What are your thoughts on using a portable crib vs a pack and play when traveling?
We have a couple trips coming up and we are unsure what to do about sleep for N. The first trip is a 6 hr car trip at 5 months, the next will be a flight to Vegas at 8 months, and finally, a flight to Florida at 11 months. What is the best option for cars and flights?
hostess / cantaloupe / 6486 posts
We are going on a 5 hour car trip next month at 9 months & will just be bringing the pack n play. She has never in her life slept in there so I hope it works!
wonderful cherry / 21504 posts
@MrsKoala: I'm not sure what the difference is? In any case, I would check if wherever you are staying for the flight trips have pack and plays you could borrow-- we have stayed in a rental house and a hotel and both had PnPs to use. I always brought our sheet from home so it was familiar and I knew it was clean.
eggplant / 11716 posts
We fly to see our families and friends a fair amount, so we bought a Lotus crib. It's very lightweight/small and easy to set up for a travel crib but it doesn't seem super comfy.
With the new environment and new travel crib, our LO didn't sleep very well in it the last time we traveled, but she's an awful sleeper at home, too.
It was definitely easy to carry though--we carried it onto the plane with us.
http://www.amazon.com/Lotus-Travel-Crib-Portable-Playard/dp/B00AKKDSNG
bananas / 9973 posts
@MrsKoala: Also not quite sure the difference? The PnPs are generally a lot heavier, I think? We take the Baby Bjorn Travel Crib with us, by plane and by car. It's very lightweight and easy to set up. We bought a PnP on one trip and brought it home with us, but I wouldn't want to take it again - it's so heavy.
pomegranate / 3401 posts
@Anagram: we have this too. I love it for the compact-ness and the lightness!
wonderful cherry / 21504 posts
@shopaholic: I agree, the PnP is heavy and bulky and would be a pain to bring on a plane.
pomegranate / 3411 posts
LO didn't sleep good in our travel size PnP, so we ended up buying a baby bjorn travel crib and it has been amazing
watermelon / 14467 posts
We bought a PNP but she refused to sleep there. She just rolled around screeching and had a grand old time, then got mad because she was tired.
blogger / pomelo / 5400 posts
Can't say enough good things about the Bjorn. A PNP may be ok for road trips, but they are also heavy and a pain to put together.
pineapple / 12566 posts
We have a Bjorn travel crib which is easy to set up and lightweight. However, we only take it if we know there is no crib option at out destination. Are you going to be in a hotel? We almost always use the hotel crib and they are perfectly fine and clean. On our most recent trip my 3 yo slept in the hotel crib (even though he's in a twin at home) and the baby just slept in the king bed with us.
cantaloupe / 6869 posts
So we have a pack and play already but with the flights coming up we want an option that might work for everything. DH thinks that we can just check a pack and play but I don't know whether I even want to deal with it since they are not light and we are going to have more stuff anyway. We will be staying at FIL's house for 2 out of 3 trips and they do not have any baby gear. Thanks for the opinions!!
wonderful cherry / 21504 posts
@MrsKoala: could you buy a basic pnp and leave it at fils house? That would be cheaper than paying to check it on two round trip flights, unless you get to check it for free (most us airlines don't count it as a free baby item, like a car seat or stroller).
nectarine / 2527 posts
Me and DH was just talking about this we're going to Georgia for Father's Day weekend and was wondering what yo take it's only a two hr drive so we're taking a pack and play I just hope he sleep in it.
pineapple / 12053 posts
Another vote for the lotus travel crib. Light, can put it in your checked luggage or carry it on as a backpack.
cantaloupe / 6869 posts
@Foodnerd81: FIL has houses in two locations so unfortunately, it's not as easy as that. One trip is to his place in MD and one is to his place in FL. Otherwise, that is totally what we would do and then just use a hotel PnP.
kiwi / 524 posts
We have both the Lotus and the Baby Bjorn travel cribs (long story), and they're both great. LO has also slept in pack n plays provided by family or hotels.
cantaloupe / 6869 posts
Revisiting this just in case someone else searches for it: We ended up getting the Lotus Travel Crib. We considered just doing the PnP thing since it was free from a friend but I realized that with a couple flights and a possible international trip next year, a travel crib would probably get the most use. We also don't have a huge car so a small option was the best for us. We chose the Lotus because it had the best reviews for the best price. We will try it out for the first time in a couple weeks but I might try to put him in it a couple times for naps and see how he does.
eggplant / 11716 posts
@Woolly Mammoth: I didn't see this before--out of the Bjorn and the Lotus, which do you prefer and why?
kiwi / 524 posts
@Anagram:
I prefer the Bjorn mainly because it's much easier to change the sheets (the Lotus has these little tabs that you have to thread through buttonholes all around the sheet whereas the Bjorn is more like a regular fitted sheet). The Bjorn is also taller if you care about that (maybe it will contain toddlers longer?).
That said, the main advantages of the Lotus are that it folds up small enough to carry on to a plane (and has backpack straps!) and that it has a zipper to open up the side from the bottom.
They're both great, so I wouldn't hesitate to recommend either. We actually have both set up in our one-bedroom apartment right now.
ETA: The Bjorn is also designed so that the mesh will keep the baby from falling into the exterior poles, whereas with the Lotus it's definitely possible. The Lotus poles have foam padding on the inside just in case this happens, so it's unlikely to cause an injury.
| Today | Monthly Record | |
|---|---|---|
| Topics | 0 | 1 |
| Posts | 1 | 3 |
Ask for Help
Make a Suggestion
Frequently Asked Questions
Bee Levels
Acronyms
Most Viewed Posts
Hellobee Gold
Hellobee Recipes
Hellobee Features
Hellobee Contests
Baby-led Weaning
Bento Boxes
Breastfeeding
Newborn Essentials
Parties
Postpartum Care Essentials
Sensory Play Activities
Sleep Training
Starting Solids Gear
Transitioning to Toddler Bed
All Series
Who We Are
About the Bloggers
About the Hostesses
Contributing Bloggers
Apply to Blog
Apply to Hostess
Submit a Guest Blog
Hellobee Buttons
How We Make Money
Community Policies
- Google Plus
- Stumbleupon
- Twitter
- Facebook
- Pinterest
- Favorite0
19 comments