Hello Mamas,
My daughter is almost 26 months old, and I am seeking advice regarding how to prepare her to sleep away from home. Only once has our daughter has slept anywhere besides her crib or Grandma and Grandpa's crib, and this did not go well. We had a family reunion at a camp, and we could not get her to sleep (we had laid her and her big sister on mattresses on the floor.). My husband, mother-in-law, and I had to take turns pushing her in the stroller until she finally fell asleep near midnight. We have some family outings planned again for this summer, and we want to find a way to prepare her to sleep somewhere else, outside of a crib. Does anyone have any suggestions for how we can do this at home? We don't want to put her in our bed since then she will want that every night. We aren't ready to take her out of the crib permanently; we just want her to have some experience sleeping outside of a crib before these outings so we get some sleep when we are vacationing! Thanks for the advice!
Rachael
My grandbabies sleep with their parents when they're not at home and everyone gets more sleep that way. You could also try a folded quilt or exercise pad on the floor next to you. Many kids have this problem.
Hi R.,
I know other moms have suggested this and I wanted to stress it also. We use a pack n play with our daughter. We have used it on vacations and also send it with her when she stays at her aunt's. Put some blankies and stuffed animals that she usually sleeps with at home in with her. Let her play in it and start with napping in it so she becomes familiar with it. Hopefully by the time of your vacation, she will sleep in it with no problems. Sometimes, when our daughter wouldn't settle down for the night, someone would have to lay with her until she fell asleep(obviously not in the pack n play) but it didn't become a habit at home. There are also sheets you can buy to put on the mattress, so make sure those are on also. Good luck!
Use a pack n play with the same bedding you have in her crib. I always found the mattress in the pack n play a little hard so since there isn't really a suffocation danger at that age, I put a folded quilt on top of the mattress and covered that with a sheet all tucked in to make it softer.
This way, if you want to practice at home, you can use the pack n play, and also, when you travel, you can put the pack n play right by your bed.
By the way, we traveled right at that age and didn't want to bring the pack n play with us. We just got a hotel room with double beds and my daughter shared a bed with me. We lined up the hotel chairs along her side of the bed (with the seats facing the bed) just in case she rolled out. That might work for you if you're in a hotel.
Do you have a pack n play? I think this is the easiest way to get a little one who is used to sleeping in a crib to sleep away from home. I know that you want her to sleep on a matress, but that is not what she is used to. We use a pack n play for our daughter when we travel and she goes right to sleep in it as if she were in her own crib. If the pack n play is not an option you could lay with her until she falls asleep, but in my opinion that is a bad habit to get into if you are away for more than a couple of nights.
Hi R.,
I agree with the moms that said use a pack and play. If you don't have one borrow or buy one. I would then set it up in your house and let her play in it and get used to it. Then bring a few things (blankets, stuffed animals, ect) to put in the pack and play and call it good. Good luck.
Chris
Hello R., My daughter found something that works very well. She got a CD of soothing background sounds which she plays in my grandsons bedroom every night. When they go away from home, she simply takes the CD and player with her. This allows my grandson to feel like the enviroment is the same as at home, and he falls asleep almost as soon as the music begins to play. Hope this helps.
Have the whole family camp out in the family room!
The pack-n-play works well when they are younger, but check the weight limits. I think my kids outgrew ours by the time they were two. I would try the camping out at home or at someone else's house. We always had trouble with this when our children were younger too and sometimes ended up sleeping with them on vacation. My husband of course was opposed to this, but otherwise between him and the kids I got no sleep on vacations! We generally didn't have any problems going back to our routine at home after vacation - we often would get home late and they were more than happy to go back to their familiar bed.
We have 2 1/2 year old twin boys and we travel for vacations several times per year. Last year in Feb we went to FL (they were 16 mos old). We also went to NYC and Washington DC last year. The year before that we went on a trip to the Adirondacks in NY (they were not a year old yet then).
I bought Peapods from Kidco. They fold up so are great for travelling and they are like a tent that lays on the floor with an inflatable mattress. Great for camping and travelling. They worked out great. I put them up at home first for about a week or two and let the boys play in them and lay down in them so that they were used to them. (I have 2 for sale right now on Craigs List)
Now that they are older, we use a Ready Bed (small inflatable mattress). I got one at a garage sale that was Winnie the Pooh for $5 and we bought another one at Target that is Disney Cars (they are about $28). Bought a small portable air pump that plugs into the cigarette lighter in the car to use to inflate them when on the road. Again, had them inflated at home for the boys so that they could get used to them before going on our trips.
My 2 listen to a sound machine each night while sleeping and during naps. We have a small one that came inside a stuffed animal lamb that runs on batteries - we take that with us when we go on vacations or trips and we use that at night when they go to sleep. We make the room as much like home as possible - using the sound machine, I bring sheets from home (and also some of our dryer sheets and laundry detergent for if we are doing laundry while there), and our sound machine, and they bring their stuffed animal that they like to sleep with, and I bring a few lightweight blankets. It really helps to re-create what they are used to for sleeping at night, and we have no problems getting them to sleep when on vacations.
We also try to stick to the same 'schedule' that we have at home - in terms of eating meals and nap times, etc. and I think this helps tremendously.
We used Pack N Plays at hotels (request it when you make your reservation, but bring your own sheets) when they were very young. But weight limits on most PNPs is usually 30-35 lbs, and once they are able to climb, or if they are taller than average (but don't meet the weight limits) I don't think they are a very good option.
--K.
There's a catalog called "One Step Ahead" that sells a travel bed. It has raised edges to help keep them in. Maybe you could find it online. whatever you decide, i would try naps in it for a while, or try a special night in the family room like others suggested. I am wondering the same thing, because the pack n play seems almost too small for my daughter who is almost 21 months.
Have you tried a pack n play? Most hotels now provide them (or cribs) and you can buy them fairly cheap. You could also try to borrow from friends for your trips!
R.,
The only thing I can think of would be to get a pack n play
portable crib. Have her sleep in it in her room instead of her crib and then you can travel with her.
E.
Good luck
get a pack and play or a port a crib have her take short nabs in it until you are ready to go on your trips and take them with you. or place the mattress or what ever she is going to sleep on in her crib so she can get use to it.
I would bring 4-5 things that she normally has in her bed. For example, my daughter always sleeps in a sleep sack, has her bunny and some other animals. Maybe bring an extra blanket from her bed also for the smell. That and try to keep her night time routine as similar as possible, with the key components surely the same...like we always read a book and dance with her to a special song before bed (we sing or hum it if there is no cd player). We always make sure to do these two things no matter where we are. It's worked like a charm!
Maybe you can have a couple of "camp outs" in your house. You can sleep on the floor and have special snacks!
Blessings, K.
Ok first I feel children after 1 should be in a toddler bed till 2 1/2 to 3 than a big bed. But thats my opinion. I do think you should take her out of her crib. One thing is they make sleeping bags with air mattress under them. You could have her pick one out and do like a night out in the family room. Kinda like a camp out. Watch a movie have pop corn than time for bed. Try that. You could do that with or with out the sleeping bag but just think maybe you could use the bag as a encouragment thing. Is there a mother in law or grandpa in law that she could sleep at once or twice somewhere where theres a family memeber she knows but not someones she stayed at before. Maybe an aunt or Uncles house with cousins? That way its not at the normal grandma's or your house but somewhere different. Also somewhere where you and your husband feel she safe. Also you need to look at where she was last year compaired to now. She was younger last year and kids ways change all the time. You may not have any problems at all but than again you know your daughter better than anyone. So do what you feel is best. It's always good for them to be able to sleep else where than home it helps not only with vacation but with school and day care. Well good luck!!
