Toddler sleeping arrangements on cruiise

[alto19]

Hi All- we are cruising on the Carnival Destiny in a few weeks with our two year old. Carnival has said they can provide us with a pack and play for her, or we can bring our own. She is almost too big for the pack and play, so I was wondering how you all have handled the sleeping situation? Pack and play (even if it's a bit small)? Sofa with portable bed rails?

Thanks!

[cb at sea]

Let them provide the P&P, take out the mattress and put it on the floor...no bedrails needed....it's called "adventure sleeping"...she'll love it, and can't fall off!

[skyw]

ummm, DS slept with me on the DCL. Grandma on the couch/bed. That way I could catch him if he rolled over. :) Plus it was easier to get him to sleep when he was sooooo stimulated.

[Seraphine]

Our son slept in the crib bed until he was 3... he wasn't exceptionally tall, but he still seemed to fit alright. I didn't really trust him up in the upper bunk.

 

I like the mattress on the floor idea!

[zstell]

My grand-daughter almost always sleeps in her toddler bed upstairs at my house and at home. But, for our cruise in April, we have already decided to have them put the beds together and she'll be in the middle. I still love to snuggle with her!

[Bound4Bermuda]

We're planing on putting my 2.5 yo in the pack and play. I actually think she might be safer in that than a small bed, where she could possibly roll out if there are rough seas. Granted, my mother's worst-case-scenario gene is kicking in there. I'm sure it's not THAT rough. :p But, I also figure that she'll be SO tired she'll sleep fine curled up in the P&P. It's not like she sleeps stretched out stick straight.

[onthelake]

For longer than I care to remember, when sleeping arrangements called for an upper berth, I slept there and DS down below. DH's weight is such that no on would sleep below him! :eek: DS had the habit of falling out of bed for quite some time so this went on longer than it would have in most cases. Now I get the bottom bunk.

[ladeeesquire]

we were just on the legend. our daughter is 2.5 and she still sleeps in a crib at home. Our steward said he could bring us the p&p but suggested that we use the couch cushions --which are actually big and kind of heavy --as crib bumpers. It worked fantastically well! She was very comfortable and had tons of room and we didn't have to deal with having the p&p in the room during the day.

[dianeandmike2004]

We took our 18 month old on the Freedom of the Seas in October and had the same dilemma. We reserved the pack and play, so it was in our room when arrived. He wasn't too thrilled about it, so we gave it back to the room steward. What we ended up doing worked out perfectly! Every night, we turned the sofa around so that the open part faced the wall, put a blanket, a pillow, and a stuffed animal on it, and voila! a bed. No fear of him rolling onto the floor. We just turned it back around in the morning.

[A&Jfamily]

Let them provide the P&P, take out the mattress and put it on the floor...no bedrails needed....it's called "adventure sleeping"...she'll love it, and can't fall off!

 

Forget even pulling the mattress to the floor. I would have them leave you the comforter from the top bunk (I assume that is the case because if you have a balcony, you have a couch I believe); just have them put the bunk up so the room seems bigger and you are not worried about bumping your head. Those comforters are so thick and soft that they make a great bed themselves on the floor. Toss a blanket on top with a pillow and voila - happy toddler!

[Showtune]

If you're willing to invest in something to bring with you and use in the future as well, you could get an inflatable travel tent bed. I think PeaPod is the brand? They make a few sizes, so be sure to get the biggest one. I hear most toddlers love them, but I'd try it out at home for a few days so your kid is used to it.

[Tazwella]

Great ideas! Thanks for posting!

[mrs.mobster]

We took our 18 month old on the Freedom of the Seas in October and had the same dilemma. We reserved the pack and play, so it was in our room when arrived. He wasn't too thrilled about it, so we gave it back to the room steward. What we ended up doing worked out perfectly! Every night, we turned the sofa around so that the open part faced the wall, put a blanket, a pillow, and a stuffed animal on it, and voila! a bed. No fear of him rolling onto the floor. We just turned it back around in the morning.

 

This is our plan for DD who will be days away from turning 2 when we go in Jan.

[Julienatul]

We just put our 22mo old in the pack n play last week on Carnival. He can unlock and open the cabin doors all by himself and is a very active toddler. I wouldnt trust him in a place he could move about freely

[jenny368]

I agree with that. I will have a very active 20 month old toddler at cruise time. He is 14 months now and into everything. If he was in a bed that he could get out of, he would. He would be roaming freely around the cabin in the middle of the night. I wouldn't be able to sleep just waiting for it. He will definately be put into the pack and play. :eek:;):D

[STGx3]

If you're willing to invest in something to bring with you and use in the future as well, you could get an inflatable travel tent bed. I think PeaPod is the brand? They make a few sizes, so be sure to get the biggest one. I hear most toddlers love them, but I'd try it out at home for a few days so your kid is used to it.

 

The Peapod Plus is the larger one it can supposedly sleep a child as old as 5 years. We have it and LOVE it. It is very compact and light to carry. You can easily dis-assemble it during the day to make more room. I would prefer it to a P&P any day. Another idea when not using it as a travel bed get some little balls for it and voila ball pit. :) It reminds me of the kids' pop-up ball pits they sell on Amazon any how.

[hooked-on-travel]

When the beds are pushed together and made into one it's larger than a queen, more like a king. It's large enough that we've always slept in it with 3 of us. The room stewards are more than happy not to set up the upper bunk. We started this arrangement at 20 mos. She sleeps between us, so we'd know if she had gotten up and wandered. Or maybe the reason she didn't wander was that they were always inside cabins so it was too dark! lol

[im4clowns]

we are going on the carnival glory in two weeks. our dd will be 23 months and we are planning to take our pnp. it's larger than typical so she has plenty of room. she is very active and I would worry about her getting out since she is pretty good about opening doors at home. we booked a gs suite so we would have more room

[Mom2B&Z]

DS2 was just 2 when we went to Cuba. I disassembled a bed rail and packed it in our suitcase. That way he could sleep in the regular bed and we didn't have to worry about him. It was a great solution, others had horrible experiences with the P&P's delivered by the hotel (mind you, we were in Cuba...) but this was a great solution. I'll be doing the same thing this year when we cruise.

[hooked-on-travel]

I would worry about her getting out

 

As a fellow mom I understand your concern but keep in mind cruise ship cabin doors are HEAVY. I have a hard time opening them myself. You can also lock them with a lock that's too high to reach when you're only 3' tall. Put your mind at ease and have a great trip. :)

[Evie2929]

DD will be 2.5 yr when we will be travelling and she will be sleeping between DH and I on the king size bed (2 twins pushed together).

[AgVball]

Wow - TV needs to know about a kid who can open a ship door ;) Its hard for me to open! Ha! Or, maybe its just RCCL that's so heavy.

 

Our girls were @ 20.5 months and we had them in PnPs. They have been fairly tall, but they curl up when they sleep...so I don't worry about it too much. In fact, in another month, we will cruise and they will be 2.5+...and we may STILL put them in PnPs. Another option is to bring pool noodles and put them under the sheet to act as a bumper when sleeping. I love the sofa idea!!!! One thing about PnP's - depending on how tall your child is and how active he is - but they can climb out of PnPs at some point - but, if a PnP is safe at home or when traveling, its probably safe on the cruise.

[dstewart1075]

I've cruised with DD whe she turned 1 and again when she turned 2. Now we'll be traveling again next summer when she turns 3 and she always sleeps between DH and I on the queen size bed (2 twins pushed together). Room steward is more than happy to not have to set up the add't bed. We are not tiny people and we've never been too cramped. Although that may start to change. lol

 

Good luck and Happy Cruising!:o

[SusieV]

I don't know how you people manage- my husband and I have a king at home so it's squishy for us to sleep by ourselves in the queen on the ship, let alone with a little person there too!

 

My son (13 months) wasn't feeling well so he came to bed with us in the middle of the night last night, and Mommy ended up sleeping half off the bed to make room for a squirmy toddler!

 

We reserved a pack n play and I hope he'll be OK with it since he hasn't slept in one for months... maybe I should test it for a nap.

[hooked-on-travel]

I don't know how you people manage- my husband and I have a king at home so it's squishy for us to sleep by ourselves in the queen on the ship, let alone with a little person there too!

 

My son (13 months) wasn't feeling well so he came to bed with us in the middle of the night last night, and Mommy ended up sleeping half off the bed to make room for a squirmy toddler!

 

I guess we're just used to it. We're just back from a 14-nt TA where DD 5y/o had a connecting room with DA(aunt). She slept in her own bed all but the 3 nights we gave auntie the night off. She slept in our bed those nights and all was fine. Maybe she's not as squirmy as yours?