Almost 2 Year Olds' Sleeping Arrangement in Hotels/Resorts

[Amy]

As some may recall, I'm still a relatively new mom (DS currently 22 months), so I still agonize over what experienced parents would consider trivial matters. Last year I took experienced TUGgers' advice and planned a single two week trip in December - one week in Orlando followed by a one week cruise - instead of separating the two vacations and it worked out really well. I'm seeking guidance again regarding sleep arrangements because DS is getting bigger by the day and I'm wondering whether we ought to switch him to an adult bed for our upcoming vacation in March.

During our past vacations, DS started by sleeping in a pack-n-play or hotel's tiny portable cribs, but whenever we could find a local baby equipment rental store we rented a full size crib because he slept MUCH better in those cribs. He still sleeps in his crib at home and I'm prepared to switch him over to his toddler bed (we have a crib-toddler bed conversion), but having seen no signs of interest and considering he still sleeps SO WELL in his crib (usually for 12 or 13 hours), I don't want to move him right now. But our next vacation is just around the corner -- three weeks away -- and we've had to break the trip up into multiple segments at different hotels/resorts making it significantly more expensive to rent a full size crib for our entire trip (because of minimum rental requirements for each area). He has certainly outgrown both pack-n-plays and the hotel portable cribs, so even one night in whatever the hotels could provide would be out of the question. I'm now struggling with whether to (1) buy/bring a portable rail and have him sleep in a big bed for the duration of the trip OR (2) only rent where rates are reasonable but skip one of the other nights (and use rails instead), such as the single night in LA that would cost $95 just for one crib because of the high delivery charge to our area OR (3) just suck it up and rent a crib for the entire trip. To be frank, the cost of renting a full size crib has never been an issue for us -- as far as we're concerned any money spent making DS more comfortable on trips is worthwhile to us. The reason cost is coming into play now is because (1) I've never encountered a quote for one night that roughly equals the cost of our one night's lodging and it just doesn't sit well with me AND (2) this whole when-should-we-switch-him-out-of-his-crib issue has been floating around in my mind for several weeks.

I'm curious re whether any other TUG parent have had similar thoughts? Do most folks just have their toddlers share their beds when staying in hotels? I know that is fairly common from what I have read on various boards but I can tell you that having DS share our bed would be the absolute last option for us -- he is unused to doing so and none of us would sleep well because he rolls all over the place during his sleep.

 

[3kids4me]

I would rent a rollaway from the hotel and shove it in that space between the bed and the wall (usually just big enough to squeeze a cot in). If that works out, your bed will be a natural buffer in case your bed rail doesn't work with a rollaway. My kids never slept well in the cribs rented from hotels, because the mattresses were usually saggy and just bad overall. I guess that has changed....

I remember that moving our kids to beds from their cribs was much easier than I expected. I remember also agonizing over it that first time. (My son was 22 months old and we had a new baby due in four months so we wanted to get him out of the crib before he felt like the new baby was stealing his stuff.) The bed was delivered in the afternoon. He watched the delivery and set-up with much excitement, then promptly climbed up into the bed and took a nap.

I don't know how it would be, though, going back to a crib after having your son sleeping in a "big boy bed" in a hotel. I would maybe use the opportunity to go ahead and move him when you return!

Sharon

 

[Amy]

I would rent a rollaway from the hotel and shove it in that space between the bed and the wall (usually just big enough to squeeze a cot in). If that works out, your bed will be a natural buffer in case your bed rail doesn't work with a rollaway.

Thanks for the idea! I never thought of that.

My kids never slept well in the cribs rented from hotels, because the mattresses were usually saggy and just bad overall. I guess that has changed....

No, I'm talking about full size cribs rented from outside baby equipment rental companies, such as www.abbf.com in Orlando. The wooden cribs are just like the cribs at home with full size mattresses.

I don't know how it would be, though, going back to a crib after having your son sleeping in a "big boy bed" in a hotel. I would maybe use the opportunity to go ahead and move him when you return!

Am I being silly feeling so reluctant and a bit sad about the thought of moving my baby out of his crib??

 

[akbmusic]

What we did (for whatever it's worth)

When both of our kids were between 2, 2 1/2, we were in a similar situation. Both times we used our vacation as a way to transition into their "big boy"/"big girl" beds at home and for us it worked great. It never took our kids long to figure out that things were "different" on vacation, so we would make a big deal about when they went, they would get to sleep in a big bed like mommy and daddy. If they had trouble getting to sleep (it is exciting being able to get in and out of bed, after all!) it didn't matter-we were on vacation and could sleep in the next day as late as we wanted. By the time we got home, we had most of the bugs worked out and they were excited to have a big bed to sleep in, just like on vacation.
This is just what worked for us. Someone else could have a horror story on a similar experience. All kids are different!

 

[Emily]

One Step Ahead has an inflatable toddler bed that you could inflate & deflate wherever you were. Its for ages 2 & up and comes with an electric pump & carry bag. It could be his vacation bed

http://www.onestepahead.com/

 

[Gadabout]

I would do the co-sleeping thing, or, ask for an extra blanket or two (one for extra padding) and let him sleep on the floor (can't fall off the floor.... ).

If you carry around a blanket for him anyway, use one of those throw-type blankets or an old twin-size. Fold into thirds, tuck the bottom under, and tuck him in the open end (i.e., a bedroll). If you're worried about the cleanliness of the floor, pack a thin poncho or other thin cloth (like a cut-down tarp, since he's still small).

 

[Amy]

One Step Ahead has an inflatable toddler bed that you could inflate & deflate wherever you were. Its for ages 2 & up and comes with an electric pump & carry bag. It could be his vacation bed

http://www.onestepahead.com/

Thanks, I love OSA and I have seen that bed. But DS prefers to sleep on his tummy (though we started him on his back as recommended) and that bed appears to have an uneven surface (bumps up and down) which I suspect would not be comfortable for someone who prefers sleeping on his tummy. We have the other portable bed sold by OSA for his naps when travelling and he always end up waking up earlier than normal because the sizes are just held loosely together with velcro and he always wakes up when he rolls off the side; so I've stopped using it.

 

[3kids4me]

Am I being silly feeling so reluctant and a bit sad about the thought of moving my baby out of his crib??

Well my first baby is going to high school next year, but I still remember him going off to his first day of pre-school with his Elmo backpack. Trust me, there are new memories to be made around every corner.

 

[teachingmyown]

We were never big on cribs in the first place, but have tackled the "where does baby sleep on vacation" issue several times through the years. We have had success with several methods...

• Pallet on the floor, made with the bedspreads from the unit, topped by sheets and thin blankets from home (the ones from home carry the all important "right" smell, as well as "feeling" right and reassuring mom about the cleanliness factor) If possible, I'd place the pallet in a three sided niche to minimize night-time traveling. Usually there is a place between a TV cabinet and a corner that offers three sides of boundary.
  
  
• Using the opened sleeper sofa with the cushions placed around the baby for barriers. We also used the second bed if there was one and it was at least a double, but I preferred the sleepers because they tend to be lower to the floor--just in case little one got past the cushions, which they never did.
  
  
• Pushing two chairs together to make a bed. This only works if the chairs are upholstered armchairs and it's best if they have removable seat cushions. We would push them together facing each other and remove the cushions, then use the bedspread to make a "mattress" and just make it up like a bed. The last time we actually used this solution was when my youngest was nearly 7 years old. He thought it was cool that he had his very own bed and didn't have to share with anyone. (11 people in one condo...everyone else was sharing!)

I've never been one to skrimp if my babies needed something, but then I've never actually considered that any of them needed a crib, especially at $95 a night!

Personally I like the idea of vacation being the transition time to the "big boy" bed. I know it's bittersweet, but at 22 months, it probably won't be much longer before the crib becomes a safety hazard and he'll need to be out of it anyway. FWIW, of our three, the one we transitioned the earliest (19 months) made the smoothest transition.

 

[sandesurf]

Am I being silly feeling so reluctant and a bit sad about the thought of moving my baby out of his crib??

No, I too felt a pang of sorrow over our "baby" growing up into a "big boy/or girl bed". It's normal!

We've always made little beds on the floor with bedspreads off the beds and bringing "blankies" from home. Our 9 year old still sleeps this way on vacation, depending on the accomadations. He loves it! (Our 24 and 21 year olds remember doing this too!)

Oh, I'd like to add... our son was used to sleeping up against the wall in his bed at home and would roll around the whole room on vacation until I figured out to put his head in the same position he was at home (same side against the wall). That resolved the room roller!

Have a great vacation!

 

[michelle]

I am in the same position!! (20 month old, next baby due next week and hotel vacation in 2 months time!

I am very reluctant to move him out of the crib. He is not trying to climb out, so I feel at this stage that the crib is safest and gives me the most amount of control. He is a good sleeper - also 12-13 hours a night, and like the OP, I would hate to disturb that!

At school, he has transitioned to a toddler mattress for naps and did quite well with that. In hotels, he has done fine with the pack-n-play and hotel cribs. If these dont work on our upcoming trip, I am sure he will be fine on the ground in a bed made of blankets, etc.

I am reading the posts above about babies moving to beds with interest! You all seem to say that it was easy and none of you say that you had problems with kids getting up and coming over to you in the middle of the night/first thing in the morning.

Upon waking up, my son often stays happily in the crib, babbling away, for 30 minutes. Will I loose this luxury when I move him to a bed?

 

[Emily]

Upon waking up, my son often stays happily in the crib, babbling away, for 30 minutes. Will I loose this luxury when I move him to a bed?

Absolutely

I have 6 children and have never seen a need to move them to a crib based on age or until they have a desire or obvious need but I don't consider myself an expert on the subject.

If they are potty trained, then they need to be in a bed to get up unless your crib is configured to let them out. I always liked the security of not having my babies and toddlers walking around the house when I was asleep.

When my 2nd oldest (now 25) was 3 1/2 she got up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. While there she blew her nose, put the tissue in the sink and washed her hands. She didn't get the water all the way off. The tissue clogged the sink and water overflowed for several hours. . . . ugggghhh We heard her get up and go back to bed, so there was nothing to worry about???????

There was one time when the twins got up and made a jelly (large jar) & (12 raw) egg pie in the kitchen floor for breakfast to surprise us at 4am. We woke to giggles coming from the kitchen.

Considering we have 6 children, we have very few stories, but the ones we have. . . . were only limited by our children's imaginations and resources.

After my children went to sleep, I would put magazines or worn children books at the end of their cribs. When they woke up they would "read" for quit sometime before wanting to get up. If they tore the magazines, I threw them out and replaced them with others I had already read.


I would enjoy the time that they are in the crib and if they are sleeping comfortable, wait to move them . . . but thats me.

 

[swift]

I would rent a rollaway from the hotel and shove it in that space between the bed and the wall (usually just big enough to squeeze a cot in). If that works out, your bed will be a natural buffer in case your bed rail doesn't work with a rollaway. My kids never slept well in the cribs rented from hotels, because the mattresses were usually saggy and just bad overall. I guess that has changed....

If you are going to use this idea make sure you call ahead to see if they will provide rollaways. Many places I have encountered do not provide them do to fire laws.

I wouldn't worry too much about the move to the bed. We parents often make things a bigger deal than need to be.

 

[Amy]

If you are going to use this idea make sure you call ahead to see if they will provide rollaways. Many places I have encountered do not provide them do to fire laws.

I just called our hotel and I was told their rollaway will not fit into the bedroom. (It is an Embassy Suites and their rollaways are apparently meant for the living room.)

 

[3kids4me]

I just called our hotel and I was told their rollaway will not fit into the bedroom. (It is an Embassy Suites and their rollaways are apparently meant for the living room.)

It will probably fit...they just don't recommend it because it is considered a fire hazard if you set it up at the foot of the bed. (Been there...and with Embassy Suites too...but of course I can't speak for the particular one you are going to.) If all else fails, you can also take the mattress off the rollaway and put it on the floor.

Sharon

 

[2hokies]

It's been a while, but I remember traveling with one of those collapsible rail things (It was PVC pipes with mesh in between and it folded up quite small). I also remember sleeping with my 2yo with the bed shoved against the wall and he was on the wall side so he wouldn't fall out. Don't worry yourself too much about it and enjoy!

 

[Chemee]

My son just turned 4 & up until last spring, we rented cribs on vacation. The two trips taken since then have been in 2-bedrooms, so he slept on queen size beds. One location we drove to & took collapsable bed rails. The second location we flew to & lined the edges of the bed with pillows. We put one layer of pillows under the bottom sheet and another layer on top. If the ones on top get knocked off, then the ones under the sheet are there to protect.

What about renting a toddler bed? Some of the places we rented from had them & they may be cheaper. If not, I would try to get the rollaway or at least the mattress to put on the floor.

Sleep was a big issue for my son when he was younger (he had colic), so we were in no rush to move him from his crib to a big boy bed. Plus, he was content in his crib. We prefered to rent cribs on vacation so he would not be confused about where he was supposed to sleep at home. We finally moved him into a big boy bed last Spring, mainly because I was tired of removing the mattress to change the sheets. We were fortunate that we had no transition issues. He does have a bedrail. We bought the collapsable ones so we could take them on trips. In lieu of rails, I read that some people use pool noodles under the sheet.

Good luck!

 

[Sydney]

Do you have a portacot or is that the same as the pack-n-play your toddler's grown out of? We have one and used it with our four whenever we went away. It was large enough to fit them until they were well over 2yrs old. Maybe your son is bigger.

The other thing we've done at hotels is move the bed against the wall and put chairs on one side with extra pillows to stop them rolling off, this is for rms with more than one bed. If there were no chairs, we just put some pillows or blankets on the floor to break the fall - it's not far to the ground. And for our wriggly one, we moved the mattress to the floor.

Moving the kids to a bed has always been a smooth transition for us and the kids. We never had a set age, just did it when they got too big or seemed interested in a bed. There's no hurry to move him to a bed unless you absolutely feel he needs to. There's no set age either unless he's too big and climbs out. I found that by the time my kids were 18mths and able to climb out, they were old enough to obey when I instructed them not to climb out. Whatever works and makes everyone happy and settled is my motto.
Another thing. If he goes into a bed while away and back into a cot when at home, he'll probably be fine about that unless he's very particular about sleeping arrangements. Ours just did what ever on holidays and when we got home, it was back to whatever we did at home. We never felt the pressure to keep sleeping arrangements exactly the same while away if it wasn't easily achievable.

 

[Gramma5]

When our son was 20 months old, we travelled in the Southern Mediterranean for 5 months. Actually, he travelled with me as we met a USN aircraft carrier in various ports (husband was a Navy pilot). He was a very easy child and adapted to nearly any situation. So, as long as he had his "binki & blanket" he slept on pads we made on the floor, beds made in closets( leave the doors open), armoires (large antique ones in Portugal & Spain) beds made in bathtubs (yes, my husband made sure he could not turn on the water!) and occassionally with us. He is now 35 and the father of 3, so I guess he didn't suffer any negative lasting effects..He is still a very laid back guy.
On the other hand, my daughter was a very active child...climbed out of her crib at 16 months and we could not keep her in it (she walked at 9 months!) so, we just put a mattress on the floor for her. Many nights we would check on her and she's be sleeping on the floor with her stuffed animals.
When we have had grandchildren visit with us at timeshares, we have sometimes had to make bed on the floor for them. They love having a bed made in a closet with blankets hung over the door. They call it their vacation fort! We started that when they were 2&3 and they still love it at 6 & 7.
Just some ideas......

 

[Amy]

Thanks for all the great ideas! Many seem so simple and obvious yet they never occurred to me.

 

[blr666]

How about using one of the small tents that Ikea sells. It is very portable. I put lots of blankets in there and my boys love to go "camping".

 

[LauraS93]

I love all of the great ideas posted here! We traveled last summer with our 21 month old to St. John. We used the Westin's crib and put both kids in the back bedroom. We brought our baby monitor from home, to keep an ear on what was going on. The first night, however, the Westin hadn't brought the crib up yet. So both kids slept in the king sized bed. We just put pillows between her and the edge of the bed. Because the king is so large, this worked out well. I wouldn't know what we would have done had it been a smaller bed.

She's almost 2.5, and is still in a crib. She's not potty trained yet. And she hasn't tried climbing out of the crib yet. I'm in no hurry to move her to a big girl bed.

 

[sfwilshire]

My youngest is seven, so I'm not sure if the same thing is still available, but we went through three of them with our kids. We used a folding "playpen". When it was folded, the four corners "met in the middle" and it fit into a canvas bag. Very easy to pack. When unfolded, it was square and bigger than a standard crib. There was a bit of padding in the bottom, but we added a layer of blankets that wouldn't slide around too much.

Once the kids got big enough not to get into too much trouble, we just put them in sleeping bags on the floor.

Sheila

 

[MarTN]

Trust me, there are new memories to be made around every corner.

Great point.

Enjoy each little bit.

 

[klisow]

Ask Embassy Suites about the size of the cribs?

Did you ask Embassy Suites about the size of thier cribs? The reason I ask, is that when we stayed at Embassy Suites, the cribs were huge. In fact, we ended up sticking, not only our 1 year old in one, but also our 3 year old in another one. This allowed us to keep everyone in the bedroom, and not have to pull out the sofa bed. It worked out wonderfully, and she thought it was fun.

If not, we always placed luggage all the way around the baby on the bed. I must say, I still slept light, for fear of them falling off. It never happened, but was always a concern.

This makes me sad, just thinking about it, I remember those days. My youngest is now eight. Where did the time go?