Portable Travel Bed

lpperry · Apr 6, 2009

I am starting a home daycare and need some places for babies to sleep. My baby will be in his crib. I have a mini pack and play for another baby. I will probably have more than one baby (under 2) who needs to sleep in some sort of crib.

I thought about getting more Pack and Play's, but they are so big.

I looked online and found a portable travel bed http://www.amazon.com/KidCo-Peapod-...ie=UTF8&s=baby-products&qid=1239025878&sr=1-2

Does anyone know if these are safe? It says it can be used with infants. I am not sure though because it has an inflatable mattress. I didn't think it was safe for a baby to sleep on an air mattress.

monstah · Apr 6, 2009

I have a Peapod. I bought it to use in our hotel room during a trip so DD could sleep in peace in the bathroom and DS wouldn't bother her.
I didn't trust the air mattress at all, it seemed too easy for DD to roll over and get trapped up against the side of the tent. I actually just folded a comforter a couple times and placed the tent on top of that. She seemed to like it OK but was scared at first.

I wouldn't think it would be a very good choice to use with daycare kiddos.
-It's harder to clean
-It's pretty small and will probably only last to 12 months - My 18 month old is way too big for it.
-It will probably be scary for them (closed in)
-I don't think it will last anywhere near as long as a PnP.

My SIL ran a daycare out of her home and I worked there everyday with her.
I can't imagine anything working better than a PnP. And it will provide the kids with easier transitions. (What I mean is that no child you get will be used to sleeping in a tent.)

ctbcleveland · Apr 6, 2009

My home DCP has each parent bring their own pack-n-play. Yes - they are a little bit bulky, but you could fold them up over the weekends to get them out of the way and would not incur the cost.

I think having a more contained space for children under 2 would be preferable to a cot or air mattress, especially if the children sleep away from the main play area.

BananaBoat · Apr 6, 2009

I have the Peapod & think it's great. The air-mattress is fine & can either go in the tent with the baby or in it's own zippered compartment. Both seem safe to me & if you're at all concerned, just use some velcro.
As for durability, I have no idea. We've only used ours on a couple trips & it looks new.

They do make a larger one called the Peapod Plus which goes to age 5 I think.

Ali · Apr 6, 2009

DD was scared to death of that peapod. We ended up having to return it.

We ended up getting a Youth Aerobed, but that wouldn't work for daycare.

Our home daycare provider has the smaller cribs from IKEA and some pack and plays stashed throughout the house. The older kids sleep on mats from Lakeshore.

BookMama · Apr 6, 2009

I've never used one of those, so I don't have an opinion on it, but I wonder whether state regulations require that the child's sleeping surface be raised up off the floor? If that's the case, I don't think the Peapod would work for you.

lpperry · Apr 7, 2009

All great suggestions! Thank you so much! I was worried about how the kids would feel about sleeping in a "tent." I figured if people had them and loved them, I could give it a try.

I have the mini pack and play right now and it folds up pretty compactly. I think a few of those would be much better than the "tent." I was just trying to see if I could save some space!

I think I may get the Peapod anyway (but not to use with the daycare kiddos). We are going to Florida this summer and wanted a tent/sunshade to use on the beach. I think we'll get the Peapod and we could also use it for a travel bed on occasion for our own baby. We could even use it in Florida instead of dragging the PnP with us! Our baby will only be 2 months, so hopefully he won't be afraid of it!

momtoirs · Apr 7, 2009

If you need something for a bit older/heavier child, we have this and love it. DS moved out of a crib at about 20 months or so and have used this for travel for years at this point.

Tina

Portable Travel Bed

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