Pack and Play on a Plane

We brought our pack n play when we travelled to FL- just checked it in with the rest of the luggage at the airport. However, a simpler solution may be to either to have your mom borrow one or you could rent one. I've used Babysaway.com many times to rent a crib and toys for my little one. They've always been super.
Hope this helps!

1 mom found this helpful

Maybe you could have your mom pick a used pack n play up off of craigslist. You can get one for about $30 and then you never have to worry about it again. We bought an extra to have at my inlaws house and it was some of the best money we've ever spent.

Regarding the drive it depends on how much your child likes or dislikes being in the car. We drove from CA to OR a few times with our little guy and just left at 3:00 in the morning so by the time he finished his afternoon nap we were ready to stop. It worked well for us.

Good luck!!
T.

1 mom found this helpful

Just rent one in Seattle. Google it -there are lots of baby gear rental companies in almost every city and even large towns. I'm sure they have them in Seattle! You can rent high chairs and pack-n-plays, strollers -all sorts of stuff.

We were told by the airline that we would pay 50 to 75 extra for our pack n play, so I decided to use Craigslist! I arranged to pick it up from the owner on the phone and for 25.00 we just had to make a small stop to purchase it and we were on our way... We left it at the house we rented which was a big perk for them and much less lugging and money for us...

I suggest flying & buying a pack & play on craigslist! It would be cheaper then paying the fee at the airport. I have bought several baby items on craigslist including a pack & play & theese items are like new a lot of the time as they grow out of them so fast. You can shop & have your mom pick up before you arrive, remember to bring your crib sheet.

We checked a pac and play in on an airline and it was fine , they are pretty sturdy. Also I don't think that a 2 day drive will be that bad for the baby , we did a 2 week road trip last summer with 3 kids , the youngest was 11 months at the time , and at the end of this month we are driving from VA to Nova Scotia Canada with them.

When my son was 10 months old we flew from Pennsylvania to Key West,FL. I was afraid that the airline would damage my pack n play (like they recently did w/my stroller) so I actually sent it UPS a few weeks before we were arriving & then shipped it back. It still ended up costing approx. $40- round trip but, I did purchase the insurance which eased my worries for any damage. We also did not have to worry about lugging a large pack n play through the airport along w/the stroller, baby & luggage.

Think of all you'll have to bring to the airport-- stroller, carseat, bags, diaper bag, etc. Totally not worth it to bring a Pack n play on an airplane. They will most likely charge you for it as well as an extra bag. My mom borrowed one once when we came to visit and then ended up just buying one on craigslist. I'd have her ask around or see if she can borrow one. Even if you only use it for this trip, she could turn around and sell it again on CL probably for close to what she paid for it. My mom did that one year too, bought a ton of baby stuff on CL and then sold it all again after we left. Good luck!

check with your airline. we flew southwest, and they allow 2 extra items per person when traveling with a baby or toddler. and, that is for the baby as well...you can check it for free. all airlines are different, of course. as for it breaking, i think it's unlikely. maybe pack a few blankets in there so it's more padded. we checked and umbrella stroller, (a cheap one) and it came out fine. of course, you do take a chance...

i would see if she can borrow one. Or just buy a cheap one. The airport is charging $25 for each bag or item $100 for over 50lbs.

Some airlines don't charge for baby items, so you might be able to check it for no charge. Better yet, why not have your mom buy a used one on craigslist or http://seattle.citymommy.com so then she'll always have one whenever you visit. I got one on craigslist for each set of grandparents and paid $20 for one and $25 for the other. Totally worth it so I never had to lug mine around.

K.
http://oc.citymommy.com
http://www.discoverytoyslink.com/karenchao - check out our summer sale!

I, too, recommend picking one up off of craigslist. I did all the legwork (emails, phone calls & negotiations) for my mom from my house then just sent her to pick it up.
I just checked the Seattle craigslist and there are over 20 of them on there for under $40! I saw a few for $15-20. A STEAL!! Sooo much more convenient than hauling it around. :)

They have a wheelie bag that allows you to protect your pack and play. We use ours on trips to local places and it works great. I am not sure how it would survive being tossed on and off a plane, but I am sure your pack and play would fare better if it were inside of it. These bags are available on Amazon. Here's the link: www.amazon.com/Wheelie-Junior-Travel-Bag-2d-Black/dp/B000...

I wouldn't bother checking it or shipping it. For the same cost, you can just order one from Babies R Us and have them deliver it to your Mom's house. Easiest to just get a second and have her keep it there for future visits and other grandchildren.

I completely understand, does your mom have a friend who maybe has a grand baby and maybe can borrow theirs? That way you can get away with only taking a pack n play sheet instead of the whole heavy thing.

Have your mom go on craigslist and just buy one to keep at her house..you can pick a nice one up cheaper than the airlines will charge you to bag it in luggage!

Look into getting a peapod sleep thing. It's a fold up sleep tent that's about $80. They're awesome for travel and you can just carry it with you onto the plane. Or just have it shipped to your mom's so it's there when you get there! Have a good visit.

See if your mom has a friend who has a Pack in Play for their granchildren you can borrow, might also work for a car seat (especially if you are flying alone). We have borrowed a Pack and Play, seat, and toys while visiting family. You can also rent them, but just buying one for there might be easier, and about the same price if you can't figure out anything else.

I wouldn't check the pack-n-play and it's too big to gate-check it. See if your mom has a friend or neighbor who can loan her one.

I've flown a few times with a pack and play, and a baby pen. Just check them like regular luggage... if you have a newer pack and play, i'm sure it comes with it's own bag or case. As far as the airport breaking it, it's a gamble... my pack and play never got damaged, but the baby pen did get a crack in one of the panels.

You check it for whatever fee an extra bag is. It can depend on the airport and the airline. We went to FL in Feb and on the way out they said it was a service item and didn't charge us, on the way back they charged us $15 or something.

Another option is to look into renting something. Seattle is a big town, I know they will have rental places. Just google "Seattle crib rentals" and you'll get lots of places. You can get full-size cribs, travel cribs, and PnPs.

I've flown ours several times and I double bag it in those REALLY thick contractor bags and check it. Delta counts it as a 'special' item so I don't have to pay for it. Not a bad idea to get one off of craig's list or from a consignment shop to keep at the grandparents' house either. I didn't because we're getting close to the end of being able to use the P'N'P and we don't visit often - storage issues... Anyway, it was FAR easier to transport than I'd anticipated, and I flew with just my son. One thing - don't forget to bring tip money to give the baggage person at the airport. Since it was just me flying I needed help getting our stuff to the check in counter. :)

We checked it and didn't pay anything through Southwest. We brought it in its nylon bag and they put it in a big clear plastic bag to protect it. It worked great.