The Best Travel Crib & Safe Sleep Advice

Baby Travel Crib & Safe Sleep Advice for Travel

Sleeping and maintaining good sleep routines is a major concern for traveling parents. Rightfully so! Good sleep begets good sleep. We spend so much time and energy helping our babies to nap and sleep through the night… Who on earth wants to mess with that? I’ve written before about travel messing with baby’s sleep, and the worry that “travel hangovers” can cause. But, with some preparation, (teething, major time changes, and illness aside) we can keep sleep issues while traveling with little ones to a minimum.

But regardless of where you’re staying–be it a fancy hotel or Grandma’s house–your baby or toddler needs a safe place to sleep.

Co-Sleeping while Traveling:

If you co-sleep at home, consider that hotels and family’s guest bedrooms may not have the safe set-up or infant-friendly bedding and linens that you have at home.

I have heard of some families pulling the mattress onto the floor or else actually making up a bed on the floor. This option would not be ok with me. Hotel carpets gross me out! But, for safety while co-sleeping in a hotel room, it might have to do. Another option is to bring along a portable baby bed or some travel bed rails.

Travel Crib & Baby Travel Bed Options:

The next step is bringing a travel crib or toddler travel bed with you. If you plan to do a lot of traveling,, of if a second sleeping area would be handy to have at Grandma’s place, this is a worthwhile investment.

You are totally spoiled for choice when it’s time to shop for  a travel crib. The phil&teds Traveler is still a popular choice after many years on the market. It is truly a lightweight and portable travel bed that is good for infancy through to toddlerhood. I’ve demoed this item a few times and it gets easier to assemble and dissemble the more frequently you do it.

I’ve seen first-hand how great the Baby Bjorn Travel Crib Light is. It does not fold down as compactly as the phil&teds, but it is SO EASY to assemble and take down. When it’s folded, it’s the size of  a small suitcase, but flat. But if you’re checking it as baggage anyway, that’s not such a big deal. The Baby Bjorn Travel Crib Light is more expensive.

The Chicco Alfa Lite is another great option at a lower price point.

A tip for using a travel crib: Bring a crib sheet from home. If possible, take the one they were just sleeping on right out of their crib. The familiar feel and scent might help them feel more comfortable and safe in their travel crib. Click here for more baby travel sleep tips.

Toddler Travel Beds:

Now once your babies become toddlers, and they can’t or won’t sleep in any of these things, you still have options!

I’ve tried out a few duds that I won’t bother writing about, but I will say that I wish I had known about The Shrunks products. The Inflatable Toddler Bed is under 8lbs, uses standard crib sheets, and fits into a travel bag that can be purchased separately that holds the bed, as well as the pump and sheets and blankets. The Shrunks also makes an inflatable bed rail for travel. This is a great idea if you have a busy sleeper and aren’t sure if the place you’re staying offers bed rails or if you could push the bed against the wall.

In a pinch you can always channel your inner McGyver and jam extra pillows and rolled up towels or blankets under the sheet at the side of the bed. This has worked for us.

Of course, you don’t have to bring your travel beds or cribs with you. Cribs or playpens may be offered at the hotel or rental you’re staying at. They may be totally clean and safe… Or they may not be. Our first experience with a hotel crib was not a good one. After that we always brought our playpen with us. Then, all the subsequent hotel cribs were fine, of course 😉

Renting or Borrowing a Crib for Travel:

Another option, and an especially good one if staying at a kidless family member or friend’s house is to rent a crib or playpen for sleeping. We have a fairly extensive baby equipment rentals page, but are always looking to add more listings!

And don’t forget to utilize social media! Renting gear can be expensive, so you can try Facebook to see if you have friends or acquaintances in the area you’ll be visiting who can lend some gear.

Warning…

In a previous gear guide (and the television appearance I made to support it) I recommended the Peapod Travel Bed. After reading a heartbreaking account of a baby’s suffocation on Amazon, I pulled it from my gear guide.

I’m sure they have improved the design over the years, but I still would not feel comfortable recommending this travel bed or any other tent-style travel crib.

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See Also:

• The Ultimate Baby Travel Tip List: Sleeping
• Baby Travel Gear Guide: Sleeping
• Tips for Coping with Time Changes & Baby Jet Lag
• The Complete Guide to Baby Travel Gear
• Information & Tips for Traveling with a Baby or Toddler
• A Complete Guide to Booking & Using an Airplane Bassinet
• 5 Reasons to Love Travel with a Stroller
• Resources & Tips for Flying with a Baby or Toddler