Should I take my amby hammock to Australia?

[Vmama]

hello our 7 wk old DS2 has slept well in an Amby hammock since birth. We are due to go on a 3 week holiday to Australia in March and I'm wondering what to do about his sleeping arrangements while we're there. My DH is reluctant to take the hammock as it will be heavy to carry and we are staying in 4 different places during the trip and doing several internal flights but although all the places we're staying have travel cots I'm worried that DS2 won't sleep in one as he's so used to his hammock.

Has anyone successfully had their 4 month old sleep in a travel cot? They never seem very comfy to me for little ones.

And has anyone switched between hammock and travel cot at this age? How did it go?

Thanks

Do you have a travel cot? If not could you borrow one and try your DS in it here before you go? It will be a pain to lug the hammock around IMO.

I had the exact same scenario and did a test night in a travel cot a couple of weeks before our trip. It was a disaster! So the hammock came on the trip. We were moving around loads too, but for me the good sleep was worth the hassle of bringing it along. We already had so much other crap to carry anyway that it didn't make THAT much difference. He slept even better than he did at home on that trip (every trip post hammock has been a sleep shocker...sigh).

Some babies seem to switch well between hammock and flat cot. Mine didn't.

TBH, the familiarity of the bed will make the trip so much easier for all of you your DS will be happier and you will be happier if you are not sleep deprived. Personally I would rather go without everything else! Though, agree that it is heavy and cumbersome.

Id take it, We went away for 3 days and that was bad enough, Now he is abit older thou and moved to cot he's getting used to travel cot... abit!!!

we're thinking of taking one of those pop up samsonite travel cots instead as it's still nice and cosy and very portable -anyone used?

Yes to samsonite - they are shit.

Well not really shit - ok for a night or 2 but not for 3 weeks, they have no padding - mattress is not much thicker than a blanket.

with dc4 I finally cracked the travel cot thing. You need to make napping in the travel cot a regular thing at home in their familiar surroundings they will then quite happily sleep in it anywhere!

Hi, you sound like me oh... 19 months ago! DS1 was 4 months old when we flew long haul to Singapore to see family and at that time, he was napping really well in a cradle swing and at night in the hammock. Arghhhh!!! I had double your dilemma. Just absolutely no way we could take the cradle swing (did find a friend in Singapore who had one I could borrow if I was desperate but I never did...) but I seriously considered the hammock. In the end, I didn't. My parents bought a travel cot and an extra mattress for it and DS1 transitioned surprising well and I never went back to the hammock... He was starting to turn over and I was too paranoid to leave him in the hammock.

I did do a bit of research and you can buy something that you can attach the hammock to in the doorway... Something like this? I imagine without the stand, you could easily transport it around. I would also try letting baby sleep in travel cot again but with an additional mattress. No way I would ever expect my child to sleep in a travel cot with the crap mattress they come with for more than one night!

Getting baby used to the travel cot early will help and also using extra padding under the sheet, a folded quilt is snuggly and also using rolled towels under the sheet to give that 'hugged all around' feeling.

Pop-ups, rubbish once baby can rool IME, used a swim woggle/noodle under the sheet last time to stop 6m baby rolling it all over!

yes I used a cot quilt under the sheet on our travel cot.

Definitely add lots of padding under the travel cot mattress - my DD hated it until we padded it and then she was fine.
Good idea to have a few practice runs too before you go while at home.
The hammock sounds like a great idea - never heard of that before..

I bit the bullet and used the opportunity to wean my DS1 out of the hammock and swing. With DS2, I am smarter this time round and no 'gadgets' when it comes to sleeping - so he sleeps on a mattress on our sofa during the day and goes into his cot at night. Just remember that whatever they get used to sleeping in (other than a cot/bed) you will have to wean them off it eventually...

thanks for the feedback everyone -this is the pop up I was thinking of getting -thought it looked more cosy/enclosed than your standard travel cot so I thought it may be better?

www.kiddicare.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/productdisplayA_42_10751_-1_14053_1537 1000114053

oh and I'm a big believer in using the hammock -we used it with DS1, he always slept brilliantly and he transitioned into the cot no problem when the time came -I just don't really want to do it when DS2 is so young and in a strange place!

can't see your link Vmama you need to put it inside then a space and a word like cot and then we will see the word 'cot' and can click on it.

like this? www.kiddicare.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/productdisplayA_42_10751_-1_14053_1537_10001_14053 travelcot

Yes, that is the model i have used, once baby can roll then it is not stable and will turn with baby if baby is at the side.

Have you thought of this?

hi thanks for the link Mooching but I don't think this would be safe for him to sleep in at night -the amby one is enclosed and really safe. I'm wondering if I should just bite the bullet and take ours with us. Or has anyone come across some kind of bassinet that would attach to any travel cot? We have travel cots supplied at each location but I'm worried he will freak out at such a large space and I don't like the idea of him sleeping virtually on the floor. Hmm -has anyone had experience of a 3 month old sleeping in a travel cot?

or has anyone found a suitable wheely bag for transporting the hammock in?

We had this problem last year dd was 4 months old we were going to Florida and she had always slept in her hammock.
We didn't take it and she didn't sleep!