Pack N Play Mattress?

Updated on January 31, 2011
D.N. asks from Coram, NY
26 answers

Hello! My son is just over a year and we are planning a beach house trip this summer. We want to bring the Pack N Play for him to sleep in, but the pad is so thin and uncomfortable. He is old enough now where I don't worry as much about SIDS. Does anyone know of a mattress that thicker or any ideas on how to make it more comfortable?

Thank you, D.

1 mom found this helpful

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V.P.

answers from New York on

Hi D.,
BYE BYE BABY sells matresses that fit in the pack and play , as well as fitted sheets. My daughter used it as a crib for some time.
Take Care,
V.

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E.M.

answers from Albany on

I put in a soft blanket it helps and she doesnt seem to mind and sleeps well. Do not use those foam egg crates b/c they give a chemical that is not good to breathe in.

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A.H.

answers from Buffalo on

Hi D.!

We purchased a mattress for our pack n play about a year ago and love it. At Babies R Us there is a section with different mattresses and we were able to find a porta crib mattress that fit perfectly. I think it cost about $19 dollars. Keep 2 things in mind. The first, the mattress will not fold up like the pack n play one so you'll need to leave some extra packing room in your vehicle. Second, you'll need to purchase a porta crib sheet. The pack n play sheets do not fit on the mattress. Other than those two drawbacks, it works great! Our son sleeps much sounder in the pack n play now that he has some added comfort and support.

Hope you have a great trip!
~A.
SAHM to 2 wonderful little boys, ages 4 1/2 and 2.

1 mom found this helpful
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B.F.

answers from New York on

I recently went on vacation to Myrtle Beach, SC and brought my 10 month old son's pack N play for him to sleep in. I bought a quilted pack N play mattress cover by Eddie Bauer (got it in Target)which is sooo much more comfortable than just the hard mattress. I put the sheet over it and he sleeps fine on it.
Hope this helps!!

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K.P.

answers from New York on

Hi D.-

We put batting material (from the fabric store)in layers underneath the mattress and used the fitted sheet to hold it all together. My sister took an old quilt and did the same- it worked pretty well.

Enjoy your trip!

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G.V.

answers from Los Angeles on

The most comfortable and also the most portable solution is the mattress topper by www.comfikids.com It doesn´t leave gaps on the sides and it folds in 3. Also the cover is washable. Good luck!

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L.L.

answers from New York on

We found a Quilted mattress pad at Target that I believe was Eddie Bauer brand and that really helped because we too felt that the pad was thin and not very comfortable and just sticking a thin sheet on it did not help. The quilted pad was great. We use that and we also use a blanket with our son who is almost 16 months.

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K.H.

answers from New York on

We take our grandson camping using the pack & play. We went to Walmart and bought a twin waffled foam sheet that I cut in half, making it more comfortable for him.

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K.G.

answers from New York on

I have to say - when I read your email - I was so excited because I am in the same situation! My daughter is 16 months old - has only slept in her pack and play overnight when we were on vacation last year, and she was much younger then. We bought a beach house last fall and plan on spending as many weekends there as possible and I am worried about her sleeping in the pack and play. I am anxiously awaiting to hear the answers you get. Thanks for posting! K.

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D.M.

answers from New York on

The pack and play may also be small for him to sleep in for an extended period of time. When we go to my parents they use a rental company that comes and brings a crib and picks it up. I think it is about $25 a week.

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M.B.

answers from Rochester on

D.,
I worried about that - does he have a problem sleeping on it already? My son didn't notice a thing when he slept on it regularly - it was when the plates started overlapping on mine that I had to have it replaced that I worried about it.

There are instructions out there for cleaning the pack and play when you are done, too, I lost the URL though :(

Good luck!
M.

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T.H.

answers from Syracuse on

I have always wrapped the matress with a large soft blanket that I can snuggly tuck in. It works great and we have never had it come loose and seems much more comfy.

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J.N.

answers from Buffalo on

i bought my son a mattress pad for a pack-n-play at babies r us. it seemed to help a bit. i know, they are so hard!

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P.M.

answers from New York on

Hi D.
I had the same issues with using a Pack N Play for sleeping - and found they sell a slightly padded (quilted) sheet for it. I think I ordered it online from Target -but you should be able to find it with a good Google search. Also - I put a blanket underneath the padded sheet for some extra comfort too. Not a lot - but just enough to make it feel like he wasn't sleeping on the plain hard surface. Good luck!

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S.R.

answers from Albany on

Hi D.,

I second the Eddie Bauer quilted sheet suggestion. Another thought I had was to put a towel, blanket, or even some egg crate foam under the sheet. Hope this helps!

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S.T.

answers from Albany on

I had the smae situation at one time, a while back and I found two things that were possible and one ofthem my MIL suggested and it worked too. She suggested to get this thick green coushion, very cheap and we measured the inside of the pack-n-play and then we went to JoAnn's fabrics (any place of your choice) and bought the mattress and asked them to cut it to the size we measured and they did. In fact, you can ask them to put an extra inch or two and you can cut it when you get home if it was stil alittle big..length and width. I also found that it was okay to put blankets, thick ones, or fold them over and over if they are long, or you can put layers of blankets. Whatever you feel comfortable. If your son can get up on his own in it then layers of blankets would be fine. I didn't do that til later when I knew they can get up on their own, but the thick cushion was fine and I used it for my second and third because I got it after my first got a little big. We had a big playpen he used to play in and nap on his won, never had to put him asleep. But it changed when I had my second and third ones. Let us know how it turned outand what you decided.

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A.R.

answers from New York on

We bought a portable crib mattress for our pack-n-play for summer travel last summer. I can't remember which one we bought but it is a 3" thick coil mattress and it worked really well. I was about $100. We bought it through amazon which has a lot of portable crib mattresses. Don't forget to measure your pack-n-play before ordering. Our mattress is a little more narrow than our pack-n-play so we bought a pool noodle, cut it to fit, and stuff that in the side between the mattress and pack-n-play.

We used that on several long weekend trips last summer, when our son was about 10 months old. Since then we have gone on 2 week long vacations where we couldn't bring our pack-n-play, and we rented a crib. The crib solution is much easier on us... our son is a big boy and lifting him in and out of the pack-n-play was tough on our backs.

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R.A.

answers from Buffalo on

i work at a flooring store and we live by lake ontario in ny state..and we have many people that go to their cottages and take carpet pad with them. you could go to your local carpet or flooring store and buy some carpet pad...the 1/2 inch thick 6 pound pad would work good..it come 6 foot wide...so get what legnth you need and then cut it..to fit..it should be someplace between the price range of 2.00 to 3.50 a square yard or between .27 cents and .39 cents a square foot....there is also an 8 pound pad sold the same way but would cost a little more..these are soft enough to roll up or fold up and put into a bag to take with you. good luck and enjoy..

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J.C.

answers from New York on

Hello. I've used a portable crib mattress. They're a little smaller in size and about a 1/4 of the thickness. I don't recall if it was a perfect fit, it might have been slightly smaller then the pack n play, but you can always stuff the side with a blanket to fill the difference. I would measure the pack n play pad and go to a local baby store for the portable crib mattress and measure the size.

Good Luck and enjoy your beach house!! :)

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C.S.

answers from Seattle on

I take care of my 20 month old grandson M-F and we often take him on short (3-5 day) trips with us. The pakNplay bottom is not great. I bought a twin sized memory foam mattress pad and cut it to size. I made my own sheets (like a large pillow slip) and use a piece of rubberized flannel cut to fit to protect the memory foam from accidents. I just slip the sheet of rubberized flannel into the case on top of the foam and under the top of the case. It works like a charm. I also made ties so that I can roll the whole kit & kaboodle and it travels well. You really don't want your child or grandchild sleeping without additional padding for any length of time. This works great for us. Good luck. Granny C.

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J.O.

answers from New York on

My son is 19mo. and takes naps or has sleepovers all the time in the pack in play and the thin mattress is no big deal. I just use a soft sheet and a warm blanket, and he can sleep for hours.

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W.M.

answers from New York on

They sell pads for the pack n' play - I got my son the quilted one & put a nice sheet over it for extra comfort.

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J.C.

answers from New York on

Hi D.. While the pad that comes with the pack n' play is fine for one or two nights it is not something I would want to sleep on for a week or more so why should I make my baby do the same?
Babies R Us carries a mattress($25) meant for a pack n' play. We bought one for our son's pack n' play and we bring it with us whenever we travel by car overnight. We are also planning on bringing it on our beach vacation in a couple of weeks. We love it! They also sell sheets that fit the mattress. The ones for the pack n' play pad will not fit the mattress. For us, the mattress was a good investment.
We tried putting blankets under the original pad and found that we could never get them even and the pad would not then not fit firmly in the crib.
Have a great trip.

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A.J.

answers from Albany on

Try searching for a bassinet mattress. Also try www.onestepahead.com They have great travel beds.

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J.G.

answers from Rochester on

My daughter often sleeps in the pack n play and I always put a thick blanket down and then cover it with the QUILTED matress sheet they sell at babies r us. It is nice and tight that way and I don't worry about blankets in her face. She sleeps just as well as in her crib (well now, it's her big girl bed). Have fun!

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S.C.

answers from Syracuse on

Our son is 15 months and we just took him on a trip. He slept in the pack n play no problem. I don't think it's too much firmer than the crib mattress.

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