# Co-sleeping in hotels



## AlpineMama (Aug 16, 2007)

We might be taking a short trip soon and staying in a hotel for a few nights. I'm wondering if we should have DS sleep in a Pack n Play while in the hotel? He's taken a few daytime naps in it before, but won't fall asleep in it on a regular basis. At home he loves having his own space in a sidecar, but if he was in the PnP he wouldn't be within arm's reach and that bothers me. I couldn't just roll over when he got hungry, or reposition him when he sleep-crawls into a corner, etc. Plus my back HURTS from this pg and bending over is agony. So picking him up out of that... ow.

The other choice is having him sleep on the big bed but I'm not sure if that's safe since he moves around so much. He has to sleep on my side so DH doesn't roll over on him. I'm totally afraid that he'd either roll/crawl/squirm off, or that I'd be holding him down all night trying to keep him safe, and neither of us would get any sleep. (He resents not being able to move around at night; I don't blame him, I'm a squirmy sleeper myself.) Should I just put pillows on the ground next to us? Somehow I don't want my babe flopping on a dirty hotel carpet in the dead of the night, even with a pillow to break his fall.

I doubt highly that we'd be staying in a hotel that had portable cribs available, perhaps with sidecar abilities. We're talking cheap places mostly...

WWYD?


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## lolar2 (Nov 8, 2005)

Sleep with him in the bed. Put the Pack 'n' Play next to his side of the bed so he'll roll into that if he rolls off.


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## momma-d (Feb 2, 2007)

We've co-slept in a number of hotels and I always just tuck pillows under the sheets at the edge of the bed (to make a sort-of bump to keep DD from rolling off). That way even if DD isn't between us (if we shift during the night), she's got something to stop her if she rolls in her sleep. They have king-sized beds in hotels, so that helps, too...


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## Valkyrie9 (Sep 29, 2006)

Do you have a bed rail? That's been our salvation in cosleeping ever since ever. If we're traveling, it goes with us. It's much easier to pack than the PnP.


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## Benji'sMom (Sep 14, 2004)

We've done it and just put the matress on the floor up against the wall.


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## staceychev (Mar 5, 2005)

nak

we've done it and it was fine.

make sure you get a big enough bed--we always assumed they'd be king or queen (we've got queen at home), but in a NYC budget hotel, we were surprised with a double. Good thing it was only one night!


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## crazydiamond (May 31, 2005)

That's exactly how we manage in hotels -- between lugging the stroller and carseat and all our luggage, that last thing I want is to carry around a PnP too. I don't trust hotel cribs, either.

If we get two beds in the room, usually doubles, DD and I will sleep in one bed and DH in the other. The bed is too small with all three of us and DH needs his space, so this works out okay. This last trip we ended up with a kind size bed and that was perfect to cosleep in. We just put DD in the middle and had no worries about her falling out.


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## arratt (Apr 24, 2004)

We have pushed beds up against a wall or put the mattress on the floor against the wall if the beds wont move.


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## mommyof3andcountin (Mar 11, 2004)

Yeah, there's always something to shove against the bed if you can't shove the bed against a wall. A desk, chair, nightstand, something (with a pillow next to it) usually eases my worries.


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## Margot Adler (Jun 2, 2007)

I always bring a blanket or towel for ds to sleep on in the bed. Maybe i've just seen one too many dateline specials, but i just don't trust hotel sheets (besides, who knows what kind of industrial detergent they use).


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## ezrasmummy (Oct 2, 2004)

We put whatever movable furniture is available on the side of the bed that DD is on and cover it all with the creepy bedspread for extra cushioning if she bonks. We don't have to carry anything in and we have never had a babe fall out.


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## Meiri (Aug 31, 2002)

The time we stayed at a motel when DS was two, we shoved the two beds together-yes sometimes they are movable!- and put him between us. We were the "bedrails/speedbumps" to keep him contained.

We figured that with all that real estate, DH and I would not end up right against the edges of the bed like we sometimes did at home when DS climbed in with us.

WE were wrong. He made an "H" with us: feet against DH, head near me, and both of us on our respective Edges of the bed.


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## snoopy5386 (May 6, 2005)

if you are driving I would get a bedrail. it packs flat in the trunk really easy then you and babe can sleep in one bed and DH in the other


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## amyleigh33 (Nov 2, 2006)

another thing...when we stayed in a hotel with dd i was really nervous about how soft hotel beds tend to be...


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## swampangel (Feb 10, 2007)

Others have said it, but we also push the bed up against the wall and then block off the other side or the end with chairs/pillows/whatever we can find. It's been fine. We have two children, so I slept with the baby with him between me and the wall. It worked great.

Have a great trip!


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## wobbema (Mar 19, 2007)

we've slept in hotels a lot and we always put the matrasses on the floor and place the bed itself against the wall...
and ansk for no cleaners to come in haha because we usually re-do the whole room!!

we usually take a small mattrass from a PnP and lay that on the floor too. Usually there is space enough (after removing the beds) for his small mattrass and one of the hotels' matrasses to lay next to each other.

good luck!


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## nichole (Feb 9, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *lolar2* 
Sleep with him in the bed. Put the Pack 'n' Play next to his side of the bed so he'll roll into that if he rolls off.

no! i did this and ds LAST NIGHT fell in between even though i had it pushed all the way up. he could have gotten really hurt.

i think the safest is a mattress on the floor or pack and play if they will sleep in it. bedrails would be a close second. bedrails are great to prevent rolling off the bed but my ds climbs in his sleep trying to find me before he even cries out.


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## Jwebbal (May 31, 2004)

take care with him on the edge, my son fell out of hotels beds twice, and ended up breaking the same end of the same bone (buckle fracture) each time. Nothing serious, but still a pain. I should have kept him in the middle.


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## abharrington (Jun 30, 2007)

i second the pp on bringing a towel/blanket...the industrial detergent can be pretty irritating. we just spent 2 nights in a very nice hotel and my legs are all kinda itchy today. (i do have sensitive skin, for the record). i would also go with a bedrail if dc cna't sleep in the middle. i found one at the salvation army for $3.


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## alysonb (Mar 15, 2006)

I had the same experience with the pack n play where he fell down between it and the bed. Luckily I am such a light sleeper that I caught him before he totally fell off.

What I do now at hotels or my mom's is me and ds sleep sideways so that he is between me and the headboard (just make sure the headboard is tight with the mattress so there is no room to fall in between). Since all of the hotels that we've been in have had two queens I do that in one bed with the baby and DH does it in the other with our older ds. I usually pile up the comfortor/extra pillows on the floor next to the bed just in case, but have never had a problem. Oh, and when ds was an infant I actually just let him sleep in the stroller, fully reclined, next to the bed.


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## D_McG (Jun 12, 2006)

I searched and see that your DS is 6 mos (correct?)

I would put him between you at that age. I'm not sure I believe that men are more likely to roll anyway (different post).

I say this assuming that he wouldn't sleep in the PNP. I know my son wouldn't. If yours would then I guess that would be fine too.

Have fun!


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## Satori (Jan 30, 2003)

We spend a lot of nights away from home and just use a portable bed rail


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## *mama moose* (Oct 12, 2006)

we have always just coslept with her as we normally do. Our bed at home is against a wall, but thats to maximize space, the first 8 months or so of her life it was in the center of the room, on the bed frame, and she was/is fine. The only time she has fallen off the bed was when I was not in the room, and I'd assume this is a non issue in a hotel.
enjoy your stay!


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## AlpineMama (Aug 16, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *D_McG* 
I searched and see that your DS is 6 mos (correct?)

I would put him between you at that age. I'm not sure I believe that men are more likely to roll anyway (different post).

I say this assuming that he wouldn't sleep in the PNP. I know my son wouldn't. If yours would then I guess that would be fine too.

Have fun!


Unfortunately it's not the issue that DH is a man but that he's on medication and he already HAS rolled over on top of DS a few times when I tried to put him in the middle!! He didn't wake up when the baby was screaming in his ear. Of course it wasn't for long, as I freed him right away, but still... not an experience I want to repeat!!


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## Peony (Nov 27, 2003)

A bed rail is a must for hotel rooms, we usually travel frequently, and always bring at least one. When we have a crawler, we take the chairs, and turn them around so the backs are against the rail in case a baby decides to crawl in their sleep, then their head would butt up against the chair waking up up before they can try to crawl over the rail.


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