This post is based on a real-life facebook query we received:
Dear Rookie Moms,
Our 8-month old baby refuses to sleep in a pack n play and is too little for a regular bed. She is way too active to cosleep with us. The city where my family lives doesn’t seem to have any crib rentals or hotels with full-sized cribs.Considering putting a mattress or just folded blankets on the floor and using a play yard fence around it to improvise a crib, which doesn’t seem very safe, but not sure what else to do!
Our fantastic readers came to the rescue with these suggestions, what do YOU think?
- Jane: We use a pop-up kid tent. Works even better than a pack and play.
- Annika: When my son was about the same age, I had him sleep on the pack & play mattress on the floor. It’s practically flat so no worries about him falling off of it. It seems weird to me now that he didn’t crawl or roll away, but I don’t recall that happening. We also used this go crib.
- Dana: What about your stroller? I’ve done improvised cribs before and somehow my kids would always wind up rolling into an odd corner or escaping.
- Aimee: Look into the peapod. It’s a pop up tent sleeping thing. Not sure how it would work for an 8m old but worth looking into as it is so small u can pack it in your suitcase.
- Lysa: I use a toddler size inflatable bed. It has bumpers so the can’t roll onto the floor.
- Shana: We had success with babybjorn’s travel crib. But…I always had to curl up in it to get R to sleep. Thankfully, I’m not that tall, lol!
- Whitney: My baby always slept in his car seat for the first months. We never had a problem.
- Lisa: We use the toddler Aerobed.
- Sarah: We’ve put a mattress on the floor before. Worked okay for our kids.
Related:
Sleeping in a bucket or a bin on a trip
Sleep tips for summer travel
@rookiemoms check out this post on Travel-Tot’s Blog! http://t.co/StmE2pwB We always had luck with the Infantino – Nap Nest!
There has actually been a recall on the pea pods. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/16/pea-pod-travel-crib-recall_n_2143489.html
Wow, thanks Sara. My understanding was that the new model includes the improvement and that the recall included getting a fix-it kit.
KidCo is offering kits to address the danger. The kits include supports that strengthen the sides of the tent and a thinner air mattress.
For more information, consumers can call KidCo toll-free at 855-847-8600 between 9:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. EST Monday through Friday or visit the company’s website at and click on “recall info” to receive the kit. http://www.kidco.com
My LO napped in one at a friend’s house once and the issue that we had was that the “sheet” does not attach to the mattress in any way. As she wiggled, the sheet got all tangled. Maybe the new design addresses that issue but something else to consider.
baby sleep tips – stuck something in their mouth
Re: KidCo. The reason for the recall is that people didn’t use the pop-up tent correctly. They placed the mattress directly inside the tent instead of into the special zippered pouch under the tent. I don’t really understand how the mattress could be any thinner than it already is…my son sleeps just fine in the tent, but it’s not all that comfy.
Jane, I think babies’ and young kids’ bones are made of rubber. They can sleep on some of the hardest surfaces.