Sleeping in the Pack and Play for a WEEK??

Updated on August 15, 2011
R.D. asks from Richmond, VA
50 answers

I'm going to ask the condo at the beach if they have portable cribs we can borrow/rent, but if they don't, my son will be sleeping and napping in his pack and play. I hardly believe that's good for his little bones. He's way old enough to have blankets and stuff (and doesn't try to step on them to climb out)... can I put something in the bottom of the pack and play to make it a little more fluffy?

We're also house sitting next week, and he'll be sleeping in the pack and play then as well. I feel so bad about him having to sleep in that thing 2 weeks out of the month!! I've even considering taking his crib completely apart and setting it up at the house, but honestly, I don't think it will fit in either of our cars and I'm not sure it will be worth the hassle.

Have any of your kids survived the pack and play??

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C.O.

answers from Washington DC on

Roman will be fine Girlfriend!!!

I would put another blanket at the bottom for added comfort - but at his age - he's flexible and he should be fine!!

I take it this means I'm not going to the beach next week? you decided to go?

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L.M.

answers from New York on

That's one of the reasons people buy a pack and play. There's no reason why he can't sleep in it for a few weeks.

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D.B.

answers from Charlotte on

.

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B.C.

answers from Norfolk on

When you're young, you can sleep on anything.
It's only when we're older that harder surfaces start giving us aches/pains when we sleep on them.
He'll be fine in a pack n play for a few weeks.

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T.C.

answers from Dallas on

We don't have a crib. We only use pack n play:-) My baby is 13 months old and she sleeps just fine. My sister does the same, and I have some friends that do the same too. Their babies sleep great and seem to have no discomfort.

I think you'll be surprised at how okay he'll be with it. I don't see his age anywhere, but I think if he's old enough, blankets on the bottom would be fine.

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K.L.

answers from Washington DC on

His bones will be just fine! Both of mine slept in pack and plays while on vacation for well over a week. Sooooooo not worth the hassle of taking apart your crib!!

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H.J.

answers from Minneapolis on

Umm my 15 mo old has slept in the pack n play since she was born. They are not much different then a toddler mattress if you really thnk about it. We did get the graco mattress pad for our for a little extra comfort but I don't think she really even needs that. We don't have a crib...
I did the crib thing with my first two and I don't think I will ever do a crib again. legs getting stuck face getting smooshed into bars....it all sucked. no legs getting stuck now, no high rail to bend over, no bar prints on face when waking up. The pack n play is awesome

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K.H.

answers from Phoenix on

After my newborn outgrew her cradle but before I was comfortable having her asleep away from me in the crib, we set up the pack and play in our room. She slept in that for about 4 months. We put a little mattress pad in it to soften it up a bit. No problems at all. I've even known some people who were really strapped for cash so they just used a pack and play and never used a crib!

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C.W.

answers from Allentown on

We haven't owned cribs for our last 2 babies. We've done a combo co-sleep/bassinet situation and transitioned to Pack n Plays. My boys have survived just fine. :)

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S.B.

answers from Kansas City on

you could put a blanket at the bottom, but honestly, I don't think it will hurt him.

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R.J.

answers from Seattle on

Unless there's "OW! BARS!!!" that jab up through the P&P, he'll be fine. Consider it "posh camping". :) Tent floors are MUCH harder/lumpier.

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T.K.

answers from Dallas on

crib mattresses are no softer than the pack n play with am extra layer of blankets. My babies preferred being in the pack n play because they could be in the room with mom and dad.

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B.

answers from Augusta on

I seem to remember when we moved and had to use one for a month we got one of those foam bed pads and cut it down to the right size and put it under the pack and play sheet.

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J.B.

answers from Houston on

My baby slept in the pack in play for a week on vacation when he was about 5 months old and did just great. My new baby due in Nov will be napping in the pack n play all the time after being done with the bassinet, I don't think it will be a problem, have fun!

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S.S.

answers from Chicago on

Rachael I have a girlfriend who had 5 kids in 7 years. the youngest never slept in a crib at all. only a pack and play. she is fine she is 4 now and developmentally she is exactly at the same as all the other preschoolers. your little one will be fine in a pack and play for a couple weeks.

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P.S.

answers from Houston on

Fold up a blanket and tuck a bed sheet over it. That should do the trick. Don't use a sleeping bag...too fluffy.

When my kid was 17 mos he slept in a pack n play for a whole month and a half. My husband was called into New Orleans to do Katrina FEMA work and we lived out of a hotel for a month. My kid survived such a confined sleep space, and is a fine, happy and healthy little boy to this day.

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A.M.

answers from San Francisco on

Yes, they've survived it. Really, babies and kids can sleep on pretty hard surfaces. It's only when we get old that we get finicky.

I don't know how old the baby is, so I don't know if you should put something fluffy under him.

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J.S.

answers from New York on

My son sleeps in his pack and play when we visit grandma. the longest he had to sleep in it was 3 weeks at one time. I fault so bad but we was in the middle of moving to the city from upstate so i stayed wit my mom while my husband found a house and set it up and everything and he seems to be fine. he was a lil over a year at the time.

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H.L.

answers from Cleveland on

The pack n play is so much safer. We had asked a condo to provide their free portable crib and oh my goodness, was I relieved we had brought the pack n play! The portable cribs don't drop down - the bars are about 12" high, so if your little one is sitting or pulling up, they may vault out of there!

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S.T.

answers from Kansas City on

he'll be just fine!!! i have 8 month old twins and we only have 1 crib and then the pack&play...they slept in the same crib until they started wiggling all over and kicking eachother in the face and tummy. I tried to alternate them so one wasnt in the P&P every night....that worked for about 2 months or so until my littlest guy started really rolling around and banging his head pretty h*** o* the crib. so i have to put him in the pack&play for naps and bedtime otherwise he gets tons of booboo's on his head. i put down about 6 or so baby blankets to make it softer and cushier and then a bigger blanket on top that i could tuck under kind of like a sheet. he does just fine. i figure they will be moving into toddler beds in 5 or 6 months so it'll be okay. there is no way we can afford to pay $400 on a crib he'll sleep in for a few months and then we'll never use it again.....no worries.

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J.R.

answers from San Diego on

We just got back from a 16-day trip. Our baby slept in a PnP for 11 of those days. She was fine.

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K.B.

answers from Dallas on

When I was looking online the other day I noticed that they sell thicker pads/mattresses that fit in pack and plays. Maybe that would be an option.

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M.H.

answers from Dallas on

My kids always used to sleep in the pack-n-play when we vacationed anywhere, even to grandma's. My youngest daughter slept in it in hotels (since we have 5 in our family) until she no longer fit in it...maybe age 4?? They had/have no problems and no complaints. I knew that it was clean and up off floor!

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L.C.

answers from Raleigh on

our baby is 9 months old and is still in pack nplay in our room....no issues

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B.C.

answers from Los Angeles on

He will be just fine in the pack and play. You can put an extra blanket or two in there if you want, but the extra blanket is for your mental comfort not for his physical comfort. Having him sleep in there is not a problem.

I hope you have a nice time.

Good luck to you and yours.

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K.L.

answers from Savannah on

I have not read the other posts so sorry if this is a repeat but . . . Our son slept in a pack and play for 3 weeks while we visited our family on the other side of the country and he was fine. We took a small blanket that can cushion the small pad and then we wrapped a large sheet around it and had it tucked underneath so that he wouldn't have loose blankets around his face. It worked really well. Good luck!

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A.V.

answers from Washington DC on

My DD used to camp in the PNP when she was little for a week at a time. She was fine.

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M..

answers from Detroit on

Uhhhh, my son slept in the pack n play for 8 months in my room. : / My baby girl going on 3 months. They do make fuzzy fitted sheets for pack n plays, adds a little more cushion. I got them at Babiesrus.

Small toddlers/babies are recommeded firmer sleeping beds. Yeah, that makes me feel better. :)

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J.K.

answers from Sacramento on

He'll be totally fine in a pack and play! Enjoy your vacation!

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S.S.

answers from New York on

My 5 mo old has been sleeping in a pack and play for a crib since she was born. She is healthy and has no bone or joint issues from sleeping in the pack and play. I'm sure your son will be perfectly fine, babies just need sleep when they are tired and they really don't care where it is... I put a doubled up quilted pad on the mattress board and then a pack and play sheet, it's not like sleeping on a serta dream mattress, but it works for now and she sleeps great!

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B.C.

answers from Tampa on

R., do you want to be my bff? I'm prepping for vacay and I'm stressing about the same thing. For the very first time I have been using a pack for several weeks prior our vacay for my sons day naps. Started few times a week, to my surprise his takes long naps in it and wakes up happy. We have fancy round crib with therapeutic mattress in his crib so I was never a big fan of pack and plays. I bought pottery barn pack and play sheets for the quality fabric feel. Never used a pack n play with my daughter, but I'm ready to tough my little one up lol! Have a great vacay!!!!

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D.P.

answers from Pittsburgh on

My son slept in his pack & play at many beach vacations....you can also rent a crib at any beach location for about $45.
Here's O. in the Outer Banks, for example:
http://justforthebeach.com/store/Outer-Banks-Baby-Equipme...

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L.M.

answers from New York on

I put a soft sleeping bag in the bottom of ours when we had them in it for camping or on vaca to make it cushier.

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A.C.

answers from Boston on

I spent a summer traveling with my daughter when she was 8 months old. She slept in the P&P for 8 weeks, maybe more. No problems. Your son will be fine.

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S.A.

answers from Chicago on

My son slept in one for a week last summer, w/out any extra blankets because he was under 12 mos, and he was just fine. When you call the condo about the portable crib, ask them what kind it is. I know hotels say they have portable cribs, but they're actually pack and plays! I'd rather bring my own, clean pack and play from home.

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M.K.

answers from Kansas City on

Ours did a pack 'n play and survived. With our second, at about 18 months or so we got a kids size blow up matress (it has the sides so he won't roll out) from onestepahead.com and used that. By the time we got home (three weeks later) he was ready for his toddler bed, and since we used 'out of the normal element' time to transition, there were no problems with him getting out of bed or crying.

Just fold a blanket around the p'n'p mat and then put the crib sheet over it. He'll do great!

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A.C.

answers from Savannah on

Yes, we did that for my youngest (he stayed in the pack and play for months), with our pediatrician's permission because I did ask. We were in transition, all our stuff in storage while we looked for a house. He slept in it just fine and is in perfect condition.

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R.R.

answers from Los Angeles on

Eddie Bauer makes a nice quilted fitted mattress cover/sheet for pnp's that is sold at Target. We used this in the little guy's pnp (no crib) and it's nice and cushy.
http://www.target.com/Eddie-Bauer-Quilted-Playpen-Sheet/d...
It's also available in a light sage green color, which I was able to find in-store.

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A.P.

answers from Norfolk on

Considering that probably 75% of the world's human population sleeps on the floor, the ground or a thin mat, your son should be just fine. Humans survived for 99.9% of their existance without their Serta's, and did just fine (though you'd never catch me without mine. Mattresses and automatic gear shifts are the same to me; why would you live without them?).

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G.B.

answers from Oklahoma City on

We always had our little ones sleep in the pack and play when we house sit and when we travel. It is fine.

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B.B.

answers from New York on

He will be just fine. When I was pregoo with #2 I asked the dr if it was OK if he slept in a pack n play for a while until we got a crib. I asked if we needed to get a special mattress or anything. He said the baby would be fine.

Have a great vacation

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J.B.

answers from Dallas on

My daughter slept almost exclusively in a pack-n-play for a year and a half. We only moved her out of it because we transitioned to a big girl bed. She has never had any bone, joint, or muscle problems. In fact, she is very active and always on the go, the only time she ever slows down is when she is sleeping.

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S.H.

answers from Richmond on

I doubled up a sleeping bag and then covered that + the board underneath in a sheet. He was fine!

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R.P.

answers from Cleveland on

my daughter actually slept in her pack in play for about 6 months after she was born, it wont do anythin to him at all, but get a pad to put on it (like a mattress protecter, the come in the size to fit perfectly on top of the main piece)and a sheet to put on top of that as well (they have some made for pack n plays) and it will be softer

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A.G.

answers from Albuquerque on

Yes. My twins slept in a pack n play together for 8 nights when our a/c broke and we had to stay in a hotel. They were 10months at the time. They didnt love it the first night but got used to it they seemed just fine.

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J.B.

answers from Washington DC on

My 1 year old son survived the pack and play for a month. We were moving from one state to another and the moving truck had already taken our furniture. Originally we were only going to stay at Grandma's for 2 weeks tops, but after the moving truck left we were informed that our new place would not be ready for an additional two weeks! My poor baby had to sleep in the pack and play for a whole month! After the first couple of nights he was fine.

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N.F.

answers from Dallas on

We were in the same boat on our last vacation and our son is just fine ;) He could sleep anywhere though lol We layered a few blankets and wrapped them around the bottom piece to make it a little more comfortable. He slept just like he did at home in his own bed :)

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L.M.

answers from Washington DC on

Yep, we took it to the beach for a week and he seemed comfortable.

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J.W.

answers from St. Louis on

I take a big blanket and put it underneath the sheet. She seems to be more comfortable. Good luck!

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L.S.

answers from Boston on

She'll be fine. I used it for a week on vacation and I added an extra blanket to make it more padded. Young babies just need to sleep....I've heard stories about sleeping in car seats, in parents' arms, on the floor, etc....it won't harm her. I remember our pediatrician telling us just how important sleep is, so if it means a car seat for a time, so be it. Just make it a little thicker if you want, those mattresses are very thin.

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