or maybe I'm overthinking and she can just sleep on the floor?
She's currently still in a crib, but sleeps on a cot at daycare and in beds just fine. We have a three bedroom house, with six adults and her. She can stay in our room, but I'm uncertain what I should bring for her to sleep on. We have used a pack and play before, but that's unwieldy to travel with because we are flying, and she's mostly outgrown her pea pod. Are there air mattresses that might work for this kind of thing - small ones, for kids, that travel well? Or maybe I'm overthinking and she can just sleep on the floor?
When we travel we ship our pack and play. It's usually around 20$
posted by bravowhiskey at 1:06 PM on January 14, 2011
posted by bravowhiskey at 1:06 PM on January 14, 2011
Does she ever cosleep with you? When we travel with our son (now age 4) this is always our solution - he's more comfortable because he has mom & dad in a strange place, and I'm more comfortable because I wake up right away if he gets up out of bed.
So, my answer would be "let her sleep in the bed with her parents".
posted by anastasiav at 1:06 PM on January 14, 2011 [4 favorites]
So, my answer would be "let her sleep in the bed with her parents".
posted by anastasiav at 1:06 PM on January 14, 2011 [4 favorites]
One time we bought a Pack 'n' Play at our destination, to avoid paying the extra baggage charge (both ways, it adds up) and just hauling it in general. You could try the floor out and then have buying a P&P at a local Babies R Us as a back-up plan. FWIW, 2-year-olds in my experience find it comforting to have their own spot to sleep in, and would find just sleeping on the floor a little too unnerving, especially in a strange place.
posted by palliser at 1:10 PM on January 14, 2011
posted by palliser at 1:10 PM on January 14, 2011
When travelling I bring a camping mattress and sack out on that with the kid, easy-peasy. Eliminates worry about too-high hotel beds, and any fears of a new environment.
posted by kmennie at 1:23 PM on January 14, 2011
posted by kmennie at 1:23 PM on January 14, 2011
You can also rent a crib or a "porta-crib" which might turn out to be a Pack 'n' Play.
posted by pinky at 1:25 PM on January 14, 2011
posted by pinky at 1:25 PM on January 14, 2011
You could try getting the larger size of the Peapod.
posted by mingshan at 1:34 PM on January 14, 2011
posted by mingshan at 1:34 PM on January 14, 2011
Whatever you choose to do, have a plan, and a backup plan. When travelling to hotels with my two boys (1 and 3), we take portable bedrails, and rent a pack and play from the hotel. The plan is to have the 1yr old in the P&P, the 3yr old in the full size bed with bedrails, and then Mr Joh and I in the other full size bed. The backup plan is that we might end up with one adult in each bed, with some arrangement of children sleeping with whoever made them most comfortable. Which of course is where it ended up. With Mr Joh having the luxury of a full-size bed all to himself!
posted by Joh at 2:07 PM on January 14, 2011
posted by Joh at 2:07 PM on January 14, 2011
My kids liked it when we took the cushions off the couch and put them on the floor in a row, then used extra pillow/blanket to make them a bed out of it.
posted by CathyG at 5:29 PM on January 14, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by CathyG at 5:29 PM on January 14, 2011 [1 favorite]
One Step Ahead has exactly what you're looking for. It's an inflatable overnight mattress that you can even tuck the sheets into at the bottom. It has a bumper of sorts all the way around so that kids don't roll out/off. I'm not sure how well/small it packs up for travel, but it looks ideal for your situation.
posted by PorcineWithMe at 5:52 PM on January 14, 2011
posted by PorcineWithMe at 5:52 PM on January 14, 2011
I never got that fancy with my kids in that sort of situation. They slept on the floor with a couple of folded up blankets underneath of them, and sheets and blankets on top. It was their own padded little nest and they were happy as clams. This worked when we couldn't bring our pack n' play or when the hotel was out of cribs. But my kids always enjoy traveling and think being in new places is fun. We of course brought familiar stuffed animals and blankies.
posted by molasses at 6:05 PM on January 14, 2011
posted by molasses at 6:05 PM on January 14, 2011
2-year-olds are pretty light, so they don't need nearly as much padding as adults would to be comfortable. While travelling, mine sleeps just fine on a folded comforter + carpeted floor.
If you want a slightly cushier, but still light and cheap solution, you can get a twin-sized eggcrate foam mattress pad for like $15 at Target/Wal Mart, then cut it down to crib size and roll up for transport.
posted by Bardolph at 7:41 AM on January 15, 2011
If you want a slightly cushier, but still light and cheap solution, you can get a twin-sized eggcrate foam mattress pad for like $15 at Target/Wal Mart, then cut it down to crib size and roll up for transport.
posted by Bardolph at 7:41 AM on January 15, 2011
You can get an inflatable camping mattress in a twin size at target or walmart for pretty cheap - if you don't think she'd be ok sleeping in a sleeping bag on top of another sleeping bag for padding, that's what I'd do.
posted by lemniskate at 8:28 AM on January 15, 2011
posted by lemniskate at 8:28 AM on January 15, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by rabidsegue at 1:04 PM on January 14, 2011