My 15 m/o is large for her age (95th %) and so has a heck of a time sleeping in her pack n play. We've travelled the past two weekends and no one has gotten much sleep since little miss cannot get comfortable. She tosses and turns, rolling into the mesh walls. She kicks the walls, picks at the mesh, gets annoyed, stands up and basically manages to keep herself (and us) awake. I've looked out on the web and cannot find a better alternative. She's too young for bed rails (and is a MAJOR climber) so that's out. I saw "the Traveller" (and the similar travel crib by Bjorn) but they are expensive and both look just as tiny as a pack/play (if not smaller/thinner). Maybe its just that her crib walls/rails are harder so she doesn't entertain herself with them (or maybe the soft sides feel funny or unsecure to her??) We have a longer trip coming up in two weeks and I'm worried about us all getting enough sleep while there!
Thanks Everyone!! We did buy her the Portable Crib Mattress at Toys R Us and it worked like a charm! She went right to bed and slept through the night each night!!! Thank you to everyone who offered advice, but most certainly to those who pointed out how horrid the PNP "mattresses" are. I would never have thought of it myself!
Hello! We have one of those kid corrals and make it square and put a blanket in there as a cushion. It is larger than the pack n play and works nice so we have that for outside play, then bring it in for her to sleep later in the night.
What if you used a little pup tent? She'd be safely on the floor with nowhere to roll, and the zipper door can keep her safely contained. It would be big enough for you to hang out in there until she falls asleep, then leave her. The other upside is that since it's completely covered, you know she can't escape, and it might block out other light/noise if you're still in the room (like a hotel).
My daughter would never sleep in her pack-n-play. THen I realized that it wasn't very comfortable and I wouldn't want to sleep in it either! I found a foam mattress at Babies R Us that fits perfectly in the PNP. I bought a thick mattress pad and a comfy sheet for it too. As soon as I did that she slept just fine in it. That doesn't solve the problem of her hitting the sides, but frankly, I don't know if that really bothers them. My daughter always had some body part against the edge of the crib until the day we moved her out, and she slept fine in there. But if she isn't comfortable, she will do things like kick the side just because she is awake and bored. Good luck!
My son is large and only fit into his pack-n-play until about age 2. We've tried having him in bed with us, making a safe bed for him on the floor, etc. NO one got any sleep. We finally found the PeaPod Plus on-line and it has helped SO much. Not perfect, but much better. Good luck!
http://www.amazon.com/Kidco-PeaPod-Indoor-Outdoor-Travel/...
Hey K.. My son is 2.5 and is still using the pack n play when we travel (but he is little for his age). He also had the tosssing and turning problem that you described your daughter as having. The solution that as worked for us could be the answer for you too. It seemed as if he could not get comfortable and we finally figured out that the bottom of the PnP was not thick enough to support his weight (23lbs at the time) comfortably. So now we travel with a thick quilt that we put in the bottom of the PnP so that he sleeps again "like a baby" I was so relieved that he could find rest in there again, because like you I do not think he was ready for a big boy bed.
Hi - my son has hated pack n plays since he was born. We have frequently traveled with him and have used hotel cribs (if they are in fact cribs, and not folding travel beds like a pack n play), or we have had great success renting cribs from places like Baby's Away -google them, they have several locations around the US and the expense is not that much especially if you look at the cost of a miserable vacation/trip because you and your child got no sleep the whole time. There are also other baby furniture rental places in markets Baby's Away does not service. We've found others by just googling, "baby crib rental" and the name of the town. Baby's Away also rents strollers, toys, high chairs, etc, etc, etc and I have found them to be clean and efficient. They deliver (to hotels or homes) and pick up. Maybe this would work....
Hi K.,
There is a website called onestepahead.com that has a bunch of neat things like travel beds. You might want to check them out. Good luck!
Nicole
I never used my pack n play, I just made my daughter a makeshift bed on the floor comfy blankets and pillows and kinda put pillows around her to make her feel secure and that worked just fine. I did this from a few months old to a couple years old. I have also just pulled her in bed with me. We've traveled alot and go out of town frequently this worked for us.
Hi K.,
My daughter has always been in the 95% of height (average weight) she is 2 and still sleeps in the pack n play when traveling. We do have a matress that fits in the pack n play, she would not sleep on the folding 'soft' board that is already in the pack-n-play. The matress goes on top of that board and it is almost like sleeping on a crib matress. We also don't give our daughter a chose, when I babysit or traveling she has to stay in the pack n play at least 1 1/2 hrs for a nap before I take her out (usually she falls a sleep with in 30 mins then). At night it seems tougher to get her to sleep through the night but I just try to ignore her moving and as long as she thinks I am asleep she stays quiet and falls asleep.
If you don't have a matress I would try that. It folds in half (have to tie to keep it that way) or roll it up and tie it up with something or sits on the bottom the trunk and you can put everything on top of it.
Best of luck!
Hi K.!
I know this isn't the best solution for keeping a child "in" bed but what my sister and I have always done is put a mattress on the floor. You can buy single air mattresses for a small cost(you can also get special sheets just for away-time that she will love to sleep on to encourage her to stay put. My daughter has ariel ones for camping that she is always excited to sleep on).
You didn't say if you were staying in a hotel or resort but some of them still have cribs instead of just pack'n'plays or you can ask for a roll away bed and put the mattress on the floor. You can put it up against the wall on one side and a bedrail on the other. It will keep her from rolling out but she will be able to get up if she wanted. Not the best solution if she doesn't lay down well but once she is asleep she should stay asleep!
Good luck!
~A.
I had the same problem with my girls when traveling earlier this summer. They still sleep in cribs at home, and the pack-n-play is just too small. I found inflatable beds at Walmart (Target too) for about $25-$30. It's basically an air matress with a zip up cover, which is washable. Another nice thing is that they have lots of room to grow and should last severaL more years. We have the princess them, but they also have Dora and boy themes too. It was tough the first couple nights because of the freedom to get up and walk around.
My suggestion - sleep in a king size bed and let the little one sleep with you during the trip. (At least part of the time) Then you can make sure that you are getting enough sleep and you won't have to worry about her getting up because she will be right with you.
As soon as my daughter was too big for the pack n play, I got her the aerobed for kids. You can order it from target online. It is FABULOUS! It is the size of a crib mattress with raised edges so she won't fall out. We have been using it since she was about 18 months. She is almost 3 and still loves it!
I would suggest trying a little girl cot. My girlfriend uses it for her little girl when they travel or go to the grandparents house. She just loves it. It stands maybe 1 foot off the ground. Her little girl thinks it is the cats meow. She gets so excited when they break it out, like she is a big girl now. She is about 19 months right now. I believe you can find kid cots at Baby's R Us, Target or order one online. I would imagine you could even find a generic one at Fleet Farm. Good luck...
How about buying an inflatable twin air mattress, or a sleeping bag with the air mattress built in??
We bought a peapod plus for my toddler when he outgrew the pack and play. He loves sleeping in it. They are a bit hard to find, but USA Baby has them in stock for around $80.
