Travel bed solutions for 18 month old? Floor bed?

[IssyFleur]

Hello! Wondering if anyone had any ideas... we currently have a travel cot for our 18 month old but it's one of the type where the mattress is now on the floor with high sides of a cot (having been lowered when she got too big for the suspended setting). I am now finding it super hard to get my toddler into it once she's asleep without waking her. I'm fairly short and I just can't bend so far over the side to lower her as gently as I'd like. The last few holidays this has resulted in multiple wake ups and difficulty getting her to stay in the cot.

I was just wondering what others did about travel sleep solutions for a toddler?Anyone seen any low side travel mattresses suitable for this age group (18 months) or have recommendations for a travel cot that's easier for transfers but will have some longevity?

Thank you. 😊😊

Is she unlikely to be self settling soon? If there's no health/developmental reasons that she can't learn to self settle then I'd spend my energy on that tbh. Then you can use your existing travel cot.

If that's not a possibility then how about a travel cot with a zip side? You could put her in asleep through the side then zip it up after.

This is true... we are working on self settling but she doesn't love it so not sure how long it'll be before that's an option. Side zip a great idea in the meantime. Thank you!

Personally we just used a single regular bed. Threw a ton of cushions and duvets on the floor and checked on her through the night. But she wasn't one who wiggled a lot in her sleep then.
Worst case scenario if it was me solo with both the kids we all slept in a king size bed - wasn't something I was willing to do long term but I thought for the week we were travelling I could cope with being kicked and climbed on and just not sleeping 🙃

My daughter is in a travel cot - this is the only way she’ll sleep safely without banging her head, I’m only 5 foot and struggled to put her in I was pretty much throwing her in, I ordered her an actual mattress that fits and it’s much better and higher but not unsafe

Do ready beds still exist?
I remember using them with dd many years ago

We used the little life arc 2 travel cot tent at that age (and younger). Super compact, lightweight and very roomy. Not sure if they're still being made, but they might be available second hand.

I used a travel cot mattress on the floor at that sort of age. Never once managed to get my first born into a travel cot asleep, had to feed to sleep on the floor and roll away. And brought her in bed with me when she woke after I went to bed.

”Self settling” is developmental, not something all babies can be taught IMO.

I have my nearly two year old in a single bed with a bed guard and she’s been in there since around the time she turned one. I cuddle her to sleep and then creep out. Plus you get a bed guard to put on a single bed or put her in a double with you?

I would have mine in bed with us if they won’t settle

Does she have a dummy or comforter? Something you can take away with you to help her sleep in the travel cot on holiday? To be honest at 18 months my elder two would go down awake for bed time usually. They did need some additional comforting on holiday of course but mostly that was more like patting/singing/reassuring, pick up/put down a few times etc so they still went to bed awake. I think I'm with PP that this is probably your best bet to work on really. That being said my kids both had dummies and a comfort teddy too - my youngest is younger and has no dummy and so far is the worst sleeper, so not sure whether my advice is doable without a magic dummy!

We do have a zip open travel cot but I don't think that would help. Unless you rocked them sat on the floor you'd have to get right down to floor level whilst carrying them then slide their whole body through the zip open but etc, I think that would be just as difficult as lowering them down into it. We've always just lowered ours down.

I use a bed guard and put him in the bed with me

I was going to say "You need a Ready Bed" but when I googled for a link, it would seem that they've been taken over and I couldn't find any in stock in the UK. Although there are plenty on Vinted

DC2 climbed out of our travel cot at that age so I wouldn't invest in another travel cot - you may not be able to use it for long.

We used a single bed with a guard, or a travel cot mattress on the floor.