travel with baby?

Question

I will be traveling with my fiance and my now 4 month old who will then be 6 months old. Any ideas on what she can sleep in? This will be the ONLY time that we travel until next November so I don't want to go out and buy a pack and play thats $40 or more for one trip. THere are baby travel beds but those are also too expensive. Any one have any ideas? Would it be weird to put her in like an oversized laundry basket? I know, I know that sounds strange, but it could be made safe... any ideas?

Answer 1

Do an Internet search for baby rentals. There are services where you can rent things like cribs and car seats for when you go out of town. When I priced them for our trip it was about $20 to rent a pack n play. You can also go look at consignment and thrift stores as well as classified ads to try and find a used pack n play or porta crib. Or, you could join freecycle.org and post a wanted for a travel bed or pack n play. Please don't try to use a laundry basket or some other makeshift type of bed. It is not safe, especially at 6 months when the baby is rolling around and has a lot of head and neck strength. Forty dollars may sound expensive for one trip, but I guarantee that you would use it again, and that is not too high a price to pay to know that your child is safe.

Answer 2

While I don't remember all of the "why nots", I recall being told to NOT allow a child to sleep in a car seat. It might be because the danger is too great of the carseat falling over when not attatched to a car, it might be that there is something "bad" about car seats that sleeping during a car ride is ok, but too much of a danger if allow to sleep in them all the time.

If you have two beds or a king size bed, one solution is co-sleeping. The baby either shares the bed (king size) or sleeps with only one parent in one of two beds. Of course co-sleeping has it's dangers as well. There are documented cases of parents co-sleeping, and sleeping so soundly that they've rolled over and suffucated their infant without realizing it. But that should be a danger that decreases as the child gets physically larger.

I would avoid the idea of a laundry basket, just because of the unknown hidden dangers. Modern cribs and pack-n-plays have been designed to specifically keep your child safe. The industry has years of experience (and a few lawsuits) that have forced them to make thier cribs safe.

As others have suggested, when staying in a hotel, you might be able to use a pack-n-play provided by the hotel. However, if any of the places you are staying charges a fee, that woud quickly cut into the money you are trying to save.

Answer 3

If you are going to a popular vacation area, there are many places that offer crib rentals for a very reasonable price. The pack n plays can be expensive but they are well worth the investment. A wash basket may be ok for a newborn, but at six months old, I would be concerned about safety. For one, it will not be comfortable so you will have to put pillows or blankets in the bottom which is a suffocation risk. A baby who is six months old may also climb out. If you can't afford a pack n play that is new, why don't you check out some yard sales or borrow one from another mother? Anything short of that would be compromising your child's safety and that' s not worth the forty bucks that you will save.

Answer 4

I would go ahead and invest in a pack and play . the reason I say that is because if there is an accident god forbid how would the baby be protected in an oversized laundry basket ? Or buy a baby travel bed ,after all you could always re sell it to someone you know later . good luck and I hope I helped .

Answer 5

An oversized laundry basket is not comfortable and would feel wierd. Besides, I think it can tip over if the child rolls around too much in it. It is not safe because it is not the right bed.
Go to yard sales or thrift stores to buy that "pack and play" (playpens, we used to call them when my sons were little). Don't be stingy on the comfort of your child. You can always re-sell it if you keep it well. There are always parents who will buy used things like that because, like you, they only need it for a short time. Your baby is worth it!

Answer 6

If you are going to be staying at a hotel, some places offer cribs that they can put into the room, you'd need to check ahead of time to find out.

Also, you can check baby resell shops, consignment shops for kids, to see if you can get a good deal on a pack n play.

I do not think it would be safe to sleep in a laundry basket... most the time they have large enough holes for a baby to get their hand stuck in, etc.
Or
I do not recommend co-sleeping unless you are used to doing that with your baby. No medications or whatever that make you unable to care for a cosleeping baby, which could make possible for a roll over accident.

Use your best judgement.

Also, you can find 10%-15% off coupons on any one item which includes pack n plays from baby r us and kids r us ads.

I even found one for $30
http://www.toysrus.com/search/index.jsp?categoryId=2256188&cp=2255983&fr=StorePrice%2FTRUS%2F00002001%2F00003000&fbc=1&fbn=StorePrice%7C%2420.01+-+%2430.00

Answer 7

Are you sleeping in a Hotel? Most hotels have cribs in certains rooms, or have porta cribs.

Other then that, I think you should invest in the pack and play. It is also good to use as a play-pen when she gets a little bigger.

I don't like the idea of the laundry basket, doesn't sound to safe.

Answer 8

They have those little bassinets that attach to the side of the bed, instead of putting the baby in it attached to the bed you could put him/her in it on the floor cause he/she is probably to big and may crawl out of it. I dont think the bassinets are too expensive but hey the laundry basket idea works cause when we were moving that is what i used for a day.

Answer 9

I wouldn't recommend a laundry basket, but you can get those big storage boxes, and without the lid, and some blankies i think it would work just fine. Or you could go to a "once upon a child" store and probably find a cheap playpin. I know me and my mom found one at a yard sale for $5, and it worked great. And one more thing EBAY, lol.

Answer 10

i would go ahead and buy a pack and play. play pins come in handy around the house. helps keeps kiddos in one spot when doing dishes or cooking. also if going over to someone's house that never had kids. i wouldn't go with a laundry basket it just wouldn't be safe. i know i saw a portable infant sleeper at target once for about 20 bucks. it folds up and is light. i don't know if they still sell them or not. also don't know up to what size of kid it holds but you can look into it.