I'll be visiting my parents' home (on the West Coast) for 2 1/2 weeks and am wondering what the best sleep arrangement would be for my 3 year old daughter while we're there. We JUST transitioned her from the crib to a new toddler bed (which she loves). We've previously just had her sleep in bed with us at my parents' (after she started climbing out of the pack-n-play we had there) but I don't want to do that and then have trouble getting her back into her new bed when we return. I'm thinking about just building a makeshift bed on the floor in our room there (a comfy one). OR, I've heard of the PeaPod bed but am not sure its big enough/appropriate for a 3 year old. Any thoughts or other options you can think of? Thanks!
Walmart carries a cot that folds up and has a bag to carry it in. It's blue, has a sheet that is washable and costs about $30. We use it for my son at his grandparents house. The name is Regalo My Portable Cot and a child up to 6 years old can sleep on it.
Hope this helps. Good Luck!
T.
Walmart has an Aero Bed for kids for $69. My daughter sleeps on one when she goes to her grandmas and loves it. It also folds away to a easy to store size.
Hi there! I travel to Arizona to visit my father annually with my two children and I found the BEST travel bed for my little guy at One Step Ahead. It's a blow up air mattress that is nice and small, but has sides all the way around it. It fits in a small bag with a drawstring and a fitted sheet securely fits all the way around it. I easily pack it in one of our duffle bags and it doesn't take up much space.
http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId...
You really won't be disappointed. My son slept beautifully in it and was only 2 years old when we started using it...it lasted him until this year. Good Luck!!
We have travelled with our toddler several times and have tried various sleeping arrangements, depending on what was available to us. We have made a bed on the floor by folding up a large comforter and putting pillows around it for a barrier. We've used a twin bed, pushed up against the wall, with a guard rail on the other side. And, we've also used a twin air mattress on the floor with a guard rail. We already have a guard rail for our daughter's bed at home, and so we just brought it with us. Everything else that I mentioned was provided at the home we stayed at. Each option has seemed to work well for us. Good luck!
We just traveled with a 2.5 y.o. who had never slept in a bed before, and had good success putting her in a twin bed bordered on one side with a wall and the other side with a pool noodle inserted under the fitted sheet. We wrapped the noodle in towels to make it bigger/thicker and less likely to slip, and she ended up doing fine!
Hi - We've used this bed - Regalo My Cot Portable Bed. It collapses and stores small, plus takes no time to inflate and deflate. My son loved it. Here's a link:
http://www.amazon.com/Regalo-My-Cot-Portable-Child/dp/B00...
The other thing that worked well for us recently was a child sleeping bag on top of a camping Thermarest. He loved his own sleeping bag and successfully slept in many locations when he knew he was in 'his' bed (sleeping bag).
Good luck!
I would use a cot or a sleep mat, or a mattress on the floor for her? If you are near lombard I can lend you a cot.
B.
We've had good luck with the makeshift bed - couch cushions and lots of comfy pillows on the floor - for my almost-3-year-old when traveling.
ONEStepAhead has a great air mattress meant for a child. I plan on getting one for our little guy once he transitions to a toddler bed for those trips to g-ma's. You could have it shipped directly to your destination so you won't need to pack it on the way.
good luck
Check the webstore OneStepAhead.com - the Leaps & Bounds section is for toddlers and they always have unique solutions for problems like this one. I am sure they have some sort of travel bed for toddlers, I feel like I've seen it in their catalog before. Check it out! : )
Hi M.,
I am a SAHM of a 2.5 year old little boy. He is now sleeping on a big boy bed. I know what you mean about not wanting your daughter to sleep in your bed with you. We do so much travelling that my husband and I bought an air mattress and pump from Target and that has been a lifesaver for us. It's a twin mattress, and I got him a Spider Man sheet for it, and that's what we bring with us when we visit my family or stay in a hotel.
Anyway, it's just an idea.
Good luck!
When we travel(a lot), we use the blow up toddler beds. They are the same size as a regular toddler bed, they blow up quickly, and they are small and compact for travel. You can get them in just about any character you want! Should be able to find them at any toys r us, ect, or on the internet. Just make sure your parents have a machine to blow them up quickly, or you will be there forever trying to blow it up!!!:-) They work great!
We bought these blow up beds for our boys. It is a smaller air mattress inside a sleeping bag. They LOVED them. We got our's at the JCPenny's outlet. Hope that this helps.
K.
We recently traveled with a 3 year old and we rented an Aero Bed (inflatable with raised sides just like what One Step Ahead carries) from Baby's Away. I highly recommend this type of mattress. My daughter who is extremely picky about everything really enjoyed sleeping on it. It is firm enough after filling that it won't wake her when she rolls over. We brought her pillow from home and a little Dora blanket so she would be more comfortable. We did let her sleep with us a couple nights because she was ill but when she was feeling better she happily went back to her "special" bed. Good luck!!
Leaps and Bounds has just what you are looking for. I have been very happy with their products.
Below is the info from the website.
-Deluxe Inflatable Bed with Electric Pump and Matching Linens
Sleepovers never felt cozier! Our cushy, inflatable travel bed has a flocked, quilted surface that's calming for toddlers, not sticky like others. Inflates/deflates in five minutes; pump and carry bag included. 60"L x 35"W, with 5" security walls. For ages 2 and up, up to 150 lbs. For even sweeter dreams, add our premium, coordinating accessories: 200 count Fitted Sheet (with stay-put anchors), cuddly Fleece Blanket and Pillowcase, and matching Hypoallergenic Pillow. For an added touch, personalize the blanket. Machine wash. Imported Exclusively Ours!
The Bed is 69.95 and the linens are extra.
www.leapsandbounds.com
Hope this helps and good Luck!
We use an air mattress when on the floor at Grandma's. Sometimes my three year old actually sleeps instead of jumping on it :^)
We also have the Regalo portable cot. It is $29.74 at Wal-mart. We have only used it once but it was easy to take with us and set up. Here is the link:
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4433186
I know that One Step Ahead has a blow up toddler bed that is like a small air mattress but it still has rails on it. I might try that or look and see what is around that they sell
Hi M.,
I have a peapod for my 21 mo. old. I bought for her when we went to Mexico, but she ended up not using it at all. I haven't used it since and would be willing to sell it to you for less than what you would find online. It's the extended one that is for infants-6 years old. Let me know if you'd be interested. Like I said, it's never really been used and it's in perfect condition. I don't smoke so, it doesn't smell, and it's pink. The best way to reach me is via cell phone: ###-###-####.
Sleeping bag. My son has one that has a huge Mickey head as a pillow, and then the bag attachs rolled up in a pouch in the back. He loves it. Since it's your parents you shouldn't need to worry about the floor. That's what we use when we visit relatives. Kids love to sleep on the floor.
What about a twin bed air-mattress. They have so many nice ones now that even come with a sleeping bag attached (Disney theme). I know Target has carried them in the past - very reasonably priced. We use ours for sleep overs. Many of them even come with a little device that blows up the mattress in minutes. If you don't want to travel with it, just buy it out there, otherwise, it's pretty compact. Good luck!
