Toddler not in bed yet so what do we do when we travel?

[AntoinetteCosway]

Probably the wrong topic-sorry. DD is just 2 and has well and truly outgrown the travel cot, which also collapsed the last time we took it down a week ago and appears un-fixable. We're going to DM's for the weekend in about a month. At home DD sleeps in her cotbed with the sides still up-so a cot basically.

Only thing available at DM's will be single bed mattress on the floor and obviously I wouldn't expect her to buy a cot. It presumably won't be long till we have to take the sides off the cot bed anyway. But at the moment she's used to having them there, doesn't climb out and I don't want to take them off before it's necessary. If she goes on a mattress on the floor at DM's there is the additional issue that the house has about 50 stairs, right outside the bedroom she's in, with no stairgates and no place you could put one.

Argh! Any ideas?

In bed with you? (Not ideal, I know).

Mattress on the floor.
Stairs I don't know, my parents live in a bungalow.

There's an air bed called Readybed I think. Has a U shape ridge around the head and shoulders area and a fixed in place thin duvet. Used this for dd when travelling, she didn't fall out. Only tip is the duvet is v thin so if you're going to a cold house/camping bring an extra blanket. Not too expensive iirc, try Argos or tesco

Could you take her own Cotbed mattress and pop it on the floor next to you guys? Hope u sort it remember having same dilemma....is she 2 big for Gro bag? May aid the stop of a great escape!

Take a stair gate and put it on the bedroom door .

Ready bed is a good idea. When dd was a baby we could not fit stair gates on our awkward stairs so we had one on her bedroom door instead.

She'll be fine on mattress, put stair gate over door frame...

I would just do mattress on the floor.

Mattress on floor. My ds2 spent his first night in a bed on a ferry, and second in a hotel. He was fine.

I've camped since Ds was a month old. He started in bed with me but now sleeps in a sleeping bag in a ready bed.

Oh at FIL I just fold a blanket up on the floor and he sleeps on that and shut the door. He's 15 months.

Can't say he stays on the blanket but so what?

What about at the top of the stairs? Is there definitely no way you could put a travel stair gate there?

If not, close the door, take your monitor and listen very dry very carefully for her moving around then leg it up the stairs. Have a talk just before bed about staying on the mattress and calling out if she wakes up.

A swimming noodle under the sheet stops DS from rolling out. Can you put a travel stair gate across the doorframe?

And a sheepskin on the floor offers a soft landing from a low height.

Thanks for all the replies-stairgate on the bedroom door is a good idea (can't believe we didn't think of that!) and so is the Readybed which I'd never heard of but will investigate. Stairgate on stairs is completely impossible due to the very weird shape of the house and banisters.

You can get a travel stair gate and a pop up travel cot that goes up to age 4. My DS loved his and you zip them in it. Look on Amazon

Quick - I'm loving the noodle-under-the-sheet idea - brilliant!

You could get a bed guard if you are worried about lo falling out and I'd buy a travel gate so you can move it around as you need it.

A gate so she can't get out of the room but anything floor-level you can rig up is fine. Also if you are leaving her in the room in the evening (even if she will be asleep first) get down to her level and check for hazards. The usual things like table-lamps with cables hanging down.

Last time I sent up to see DM&DF I had to travel alone on the train with 17mo DS. There was no way I could manage DS, the car seat (for the other end), our clothes and the travel cot, so left the cot.

DS slept on a folded up "rectangle" sleeping bag with only his favourite blanky as a cover (my plan was to bring him in with me if he woke but we arrived late and I needed a drink). He's too short to open their doors, so shut the door to stop him running off the top of the stairs. He slept splendidly.

Does anyone know if with this kind of travel gate you can put it in a doorway and also shut the actual door? I'd like to shut the door so it's dark and quiet in her room but then if she does open the door (which she can reach) there to be a gate preventing her getting out. I'm looking at this one:

www.amazon.co.uk/Lindam-44372-Flexiguard/dp/B000UJB65Y/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1381141793&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=Baby+dan+gate+to+go+travel+barrier

If you don't have a swimming noodle, roll up a bath towel or similar.

We have a travel gate and yes you can shut the door with it on. It's a bit of a PITA climbing over it though as you can't open and shut it like a normal gate, it's fixed in place.

Thanks-that's brill. I think we're going to do a Readybed-travel gate combo. Thanks for all the help on this thread!