8 Unique Travel Beds

Travel Beds

How should you sleep your baby when you’re traveling? This question popped up every month of oldest daughter’s life until we finally purchased a travel bed before heading off to Sweden. We had to be creative with a minimal budget and packing space while travelling with a baby. Read on if you want to find out some of the ways our oldest daughter has slept in her little nomad life.  The last bed is the one we finally invested in a used travel bed that fits our little Nomad’s personality just right.

CAUTION: Please be forewarned that I am not an expert in baby sleep and safety so if you choose to try any of these out, use at your own risk and set up the beds according to safety standards.

The”Moses” Wicker Bassinet:
Oh the beautiful “Moses” wicker bassinet. Both our daughters slept in the “Moses” in our home in Vancouver for the first 3 months of their life. Along with it we had the jolly jumper rocker. The added jolly jumper rocker was amazing. When the girl’s needed a rockin’ the foot would come a knockin’. We would do the ol’ extended foot out of the bed to rock her to sleep, which we will call the ‘extended leg rock.’ The trick when using the ‘extended leg rock’ is trying to get into a good rocking rhythm while still lying in bed.

We bought this one on Craigslist. We also sold it on Craigslist just as easily to get all our money back. Our oldest daughter also slept in this when she went on her first camping trip when she was around 5 weeks old (We did not take the rocking part). It was easy to throw in the back of our hatchback and allowed her a complete ‘Glamping’ experience. .

“The Suitcase”:
The true Nomad spirit was summoned when we used “The Suitcase”. “The Suitcase” was actually my mom`s suggestion. Apparently when we were under 3 months old we would sleep in a padded drawer or a laundry basket if needed. No fuss indeed!! We used the suitcase when we went to Montreal for a conference  when our first daughter was about 2 months old and when we went to Edmonton the first time to visit family when she was 3 months old. In the suitcase we would put the Moses mattress in the bottom. We swaddled her like above and she would hardly move anything but her head occasionally back and forth.This was perfect for the first 3 months of her life.

“The Borrowed” and “The Bought”:
When our first daughter was around 4 months old we went home for Christmas. I knew she would no longer fit the suitcases. What were we going to do! We still did not want to pack one of those bulky travel beds let alone spend the money on something we thought we would rarely use! (Looking back, our oldest daughter has ventured around the world more than most babies and a travel bed probably would have been a good investment at the time). At that point we were really lucky, as my husband`s parents had borrowed a playpen/travel bed from a friend and my parents bought a nice used crib. It was perfect for us and really nice of our parents.
When we moved to Copenhagen we asked  around before if anyone had a crib we could borrow. We borrowed a nice simple white crib and it was delivered to us by one of Cam’s co-workers the day we landed in Copenhagen.

“The Mattress”:
When our oldest daughter was 8 months old we traveled to Arhus, Denmark. We packed the crib mattress in half of one of our suitcases by folding it up (It was a foam mattress). When we got to Arhus we made a bed with the mattress, the wall and our suitcase right beside the bed where we were sleeping.

“The Baby Carrier”:

The baby carrier was excellent for when we went to Montreal when our oldest was around 2 months old. I could explore the sights of Montreal and grab a coffee, all while she slept.
Baby Bjorn:
For the first 6 months we used the Baby Bjorn that we borrowed from my sister. I love how you do not need an infant insert to use it and when the baby becomes more alert and stronger they can face outwards.
Ergo Baby Carrier:
For our travels to Copenhagen we did end up buying an Ergo baby carrier and took that instead of the Bjorn. This was because our daughter was getting heavier and we wanted the option to be able to carry her on our backs for long travel days and hikes.

“The Stroller”
Great for touring, sitting outdoors having a drink, at the park or running. “The Stroller” offers the ability to keep doing what you love while the babe gets some sleep. In Copenhagen most of the babies strollers is their actual bed. However, their strollers are HUGE!

“The Stroller” for us is always a hit or miss. We can never be sure we won’t get the “Dreaded” half hour nap, which usually tides her over, although with a bit of crankiness, till nighttime. Every once in a while we get an hour to an hour and half nap in. On those occasions we do a happy sleep dance and have an extra drink.

“The Car seat” 
This is actually a family inside joke. I will let you be a part of the ‘IN’. Our oldest daughter did not sleep in the car for the first 6 months. Ok maybe I am exaggerating a bit. She did sleep in the car seat the first 5 weeks. She would also sleep in the car if you were driving longer then 20 minutes and if you covered the car seat with a blanket to block out all stimulus (she would scream for those first 20 minutes and eventually tire out and fall asleep). If your drive was shorter than 20 minutes, which usually it is, you would always know that you would have to listen to 20 minutes of screaming on the way to your destination. BREAK MY HEART! Anyways apparently some babies do not like car seats. Thankfully our newest addition will fall asleep in the car and does not resort to heart wrenching crying.

“The Nomad”:
After months of evading the purchase of a proper travel cot, the time came when Etta was going to start crawling and standing and we wouldn’t be able to trust her in our makeshift beds. This started a travel cot search. We had a few options.

1. Buy one of the standard travel cots and leave it in Europe before flying home to Canada.
2. Try another new and improved makeshift bed for our dughter but risk her destroying the hotel or apartment we are staying in.
3. Find another option…. BUT WHAT!!!
There is a website in Denmark similar to Craiglist that is called dba.dk   It is a website where people sell used furniture, toys, goods etc.
That is when my husband came across “The Nomad” on the used website. The Nomad has been perfect for my oldest daughter. It had an opening at the top that could be closed to keep mosquitoes out, provided some UV protection and allows air to flow. The sides can also be opened and provide the same protection. The poles and the material of “The Nomad” are made with high quality materials. They are the same materials used in high quality outdoors tents and therefore it is extremely durable.