When did your baby outgrow a pack n play?

[camdensmom]

My son is 16 months old and quite tall. He has always slept quite well in a pack n play, but when we visited my mom's last week he didn't seem to sleep very well. He was getting a cold so that didn't help, but I couldn't help but think he was waking up from bumping the sides too much.

When we go to wdw in March he will be 20 months and even taller I'm sure. I'm getting nervous as we currently have a room with 2 double beds booked. I don't think he'll be ready to sleep in a "big bed" by himself, but I remember those beds feeling 'less than spacious' for dh and myself much less with a little guy between us.

Any hints, tips, thoughts, suggestions, etc?

 

[RangerPooh]

DD 21 months grew out of her pack n play around 16 months. She to is VERY tall so it didn't last as long as we had hoped. She did use it at WDW this summer (at about 18 mo) but she wasn't too hapy about it. We have a trip planned to DLR next month and this is a concern of ours. So far we are just going to wing it. I don't know where you are styaing but POR has trundle beds. DD would lie down on it with our neice when it was bedtime. So we're considering trying that next time. Just an idea.

 

[Mickster]

Both of my children were about 16 months old too. When we went to WDW in 2004, we got a crib from the BC that my DD slept in. It was pretty standard size and she did great.

 

[katerkat]

A tall 20 month old here and he outgrew it over the summer, around 15-16 months as well. Lucky SoG provides larger cribs! I can put him down in a PnP for a short time, but he'd never make it all night. I think part of the problem is the mattress (or lack thereof.)

 

[kohlby]

How about pushing one of the beds to the wall and having one parent sleep with him? You might be able to push both beds together too. (When we only had one child, we just requested a king). Niether of my kids ever slept in a pack 'n play - or even a crib. I moved my first child to a regular twin mattress on the floor at 18 months. I've never used bed rails with him even and he's always been fine. My 8 month old has slept on a twin mattress on the floor for her naps since birth.

Though opur 3.5 year old no longer needs a bed against a wall or a parent, we will be pushing a bed against the wall for the baby to sleep between me and the wall.

 

[Jaymie]

My DS slept in a pack & play at a friend last week and he's 28 mths, but not tall by any means. We're going in Jan and I'm thinking of trying the pack & play but if that doesn't work, I'll try the daybed at the Poly with a bed rail. Unless the Poly has actual cribs. Maybe you could try the other double bed with bed rails all around it or either yourself or DH can sleep alone and the other with your son (although probably not ideal for whoever sleeps with DS).

When we went last yr and DS was 18 mths old, we had no problem with the pack & play, but again, our son isn't tall.

Good Luck!

 

[surfer_ed]

We switched to a bed at 16 months. DD just wouldn't do the Pack-nPlay.

The DVC resorts have bedrails, anyone know if the other resorts have them as well?

 

[GraysMom]

DS hasn't slept in his pack and play since he was about 14 months old (he moves around alot as he sleeps, just like mommy). We're going to Disney next April when he'll be 25 months and I know he won't be ready for a big bed by then (he won't sleep in our bed at all) so we're renting a full size crib (and stroller) from A Baby's Best Friend. Several people here on the DIS have used them and gave them good reviews. My understanding is that they deliver the crib and the shrink wrapped bedding to the resort before you arrive. You take the crib to your room (or have bell services do it) and set it up (no tools necessary, only takes a few minutes according to their claim). At the end of the trip, take the crib apart and leave it with bell services for ABBF to pick up. Here's the link A Baby's Best Friend . The full size crib costs $77 for 4-7 nights. I hope you find a solution that works for you.

 

[mco-missy]

We now travel with a 2 1/2 year old and a 7 month old. My 2 1/2 year old would still sleep in a PNP but we really don't want two of them in the room. So, we just get one bed rail (and yes, all the Disney resorts have them) and I sleep with her in one bed, my DH gets the other bed, and the baby sleeps in the PNP.

 

[Elmo888]

My older DD (now 6) slept in a PNP when we visited my mom's until she was 3. My younger DD, who just turned 2, will still go in the PNP to play while I shower. She hasn't had to sleep in it since my mom has a crib now, but, since she will play in it happily, I don't think that she will have a problem at WDW. (I might write down the number to A Baby's Best Friend just in case.)

She's 34 inches, and I don't think that she's too big to sleep in it. She might not like it, but that's another story! (I think that PNPs have a max height/weight.)

 

[tigger1972]

My DS just turned 3 Nov 7th. He is almost 38 inches. We have the standard size Graco Pack & Play. Here is our experience:

Went to WDW April 2006 (29 months) - slept in Pack & Play, did very well.

We never bought a twin Bed or toddler bed b/c he never tried to climb out of his crib. Slept in crib at home every night until September 2006 when one night he climbed out. We had a trip to WDW planned in October so we decided not to transition to big bed and just set up his P&P "temporarily" in his room. He slept better in there than in his crib!

Slept in P&P during WDW vacation October 2006 (35 months) - did great!

Currently sleeping in P&P every night. I keep thinking about transitioning to Toddler or Twin bed, but he is so active, I just feel safer that he is "contained" at night. We have a WDW trip planned for early Feb 2007 and I am hoping to keep him in the P&P until after the trip.

What do you think? Am I a bad mom for keeping him in the P&P? He seems to like it and sleeps well - 3 hr naps and overnight from 9pm to 8am or later.

Hope that helps!

-April

 

[pbharris4]

My Dd was in the pack n play until she turned 3. She slept in the big bed with her 10 yo sister at WDW last year and did great. So when we got home we converted her crib to the double bed and got double bed rails (goes on both sides). She has done super! She even naps up there with no problem. Still takes 2 hr naps and sleeps from 8:30 to 7:30/8:00 on Non Preschool days.

She loved her P N P, but she was over the weight limit by 3-4 lbs. All she did was sleep in it, but she was just getting too heavy. I was dreading switching her because she's such a great sleeper (my older DD wouldn't sleep alone until she was 8!) , but we painted her room and got a really colorful polka dotted comforter set and put alot of stuffed animals in the bed and it was a piece of cake!

 

[MSSANDRA]

DS was well past two when he stopped sleeping in the pack and play but he was very small. What we did after that was just get a king bed and he slept in the middle. He loved it!!!!!

 

[DisneyPhD]

My kids are little and they love sleeping in back and plays on vacation. I don't know why, but it makes them feel very safe. I always padd it though with blankets.

However when we stopped using the back and play we did one of a few things and these are my suggestions to you.

Resorts do have bed rails and they will give me too you. They will give you 2 for each side. We putt pillows up on the end of the bed too (did I mention my kid is a roller too???) We also would have one of us sleep with the child and one in the other bed if needed.

One year when we had 5 in a studio (one was a baby.) We had my 4 year old sleep on a blow up sleeping bag on the floor. She loves that too. They are cheap and easy to take along too.

Good luck.

This year my 2 year old will be in the pack and play again, or in bed with us.