Did/Does Your Toddler Sleep Okay in a Pack 'n Play?

[Susan Storm]

Right now I have a request for a pack 'n play at our hotel (we're staying at POR) but I'm concerned that my 2-year-old (he'll have just turned two) will not sleep well in it. We have a pack 'n play at our house which we use on trips, and he never seems to sleep well in it - but I'm not sure if that's just because of the change in routine when we travel. He's a very routine oriented baby. Did your baby/toddler sleep well in a pack 'n play? Does anyone have any tips on how to make it more comfortable? Kingdom strollers has rentable full-size cribs, but I'm not sure how well it will fit in our room, plus it's kind of expensive. Any thoughts or tips would be great!

 

[leahgoogle]

All of my kids did very well in pack 'n plays when we traveled. Something that helped was folding up a blanket and putting it on the bottom to make it more comfortable.

 

[Susan Storm]

Thank you! I will try that!

 

[Pesky]

Agree with leahgoogle -- I just used a quilted sheet or I had a really soft, furry sheet and would pad with a blanket or towel underneath that.

 

[AshleeH]

Add me to the list - we added a lot of "padding" to it to make it comfortable, but she had slept in PNPs on random weekend trips, so it wasn't unusual. We also made sure to bring her most comforting bedtime items from home.

 

[WuvEeyore]

DD always slept great in a pack and play. We used a quilted sheet for added padding. She was so tired after a day at Disney, she probably could have slept anywhere.

 

[Mousemommy1]

I agree with the others, make the pack n play more padded. We got a quilted pad to go under the sheet for our 15 month old. Plus we are bringing his crib blankets and lovies. Hopefully it works!!

 

[star72232]

We moved our kids into twin beds at 18-24 months - it makes travel so much easier to know they can sleep in any bed!

 

[kellyjeanie]

By the time my youngest was 2 he wasn't sleeping well in a pack and play anywhere else, but at Disney he was so tired he conked right out every night! Mickey wore him out for me.

 

[Dancemomof3]

My kids are a lot older now but when we traveled when they were younger we had an old egg crate type mattress pad that I cut down to fit in the pack n play. I put a sheet over that. They were fine. It fit flat on the bottom of our big suitcase and took up no space at all

 

[Tara1988]

At home, not at all. But when we took my then 2 year old to Disney world, he would have slept on the floor and been fine because he was so worn out from the parks. A soft blanket would help make it more comfortable

 

[msmama]

If it turns out the pack and play doesn't work, you can always get bed rails from the resorts. I'd put a bed rail on one side and then I'd sleep on the other side of my kid when he was a toddler.

Just a word of advice - if you need the bed rails, go to the front desk and ask for them. It'll be quicker than calling from the room phone because none of the buttons actually connect you to anything at the resort, they all go to a call center.

 

[MandiC]

My kids frequently slept in pack and plays, we actually had one at both grandparents houses as well as one to take with us when we were out of the house. We used them until they literally couldn't fit anymore, which was sometime around 3 if I remember correctly. I'm sure after a tiring day a toddler at Disney would sleep well anywhere I've seen many of them fast asleep in strollers before fireworks even start!

 

[OnThisMagicNight]

We've always used this - http://www.mamadookids.com/products/foldable-play-yard-mattress-topper/ - and it works wonders. I know it's a little pricey, but we used it on multiple trips for our oldest DS, have had family from out of town borrow it when they visit, and will be using it again for our youngest (now 1) on our next trip. It was well worth the investment!

 

[BLAZEY]

I had a quilted mattress pad then a sheet from home. She slept in one at daycare and on road trips. I agree make more comfy and familiar.

 

[wallskm]

If the pack and play isn't going so well you could do what we have had to do before- we got a bed rail for the bed and put one of us in the bed with the toddler be the other in the other bed with our older son. They have bed rails- just have to call and ask!

 

[MamaJinji]

Another vote of confidence for the pack-n-play sleeping. My son would pass out just fine, all I'd usually do is lay a blanket down for him and put a lighter blanket on top.

 

[ktlm]

My DD never slept well in a pack and play. Plus, I think the weight limit is 30 pounds and she was a bigger baby so by her 2 year old trip (a later, not earlier 2), she was too big for the pack n play. All the WDW resorts have bed rails. She did great in the bed with rails- she loved sleeping in the "big wide" bed.

 

[LuckyBelle81]

All of my kids did very well in pack 'n plays when we traveled. Something that helped was folding up a blanket and putting it on the bottom to make it more comfortable.

I completely agree. I put a blanket on the mat and then put one of DD's sheets on top of that so it feels more like her crib. Our youngest DD is 2 1/2 and has never had a problem sleeping in the PnP but we also travel A LOT. All of our family lives out of town so she's traveled since she was born and always had to sleep in the PnP so I guess she's just used to it. My best suggestion is to make it as much like his regular bed as possible. He will also likely be tired from the parks so that may help with the sleeping as well.

 

[jacknsally19]

We had issues in the packnplay until I bought an extra mattress that was like 2 inches thick on Amazon. I paid about $20. You could have it shipped directly to the resort.