Toddler Sleep while Traveling
Just when you figure out a challenge in parenthood, you feel confident in what you are doing and how things are going. BAM! Things change! We have spent so much time traveling with our now 3.5 year old. I fear we had traveling down to a an exact science. And then naturally, things changed and we had to adjust. We welcomed our baby, our toddler got older and with that got gained a new sense of independence. The sleep arrangement that had previously worked for the past 3.5 years was no longer working.
The old set up: Slumberpod and pack n play. We live and breath by the Slumberpod. So much so that we got a second one when our 2nd was born. This set up was consistent and dependable. Until it wasn’t. Our toddler reached the weight limit on the pack n play around 3 years old. Plus it just seemed tight in there with his pillow, blanket and 10 stuffed animals.
After doing a lot of research, the consensus was the toddler inflatable bed. I ordered it, we used it for about 6 months and ultimately decided to try something else. In theory, the inflatable bed is great. It fits under the Slumberpod (although a little tight), it seems comfortable and there is plenty of room to grow. The problem is he figured put pretty quickly that he can lift the Slumberpod up and climb on out. He did this shortly after being put to bed, in the middle of the night and at 4am when he decided it was morning and he was done sleeping. Now, coming from a great sleeper at home to all of a sudden, a terrible sleeper while traveling (and we were on the road for a month visiting family), the struggle was real. It became a game. Every nap and bed time became a struggle that would last an hour and cause lots of frustration. We recently took a weekend trip and forgot our toddlers inflatable bed, so we called down and the hotel gave us a pack n play to use. Even though it was a tight fit, we made it work for the trip. It was magical! Our toddler could not climb out and bed time was a breeze like it is at home! No more toddler playing peek a boo and sneaking out of his bed in the middle of the night. This had me rethink our entire set up….
Well, it turns out luck was on our side, because on our next trip, we pulled out of inflatable toddler blow up mattress and there must have been a whole in it because it deflated soon after we blew it up. Instead of buying a new one, we decided to pivot and order something new. After a lot of research (probably more than was necessary), we decided to order a new pack n play. But one that was better suited for a toddler. I wanted one where the mattress was on the ground, so their was no weight limit, and one that was bigger than the original one we had.
The new set up: I finally pulled the plug and ordered the Newton Baby Play Yard. What makes it toddler friendly is that the mattress sits on the floor, so there is no weight limit. The mattress is also close to the same size as a crib mattress, so its longer and wider than a standard pack n play. It basically combines the size of the toddler inflatable bed with the walls of the standard pack n play. It’s a win, win! I will update you guys once we use it on our first trip in a few weeks! I am hopeful that it will solve our issues and provide room to grow for our toddler.
