apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I just yesterday ordered that peapod "bed" for my one year old - as I was totally clueless as to any other decent travel options. Hope I made a good choice!

That tent/bed thing rocks! We got one before we went away on vacation with our first, at 15 months. It travels all the time with us for our second now. She's been sleeping in it since she was 6 months old. And it's great for outdoors too. Best thing, you can pack it in a suitcase.

We have a PeaPod that we use for travel, and keep a Combi travel crib at Grandma & Grandpa's house. The Baby Bjorn travel crib is nice, but is 11 lbs. and much heftier than the PeaPod.

I'm intrigued by the Peapod...it seems like a good next step after a kid grows out of a Pack-n-Play. What is the maximum age use for this?

We have the peapod for our twins - there is no way we could travel with two pack n' plays... we used it on a trip when they were 12 months and will use it again for a trip next month when they are 17 months.

I'm concerned because now they can stand and walk, which may be an issue, but the first time around they seemed no more disturbed than they were by sleeping in borrowed cribs or pack n' plays when we've traveled other times.

They were a lot less expensive than the Bjorn Travel crib, too.

It is more about size, than age. Once the kid hits about 36 inches it starts to get a bit crowded. That is, unless they are a perfectly still sleeper.

For my two and a half year-old, I brought our bed rails that fit from twin to queen, and we slept in bed together.

We have the PeaPod, too & LOVE it!! It's so compact and pops right into shape when you take it out of the bag- Awesome!

In a real bed with me, on a twin on the floor or a blowup mattress.

we have traveled a few times since our 20mth old was born and he has always slept in between us. but now hes starting to move around a lot in his sleep, so i think that peapod would be a great solution! we have a pack 'n play but he never slept well in it- and its really a pain in the butt to put up and take down!

i guess when you have four kids under five, you ditch all of the fancy stuff and go for basic! they're either in bed with us or on a bed made up on the floor. even when we only had one or two, we lived in hawai'i and had to fly 3000 miles each time we travelled. packing furniture accesories was the last thing on my list!

I purchased the peapod plus and my 7 month has slept in it at her aunts house and we will be taking it with us to Dominican Repulic in the coming months. I love it! Word to the wise: at $90 it's a bit pricey. I purchased it on craigslist for 25!

Kidco makes a bigger Pea Pod, called the Pea Pod Plus that's a little bigger/longer for older toddlers. We also like the Phil and Ted's Traveller. It's bigger than a pack n play and the sides are taller for kids like mine that can climb out of the pnp, plus its much much lighter and more portable. It zips open both on top and on the side and packs into a small 6lb carry bag.

My 2 year old daughter had a great pop-up playhouse from Target that we packed for a trip thinking it would be an easy 'big' toy to play with in the condo we were renting. That night, we realized it also made the best 'second' bedroom.

Once she grew to big for it, she decided the closet made a good hideaway sleep spot-just leave the sliding doors open enough so everyone's happy.

We're totally in love with our PeaPods. Our son has been using them since 2006.

There are two sizes: standard and plus (the plus is pictured above).

The standard is good infant through young toddler. The Plus has more bells and whistles.

Our preschool son (who sleeps in a twin bed now) begs us to take his "tent" on trips. At 5'9" I can fit inside the tent (not comfortably, but I think it's impressive none the less).

A full comparison of the plus and the standard Peapods: babytoolkit.blogspot.com/2007/06/more-peapods-for-me-please-peapod-plus.html
There are lots of pictures, and I explain all the differences.

There is a newer model of the Plus with a self-inflating mattress. We have a foot air pump that is fast and compact, so I'm not tempted to buy a third for the mattress alone.

This is one of our best gear buys.

We're totally in love with our PeaPods. Our son has been using them since 2006.

There are two sizes: standard and plus (the plus is pictured above).

The standard is good infant through young toddler. The Plus has more bells and whistles.

Our preschool son (who sleeps in a twin bed now) begs us to take his "tent" on trips. At 5'9" I can fit inside the tent (not comfortably, but I think it's impressive none the less).

A full comparison of the plus and the standard Peapods: http://babytoolkit.blogspot.com/2007/06/more-peapods-for-me-please-peapod-plus.html
There are lots of pictures, and I explain all the differences.

There is a newer model of the Plus with a self-inflating mattress. We have a foot air pump that is fast and compact, so I'm not tempted to buy a third for the mattress alone.

This is one of our best gear buys.

When I was a little kid, I used to sleep on the floor in the closet in the beach condo we'd rent. We'd vacuum it and then use sleeping bags and blankets. When I got older, I'd shut the doors and use a flashlight to read and I felt very "grown up". I really liked having my own little space.

How young can they be in the peapod? We've used borrowed pack 'n play (buying that travelite pack n play was the dumbest thing I ever did) but they seem to be getting a bit snug for my one year old. So the peapod seems like the next logical step but I keep seeing the ages for it start at 2.

We've tried a bunch of stuff - pack and play, rented crib, borrowed crib or pack and play, twin bed with rails, on the floor, twin mattress on the floor, and in bed with us.

No matter what our son starts in, sometime in the night and definitely by morning, he is in bed with us.

He's now three and the latest item is a travel cot by Regalo (http://www.shopping.com/xPO-Regalo_Regalo_My_Cot_Portable_Travel_Bed). It fit in our biggest suitcase and was easy to carry back and forth between friends and family on a recent trip. My husband was worried our son wouldn't be comfortable in it and kept trying to add blankets to cushion it a bit. Most times my son pushed all the extra padding off wanting to sleep directly on the cot. I guess it reminded him of his cot at preschool.

@jensational Our son started using in it when he hit 16 pounds. We left the sleeping bag out until he was older.

Just let them sleep with you. Traveling is stressful for kids.

This is it. Have used it for years now and it's absolutely wonderful. The higher inflating sides are key. Kids won't accidentally roll out. Both of our kids think sleeping in it is totally a treat. (They even make us inflate it for use at home!):
http://www.thinkaero.com/group/8/store_ProductDetail.html
http://www.comforthouse.com/portablebed.html

Another vote for the PeePod! We got 2 for our twins just before they were a year, and they loved them (we put them down in heavier pjs so they didn't need blankets). A year later, they're still great. The zipper toggles are on the outside, so they're secure -- but put them on the floor, because an aggressive toddler could roll one maybe.

You know when they wake up by the crinkle-whiff-whiff-whiff as they explore the inside -- it's really cute!

And -- they're great for naps on the beach (but put them in the shade of your beach umbrella).

when we travel, our 2.5 yo sleeps in bed with us. well, in bed with me, really. we book either a room w/ one king for all of us, or two queens, and my husband gets a bed to himself.

We used the peapod when travelling to Java and Bali last year for a month. It was great.
1. It gave our daughter a cozy spot to sleep in our room (hotel rooms and staying at a relative's house). We were able to toss a sheet over the top if we weren't ready for bed ourselves, but didn't want to keep her awake.
2. It can go outdoors: on the beach, by the pool, wherever you can find a clear spot without stuff that will poke through the bottom.
3. It fits in a suitcase and doesn't eat up all the weight allowance. We fit ours in an Eagle Creek duffel and a small Samsonite roll-on. With weight allowance to spare for toys, snacks, and diapers.
4. The best thing about it, for us, was a surprise. One of our hotels in Bali was more picturesque than well-built. It was built in the traditional style and the walls didn't go all the way to the ceiling. Mosquitoes were everywhere and malaria is a real danger over there. We were able to zip up the kid and not worry about serious illness, or how to deal with medical treatment so far from home. If your camping, or going to stay somewhere rustic that might have the same issue our hotel did, then the peapod is also good for that extra protection.

Someone asked about the minimum age for using the peapod. The reason the company suggests 2 years is because of the sleeping pad insert. It's a bit smaller than the actual bottom of the pod. So it can slide away from the sides and a small baby could get stuck between the pad and the wall of the pod. You can use it without the pad, we did a few times by putting it on a couple of blankets or a mattress set on the floor. Also, the mesh panels don't go all the way to the floor so there is some suffocation hazard for babies that can't roll on their own or lift their heads up well.

What a great idea.

Just added it to our registry! Thanks! :)

We always book a room with two queens and one kid sleeps with my husband and one sleeps with me.