DVC Rooms w/ a Toddler - crib or bed?

[Ducky4Disney]

Ok, my DS will be 32 m/o for our next trip this fall and I will be 7 months PG. I am hoping to start the transition from crib to bed before the baby gets here so I'm trying to figure out how to conquer this in WDW.

We will probably have a 2 bdrm with guests in the second bdrm. Usually, we put DS in the port-a-crib in the master bdrm. I'm not sure he'll fit or be happy about sleeping in the port-a-crib on this trip. What are my options? I know you can get bed rails but I don't think they can be attached to a pull-out couch. What about a roll-away bed, is that an option? I was even looking at this fold up cot for toddlers that is very close to the ground, padded, folds, and is pretty light weight.

How have you handled this hurdle?

D4D

 

[bellazachmom]

We have gone through this a couple of times with our 2 kids and now have a 5 month old so we'll be doing it again in a year or two!

You didn't say which resort you are staying at, but what worked best for us was taking a "puff-up" bed for our 4 and 2 year old when we let my sister and her family have the 2nd bedroom. These are child size sleeping bags with an air mattress built right in. You can find them at Toys 'R Us, Target, Walmart, etc. and they come with all the popular Disney characters. They collapse pretty small to fit into a suitcase and we just brought along a small battery operated air pump. We placed them on the floor by the king bed at OKW and when we were at HH and VWL there seemed to be more floor space in the 2 Queen room so we let our guests have the master bedroom and we took the other. They worked great! Close to the floor so rolling out of bed isn't a problem and kid sized so not too big for a little one getting used to sleeping outside a crib.

Hope this helps! Jennie

 

[castleri]

I think your toddler cot or one of the air beds made for young children would be your best bet. You might be able to put chairs against the pull out sofa and use that or leave the sofa closed and put bed rails on the one side. They should stay put under the cushions. I think I would prefer to make some type of bed for him on the floor or in the closet (with the door open) of the MB in case he wakes during the night. A kids sleeping bag and the roll up type of mats they use for camping is another option.

 

[BigEeyore]

We just joined DVC, so I have not had first hand experience in the DVC units. However, my DD is about your son's age and she grew out of that pack and play well over a year ago. We got travel bed rails that have worked well for us, but could be hard to use w/ a pull out couch. Some DVC's have the pull-out chair option - that could work well for a 3 yr old.
The pull-out couches are probably pretty low to the ground, and big enough to allow plenty of tossing and turning - maybe place some pillows around the edges to cushion the fall if it happens! good luck to you - we'll be in the same boat for our trip in the fall!

 

[katied]

We just came back last month. What DSister did for DNiece (2 yrs old) was rent a toddler bed from A Baby's Best Friend (www.abbf.com). I was renting a crib for DS. It worked out well. DSister and DBIL with Dniece had one bedroom. I had the other w/ DSon. The toddler bed was very lightweight, easy to position, and close to the ground. It came with all the bedding. DSister put pillows along the ground (the bed had a 1/2 rail) just in case DNiece fell out. DNiece adjusted the first night, but the 2nd night and on she slept just fine in the toddler bed. Amazing really, since she still has the crib at home, just on the lowest setting.

 

[bobbiwoz]

Last October, we were very happy that our DGD, 33 months slept in the port a crib even though she had her own bed at home! She apparently liked the small place all to herself! We used the extra space in a dedicated 2 bedroom, where the hall door to the second bedroom would have been. It was like her very own room. She's the youngest of 3. This year they have the child blow up little sleeping beds.

Bobbi

 

[Ducky4Disney]

Thanks for the help! I'll look into the sleeping bags with built in air mattresses, that's a good idea. The cot looks kinda nice, good for up to 50 lbs and only 11 pounds when folded. I like keeping him in the master with us so we can put him to bed early then go and watch TV for a while by ourselves. Otherwise we have to retreat to the bedroom early. I wonder if we could sneak him and his cot out of the master once he was asleep.... just a thought

I also like the idea of using the chairs and pillows on the pull out.

Keep the ideas and personal solutions coming.

D4D

 

[dopeygirl76]

On our first Disney trip we were at Pop Century and DD was 33 mons and I was 7 months pregnant. She was already in a toddler bed at home so the pack and play was not an option (she is very tall for her age) so I opted to sleep with her in one bed with DH in the other. Worked great for the trip but shortly after our return home my perfect sleeper would not sleep alone anymore.

Now with DVC and DD #2 here (she is 15 months now and big sister is 4) we will put them on the pull out sofa not pulled out, take the back cushions off and use a bed rail in the front - we experimented on our trip in april and DH and I fit great with the pillows off so I'm sure two little girls will. The sides are a decent height to keep them enclosed (mainly the baby) and big sis will sleep closer to the rail just in case!!! It also frees up the master for a good night sleep for me and DH!!

 

[Ducky4Disney]

I thought about the fact that he might want to jump into our bed and I can see that creating a bad habit when you get home.

I looked for the inflatable sleeping bag/bed idea and they look cool, but not so easy to find. I'll have to keep an eye out for one. Aerobed has a toddler-size mattress with raised bumper sides, but it's $65 - ouch! But I do trust Aerobeds to provide a quality product, and it has the electric inflator on it, big bonus there.

I feel better knowing that I'm not the only one with this dilemma!

D4D

 

[bellazachmom]

D4D -

I found my first "puff-up" bed, as my daughter calls it at Toys 'R Us ... when I went to get a second one they weren't on the shelf so I asked an employee and they went and got me one from the back.

At Target and Walmart they move around a lot. Sometimes with the camping stuff, sometimes with the kids bedding and I have even seen them in the toys section!

If you can't locate them, just ask at the customer service area of the store so that someone can tell you where they are that day! They are usually around $20 - $25 and come with a foot pump. The one I got at Toys 'R Us was $24 and came with the battery operated air pump.

Hope this helps! Jennie


Edited - I jst went to the basement to get the "official" name of the puff-up bed ... It is called a Ready Bed. Did a quick online search at Toys 'R Us, Target and Walmart and they all show them, but for older kids. I'm pretty sure the stores will have the ones for the younger kids. Also, check out EBay ... type in Ready Bed for the search and a ton of things come up!

 

[snoopy5386]

you can also take the mattress off of the sofa bed and put it on the floor. My SIL (she's 29) just did this when we were on a week's vacation and she was stuck with the sofa bed, it was much more comfy for her than sleeping on the "bar".

 

[limace]

you can also take the mattress off of the sofa bed and put it on the floor. My SIL (she's 29) just did this when we were on a week's vacation and she was stuck with the sofa bed, it was much more comfy for her than sleeping on the "bar".

I'd do something like this. My 27 mo old sleeps on a regular twin now, as she's a climber and has climbed out of everything we've put her in. When we travel, she usually sleeps with us or her big sister. I don't worry particularly about her being hurt falling out of bed, since she's fallen or jumped off things only, say, 8 million times so far (though I should add that I broke a collar bone falling out of bed at 2, but that was onto hardwood floors). So I guess in your shoes I'd either make a bed right on the floor, in a closet with couch cushions, for instance, put the toddler in a bed with a cushion next to the bed in case of a fall, or rent something. I don't think I'd want to lug an inflatable bed there with me....

 

[bellazachmom]

The Ready Beds are pretty small and very lightweight when not inflated ... about the size of a loaf of bread.

We are a military family with our extended family spread out all over the country. For some reason, we seem to be the ones who are expected to pack up 3 children and visit everyone instead of people coming to visit us! We found these to be wonderful when heading to Grandparents house for sleeping arrangements and have just continued to use them whenever and wherever we travel. Since the kids are so familiar with them we never have any sleep issues when we are away from home ... such a valuable thing to me that a bit of inconvenience to get the beds there is worth it! However, if your little one doesn't really have sleep issues, or can sleep anywhere, then taking the mattess off the sofa bed or making a bed out of pillows would probably work out great!

Have a wonderful trip! Jennie

 

[lisareniff]

I think the Ready Bed or Toddler Aero Bed sound like a nice solution, but incase you don't want to lug one down (along with all the other kid stuff you'll need) I think the bed rails will work with the new sleeper sofas. Here is a picture of one from last year at BWV. I think they put the same type at BCV.

The read is a stiff plastic coated wire structure that is firm. The black portion at the foot of the bed is slightly giving webbing material. I would think that the red wire section would support a bedrail. Even the black webbing section should be OK.

 

[Ducky4Disney]

I think I will go with an inflatable bed of some sort. Either a toddler ready bed or the Aerobed. I don't think taking the mattress off the sofabed will work at SSR because it's not a regular mattress, it's memory foam and if I remember correctly it's attached. If I get the inflatable one now we can show it to him and try it out so it's not unfamiliar to him when we get there.

Does anyone think Disney should address this kind of dilemma? Not to start a huge debate or anything (all though it might) but it's great they offer a port-a-crib, but what about the next stage? The in between crib and bed toddlers?

Interesting thought anyway.

D4D

 

[lisareniff]

I must have been mixing up posts. I thought you were going to BCV.

Yeh. The inflatable sounds the way to go.