In-room crib vs rental crib

[Mrs Geek]

In November we'll be bringing our 4 month old to WDW. We're staying at POR and haven't yet decided what to do for baby's bed.

I'm assuming if we ask Disney for a crib it's really a pack-n-play? Is that a correct assumption? Our daughter (who will be 4 by the time this trip rolls around) was never a fan of sleeping in a regular pack-n-play, so we bought this special portable mattress thing which made it much more comfortable for her. We would have no problem bringing it on this trip if that's the "crib" offered in-room.

I know that the stroller rental companies also rent cribs; are they actual cribs (ie wood slats and a real mattress) or are they, too, pack-n-play's?

Which have y'all preferred for infants- an in-room crib or a rental crib? We're planning to rent a stroller (City Mini Double, per the rave reviews all over these boards) to it shouldn't be much trouble to rent a crib as well; if renting the crib is the way to go, which service would you recommend for both a crib and that particular model of stroller?

 

[StraightToDumbo]

The hotel crib is a crib, not a pack-n-play. We never had a problem with Disney Hotel Cribs at all. We did bring our own crib sheets and bumpers, though.

 

[KrazeeK120]

My son was a bit older than your child (18 months at the time of our trip) and we rented a crib from Kingdom Strollers. It was a full size wooden crib and he slept great in it!

However, I will say that when he was 4 months old, the pack n play WAS his bed at home, so I totally would have used it on vacation. We still use it, actually, if we'll only be gone a couple of nights. He's 30 lbs and 33.25 inches though...I just didn't think he would be comfortable sleeping in one for a whole week.

 

[Figment104]

When we took DS in 2013 the hotel crib at WL was a pack n play, so maybe it's changed or depends on which hotel you're staying at. When we went back in 2014 we rented a crib from Kingdom Strollers and it was a regular wooden crib and worked much better for us.

 

[KrazeeK120]

The hotel crib is a crib, not a pack-n-play. We never had a problem with Disney Hotel Cribs at all. We did bring our own crib sheets and bumpers, though.

Most of the hotel cribs are pack n plays. Some resorts have a few "regular" cribs, but they are first come, first serve. I wouldn't count on getting one.

 

[hskaggs11]

The pack n plays that the hotel provides, are they the kind that has the two positions for the mat, the one that's more "Crib-like" for younger babies, and the normal one with the mat that's close to the floor?? I'm asking because right now my son sleeps in a pack-n-play with the mat up higher in the newborn position, inside his Dockatot (the Dockatot was a total life changer for us!!!!). I don't know if I could lower him all the way close to the floor once he's asleep if the pack n play mat only has that one position.

 

[Katie L]

This is very helpful information Maybe I'll call disney about whether OKW has "real" cribs. Though our 8 month old is still sleeping in a pnp...

 

[KrazeeK120]

The pack n plays that the hotel provides, are they the kind that has the two positions for the mat, the one that's more "Crib-like" for younger babies, and the normal one with the mat that's close to the floor?? I'm asking because right now my son sleeps in a pack-n-play with the mat up higher in the newborn position, inside his Dockatot (the Dockatot was a total life changer for us!!!!). I don't know if I could lower him all the way close to the floor once he's asleep if the pack n play mat only has that one position.

I'm pretty sure they don't have the "sling" like device to put it in the bassinet position. (My son slept in this position when he was very small, so I know what you're talking about.) Even if they did, you can't lower it with the kid in the anyway. The bassinet position is easier for parents, but the baby should do fine in the lower position. I think it feels the same to them (or at least my son acted the same).

 

[Katie L]

In November we'll be bringing our 4 month old to WDW. We're staying at POR and haven't yet decided what to do for baby's bed.

I'm assuming if we ask Disney for a crib it's really a pack-n-play? Is that a correct assumption? Our daughter (who will be 4 by the time this trip rolls around) was never a fan of sleeping in a regular pack-n-play, so we bought this special portable mattress thing which made it much more comfortable for her. We would have no problem bringing it on this trip if that's the "crib" offered in-room.

I know that the stroller rental companies also rent cribs; are they actual cribs (ie wood slats and a real mattress) or are they, too, pack-n-play's?

Which have y'all preferred for infants- an in-room crib or a rental crib? We're planning to rent a stroller (City Mini Double, per the rave reviews all over these boards) to it shouldn't be much trouble to rent a crib as well; if renting the crib is the way to go, which service would you recommend for both a crib and that particular model of stroller?

I just realized - you're still pregnant and getting in to the home stretch! Good luck!!

 

[Mrs Geek]

Thanks everyone for the information! Every hotel we've ever stayed in with our daughter had pack 'n' plays rather than "real" cribs and I assumed it would be the same for Disney. I think we'll just bring the portable mattress and hope that's comfortable enough for our new little guy

 

[hskaggs11]

I'm pretty sure they don't have the "sling" like device to put it in the bassinet position. (My son slept in this position when he was very small, so I know what you're talking about.) Even if they did, you can't lower it with the kid in the anyway. The bassinet position is easier for parents, but the baby should do fine in the lower position. I think it feels the same to them (or at least my son acted the same).

KrazeeK120, what I meant by lowering him in the crib was the act of me putting him in the crib while it's in the lower position. I'm kind of short, so for me to lean over the rail while he's cradled asleep in my arms and proceed to lay him almost at floor height would be really hard, lol.

I might think about bringing my own pack n play then, since we are flying Southwest, and baby gear flies free.

 

[KrazeeK120]

KrazeeK120, what I meant by lowering him in the crib was the act of me putting him in the crib while it's in the lower position. I'm kind of short, so for me to lean over the rail while he's cradled asleep in my arms and proceed to lay him almost at floor height would be really hard, lol.

I might think about bringing my own pack n play then, since we are flying Southwest, and baby gear flies free.

I'm short too. I thought putting a sleeping baby onto the lower pack n play setting was hard until I had a 30 lb, 19 month old toddler who thinks it's funny to roll/crawl/squirm around in his crib in the morning to keep me from getting him out. He literally rolls around laughing and I'm on my little tippy toes trying to pull him out. Might be time for the toddler bed!

(Also note that you'll either have to drop that setting on the pack n play or put him in a crib at 15 lbs because that's the max weight for the bassinet setting on the pack n play.)

 

[hskaggs11]

My little guy is still at 12lbs even though he's 4 months old, and only grew 1.5 lbs between 2 and 4mo checkups (tiny thing!) I'm hoping he'll still be under by our trip so I can use our pack n play and not have to rent a crib then.

 

[KrazeeK120]

My little guy is still at 12lbs even though he's 4 months old, and only grew 1.5 lbs between 2 and 4mo checkups (tiny thing!) I'm hoping he'll still be under by our trip so I can use our pack n play and not have to rent a crib then.

You may want to find a strategy for getting him in and out of the lowest setting of the pack n play because getting a bigger kid in and out of the lowest setting of a regular crib is way harder. First, the rails are higher to have to reach over and second, the kid is heavier to lift out.

 

[PurpleEars]

We stayed at Coronado Springs when DS was 14 months. We had a pack and play and he didn't have problems sleeping in it (we have a crib with the side removed at home at the time). There were no bassinet attached to the pack and play at all and there was only 1 height setting. The bonus was the sheets actually had Mickey on them! I would say your 4-month old would be fine sleeping in either a pack and play or a "real" crib.

For your 4-year old, I think the portable mattress thing is probably the best bet, unless you feel comfortable having her in a big bed. I know I would put DS in a real bed (he is 2.5), but I respect that every family is different.

 

[Mrs Geek]

We stayed at Coronado Springs when DS was 14 months. We had a pack and play and he didn't have problems sleeping in it (we have a crib with the side removed at home at the time). There were no bassinet attached to the pack and play at all and there was only 1 height setting. The bonus was the sheets actually had Mickey on them! I would say your 4-month old would be fine sleeping in either a pack and play or a "real" crib.

For your 4-year old, I think the portable mattress thing is probably the best bet, unless you feel comfortable having her in a big bed. I know I would put DS in a real bed (he is 2.5), but I respect that every family is different.

So the portable mattress goes inside the pack 'n' play- gives a couple of inches of foam, because in our experience in regular hotels, the pack 'n' play didnt have a real mattress, per se, just a mat-type-thing. After a couple of miserable hotel stays, we bought this thing, and our daughter slept much better on the road. Do Disney's p'n'p's (specifically at Port Orleans) come with actual crib mattresses or just the mat?

We're planning to put the 4 year old in one of the real beds. She sleeps in a queen sized bed right now at home (Mommy and Daddy got ourselves a king so she got herself an upgrade, too!) and we've had no issues so far. I figure if the baby ends up not enjoying his sleeping situation, we can split ourselves into 1 parent + 1 kid in each bed and there will be enough room for everyone to be comfortable. (Here's hoping he sleeps as well as his big sister did at that age...)

 

[KrazeeK120]

So the portable mattress goes inside the pack 'n' play- gives a couple of inches of foam, because in our experience in regular hotels, the pack 'n' play didnt have a real mattress, per se, just a mat-type-thing. After a couple of miserable hotel stays, we bought this thing, and our daughter slept much better on the road. Do Disney's p'n'p's (specifically at Port Orleans) come with actual crib mattresses or just the mat?

We're planning to put the 4 year old in one of the real beds. She sleeps in a queen sized bed right now at home (Mommy and Daddy got ourselves a king so she got herself an upgrade, too!) and we've had no issues so far. I figure if the baby ends up not enjoying his sleeping situation, we can split ourselves into 1 parent + 1 kid in each bed and there will be enough room for everyone to be comfortable. (Here's hoping he sleeps as well as his big sister did at that age...)

Pack n plays do not come with a mattress, I'm pretty sure. It's just the pack n play.

 

[PurpleEars]

The pack and play we had just had a thin mat on the bottom.

 

[Emily Mitchell]

We stayed at All-Star Sports in November with our 15 month old and the crib offered by the resort was a pack'n'play. Our son sleeps in a crib nightly but had no issues sleeping in that while we were there.